Video shows ex-Indonesian president speaking on tsunami anniversary, not island dispute
Indonesia’s North Sumatra and Aceh provinces have been embroiled in a dispute over the control of four islands, but a video circulating online does not show former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono weighing in on the issue. The clip is an extract from a speech he gave in 2023 marking the 19th anniversary of the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami, and he did not mention the contested islands.
“SBY’s message is very clear: directly, do not disturb Aceh and return those four islands to their original owner,” reads an Indonesian-language post on X shared on June 15, 2025.
The post includes a video of Yudhoyono, also known as SBY, who played a role in signing a peace pact with Free Aceh Movement separatists during his presidency in 2005, ending decades of violence in the province.
“The Indonesian leaders who are carrying out the mandate, including Mr Prabowo Subianto, from all of this, do what you should do to our beloved Indonesia, to our beloved Aceh,” he says in the clip.
“Peace in Aceh didn’t come suddenly. It took a long up-and-down process.”
Screenshot of the false video taken on June 26, with a red X added by AFP
The false post refers to a decade-long dispute over four islands — Panjang, Lipan, Mangkir Gadang, and Mangkir Ketek — between North Sumatra and the neighbouring Aceh province.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced on June 17 that the islands will be put under Aceh’s control (archived link).
The false clip was also shared on TikTok, where it has been watched over 300,000 times, and spread on Facebook.
But a Google reverse image search using keyframes found local broadcaster Kompas TV uploaded a video to YouTube showing the same scene titled “Full, SBY’s Speech in the 19th Year Commemoration of the Aceh Tsunami” on December 26, 2023 (archived link).
The clip used in the false post was taken from the 10:12 to 11:21 mark.
Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the clip uploaded by Kompas TV
SBY gave the speech at a commemorative event marking 19 years since the 2004 deadly tsunami that killed more than 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean.
“I want to highlight the deeper meaning of why we commemorate it. People say that in order to move forward, to heal is to remember,” he said, before continuing with the remarks in the false clip.
As of June 23, SBY has not spoken out publicly on the contested islands.