Aceh's Tiro district declared second peace zone<\/p>\n
Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
Thirty-year-old Mardiah and her son Fauzan ran to an empty field
\nto witness the declaration on Saturday of Tiro, a remote district
\nin Pidie regency, as a second peace zone in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Mardiah was excited to witness the event, which brought with
\nit hope for an end to the violence and killing that has plagued
\nthe area.<\/p>\n
\"All of the villagers are happy about the declaration of the
\ndistrict as a peace zone because we want to live in peace,
\nwithout terror and intimidation. That's why we are here,\" she
\ntold The Jakarta Post moments before the ceremony, held near the
\noffice of the Tiro district chief.<\/p>\n
Most of those attending the ceremony were women and children.
\nMardiah is one of hundreds of widows in the area whose husbands
\nwere killed either by security personnel or rebels from the Free
\nAceh Movement (GAM).<\/p>\n
Despite the peace accord recently signed by the Indonesian
\ngovernment and GAM, several villagers have been killed in
\ngunfights with security personnel and many other have fled
\nbecause of terror and intimidation.<\/p>\n
More than 150 adult men in the district's 19 villages were
\nkilled as the tension between the military and GAM escalated in
\nthe two years before the signing of the peace pact.<\/p>\n
Members of the Joint Security Committee (JSC), which is
\nmonitoring the peace process in Aceh, on hand to declare the new
\npeace zone were greeted with cries of \"Aceh merdeka\" (Aceh
\nindependence) and GAM flags raised along the eight-kilometer path
\nto the remote district.<\/p>\n
Many of the women attending the ceremony cried in joy and
\nchildren raised GAM flags during the ceremony, which was guarded
\nby dozens of police officers.<\/p>\n
Tiro, some 120 kilometers east of Banda Aceh, is the second
\ndistrict to be declared a peace zone, following Indrapuri in Aceh
\nBesar regency. The declaration of peace zones, which is part of
\nthe demilitarization process agreed to in the cessation of
\nhostilities agreement, began on Feb. 9.<\/p>\n
During the five-month demilitarization, which will last until
\nJuly 9, GAM is required to lay down its arms and put them in
\nstorage areas overseen by the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), which is
\nfacilitating the peace process.<\/p>\n
At the same time, military personnel are required to withdraw
\nto defensive positions and Mobile Brigade personnel are to return
\nto normal police duties.<\/p>\n
The demilitarization process, aimed at ending the bloody
\nconflict in the process, is a prerequirement before the Acehnese
\ncan begin to seek a comprehensive solution to the Aceh issue
\nthrough an all-inclusive dialog.<\/p>\n
JSC deputy chief Brig. Gen. Nagamora Lamodag said that with
\nthe declaration of Tiro as a peace zone, the Indonesian Military
\n(TNI) would not be allowed to deploy personnel to the district
\nand GAM could not conduct activities in the district.<\/p>\n
\"We hope Tiro will be a second Indrapuri,\" he said, alluding
\nto the fact that Indrapuri had been peaceful since it was
\ndeclared a peace zone last month.<\/p>\n
During the ceremony, David Gorman, the HDC project manager,
\nsaid: \"Peace needs brave men. It's so easy to make war, but
\ncreating peace needs brave men.\"<\/p>\n
A local resident, Nyak Maneh, 60, said residents of the
\ndistrict would now be free to leave their house without fear.<\/p>\n
He also called on security forces and GAM to comply with the
\ndeclaration and help create a permanent peace in the district and
\neventually in the entire province.<\/p>\n
Mardiah said most residents in the district wanted Aceh to
\nseparate from Indonesia, because the Indonesian government had
\noppressed the Acehnese for too long.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/acehs-tiro-district-declared-second-peace-zone-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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