Aceh's Puteh promotes peace talk agreement<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Governor Abdullah Puteh held a closed-
\ndoor meeting with activists of the Aceh Referendum Information
\nCenter (SIRA) in Medan, North Sumatra on Thursday to familiarize
\nthem with the outcome of the peace talks in Geneva.<\/p>\n
SIRA activist Fuady Sony said after the meeting on Thursday
\nthat Puteh and his staff organized the meeting to explain the
\npoints reached in the agreement made during peace talks between
\nthe government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) on May 8 and May
\n9 in Geneva, Switzerland.<\/p>\n
However, Puteh denied that the meeting was organized to
\npromote the Geneva agreement, arguing that the Aceh
\nadministration had not received any official notice on it.<\/p>\n
"We learned the outcome of the peace talks from the media but
\nwe have not received any official notice from the central
\ngovernment," Puteh said.<\/p>\n
According to the governor, he and his staff met with Acehnese
\nstudents affiliated with SIRA in Medan to talk about the
\ngovernment and developments in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD).<\/p>\n
"We did not talk with SIRA, but with Acehnese students. We
\ndiscussed the government and developments in Nanggroe Aceh
\nDarussalam," Puteh said.<\/p>\n
According to Fuady, SIRA activists told Governor Puteh in the
\nmeeting that they rejected the special autonomy deal offered by
\nthe central government and demanded a referendum to settle the
\nAceh conflict once and for all.<\/p>\n
The government and GAM negotiators agreed to a cease-fire in
\nthe peace talks held on May 8 and May 9 in Geneva to end the
\ndecades of bloodshed in the restive province. They also
\nreaffirmed their commitment to adopt the special autonomy
\narrangement as the basis for future negotiations.<\/p>\n
Fuady said SIRA as an institution, which consists of some 120
\npro-referendum elements, refused to accept the special autonomy
\npackage as it did not represent the people's aspirations.<\/p>\n
"The Acehnese want the current conflict to be settled once and
\nfor all through a referendum," said Fuady, adding that SIRA would
\ncontinue fighting for a referendum as demanded by the Acehnese
\nduring a meeting held on Sept. 8, 1999.<\/p>\n
"The autonomy issue is an old one. Aceh has been declared a
\nspecial autonomous region, but there's nothing special about
\nthat. What is special about Aceh is that it has turned into a
\nkilling field," Fuady said.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of innocent people have been killed since January as
\narmed encounters between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and GAM
\nfighters have continued unabated.<\/p>\n
SIRA urged the government to declare a cease-fire in the
\ntroubled province and invite foreign mediators to monitor it.<\/p>\n
"I think what is important now is a cease-fire," Fuady said
\nafter the meeting.<\/p>\n
According to Fuady, it was high time for TNI and GAM to
\ndeclare a cease-fire as "the Acehnese are tired of the continuing
\nviolence and the protracted conflict" in the country's
\nwesternmost province.<\/p>\n
Puteh also expressed concern over the abduction of nine female
\nAcehnese students by unidentified men recently, saying that the
\ngovernment could not tolerate any violence in the province.<\/p>\n
"It is a pity that the students were kidnapped. The students
\nwant to study," said Puteh, adding that students should not be
\nexploited in the conflict.<\/p>\n
"We appeal to all of those involved to realize that kidnapping
\nis not good for the future of Aceh or the future of the
\nAcehnese," he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehs-puteh-promotes-peace-talk-agreement-1447893297",
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