Acehnese beat drums for peace<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Thousands of Acehnese are expected to participate in the two-day
\nrapa i pase drum festival starting on Sunday as part of their
\nsupport for the signing of the long-awaited peace deal between
\nthe government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) next week.<\/p>\n
The festival will include a massive prayer gathering and the
\nbeating of 144 rapa i pase, Aceh's traditional drum, by 288
\nplayers for 24 consecutive hours. They will traverse Aceh's roads
\nfrom Banda Aceh to Lhokseumawe to Perlak, and back to Panton Labu
\nin North Aceh.<\/p>\n
Panton Labu is the area from where the festival of rapa i pase
\noriginates. Rapa i pase is usually celebrated during traditional
\nceremonies or on historical occasions.<\/p>\n
Other events will be in the form of traditional entertainments
\ninside the gubernatorial compound as well as a rally by 100
\npedicab drivers.<\/p>\n
\"The beating of the drums is a kind of announcement to the
\npublic that Aceh people will soon live in peace after over 30
\nyears of conflict,\" Aceh information agency official Yusran was
\nquoted as saying by Antara.<\/p>\n
Yusran said the 288 drummers would be conveyed in a convoy of
\naround 200 cars, which would make several stops in villages along
\nthe way.<\/p>\n
At each stop, he said, the parade would be welcomed by similar
\nrapa i pase celebrations by local villagers, reflecting the wide
\nhopes for peace in the resource-rich province.<\/p>\n
Calls for a lasting peace in Aceh resurfaced early this year
\nfollowing the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunamis in
\nDecember that claimed almost 150,000 lives.<\/p>\n
The government and GAM are slated to sign a peace arrangement
\non Aug. 15 to terminate the decades-long armed conflict there,
\nwhich has killed thousands of civilians.<\/p>\n
Both parties last month concluded the fifth and final round of
\ninformal peace talks in Finland's capital of Helsinki,
\nfacilitated by the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI).<\/p>\n
Results of the latest talks, which have yet to be fully
\nrevealed by the parties, have drawn mixed reactions ranging from
\nsupport to criticism, particularly on the possible creation of
\nlocal political parties in Aceh and the involvement of foreigners
\nas observers.<\/p>\n
Another crucial point in the talks was the granting of an
\namnesty to former GAM members, which the government said would be
\ngiven on a selective basis, with rebels convicted of \"ordinary
\ncrimes\" not being eligible.<\/p>\n
The government and the House of Representatives are scheduled
\nto hold a consultative meeting on Tuesday to present and exchange
\nopinions on the full results of the latest talks and their
\nimplementation.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, dozens of foreign journalists from Europe, the
\nUnited States and Australia are readying themselves to cover the
\nsituation in Aceh following the signing of the peace agreement on
\nAug. 15.<\/p>\n
Yusran said a number of journalists had already been granted
\npermits, while others were still being processed. But the process
\nwas expected to be completed before the signing date, he added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehnese-beat-drums-for-peace-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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