Aceh rebels surrender more guns in fourth handover<\/p>\n
Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Former separatist rebels in Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged province
\nof Aceh began surrendering more weapons on Wednesday in the last
\nstage of decommissioning aimed at ending nearly 30 years of
\nconflict, military officials said.<\/p>\n
The handover - the fourth round since weapons decommissioning
\nbegan in September - was scheduled to last two days in the two
\nregencies of Kutacane and Takengon, unless rebels failed to meet
\nthe expected quota.<\/p>\n
\"It is scheduled for today and tomorrow with the expectation
\nof at least 212 weapons,\" Indonesian military (TNI) spokesman Lt.
\nCol. Erie Soetikno told DPA.<\/p>\n
Under the latest peace deal, signed on Aug. 15 in Helsinki,
\nFinland, rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have to hand in
\na total of 840 weapons in four stages before the end of the year.<\/p>\n
During the three hand-overs that began last September, rebels
\nhave turned in a total of 792 weapons that have been recognized
\nand accepted by the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), a team from
\nEuropean Union (EU) and ASEAN nations monitoring the
\nimplementation of the peace deal.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian military has only recognized 628 as having met
\nqualifications and is disputing the others.<\/p>\n
The weapons, ammunition and explosives collected in the fourth
\nround were due to be destroyed by the AMM after the TNI verifies
\nthem according to their condition as stated in the peace deal.<\/p>\n
In response to the disarmament, the Indonesian government is
\nexpected to pull out some 5,600 troops after the final handover
\nis completed.<\/p>\n
\"We have scheduled the last pull-out starting from December
\n20th to 29th with the total troops around 6,000,\" Lt. Col. Erie
\nSoetikno said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia had more than 30,000 soldiers and 15,000 policemen
\nin Aceh before the truce, and 14,700 soldiers and 9,100 police
\nofficers are to remain under the agreement after the end of the
\nnext withdrawal.<\/p>\n
The decommissioning of weapons and the withdrawal of military
\nforces from Aceh will pave the way for the next step -
\nreintegrating the former rebels - in ending nearly three decades
\nof armed conflict in the province that has left more than 15,000,
\nmostly civilians, dead.<\/p>\n
Earlier attempts at peace in Aceh have failed, but the
\nDecember 26 tsunami, which destroyed large swathes of Aceh,
\nkilling more than 167,000 people, paved the way for the latest
\npeace accord.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-rebels-surrender-more-guns-in-fourth-handover-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}