Casualties down, but violence continues in Aceh<\/p>\n
Ibnu Mat Noor
\nand Nani Farida
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nBanda Aceh\/Lhokseumawe<\/p>\n
Civilian casualties have dropped significantly in Aceh in the
\npast month, but violence has not stopped entirely in the
\ncountry's westernmost province.<\/p>\n
One month after the government and the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) signed a peace agreement to end all hostilities, a total of
\n14 people, including 11 civilians, were killed in the resource-
\nrich province, a sharp decline from an average of 87 casualties
\nper month prior to the peace deal.<\/p>\n
\"The decreasing fatality rate is the main indicator of the
\nstrong commitment from both sides (the government and GAM) to
\nimplementing the Dec. 9 peace agreement,\" Fahmi Yunus, manager of
\nthe information unit with the Joint Security Committee (JSC) told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
In Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, some 3,000 people staged a rally
\nThursday to demand that the government withdraw Indonesian
\nmilitary (TNI) troops from Aceh for good.<\/p>\n
Although police said they had not issued a permit for the
\nrally, the protesters were permitted to stage their rally under
\nguard of the local police personnel.<\/p>\n
North Aceh Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Eko Daryanto said that,
\nsince the organizers had not received permission from police
\nauthorities to hold the rally, protesters from outside
\nLhokseumawe were restrained from joining the protest.<\/p>\n
Over 4,000 people in North and East Aceh have taken refuge
\nwithin mosque compounds as armed skirmishes between TNI and GAM
\ncontinued, even after the signing of the peace agreement on Dec.
\n9.<\/p>\n
The government and GAM signed the Agreement on Cessation of
\nHostilities in Geneva, Switzerland, on Dec. 9, marking the
\nturning point of the 26-year conflict in Aceh. Both parties also
\nagreed to end any hostile acts and violence, which would be
\ncentral to determining whether or not the peace agreement would
\nsucceed.<\/p>\n
A Joint Security Committee (JSC) and monitoring teams were
\nalso established within the first month of the cease-fire.
\nMonitoring team members consist of representatives of the
\ngovernment, GAM and the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC).<\/p>\n
TNI and GAM agreed on Dec. 26 to inform each other on their
\nrespective movements through the JSC by reporting to the
\ncommittee 48 hours before the scheduled move. Neither party is
\nallowed to attack the other after they have received the movement
\nreport from JSC.<\/p>\n
TNI and GAM also agreed to comply with an accord on sanctions
\nimposed upon violators of the peace agreement, Fahmi said, adding
\nthat the sanction, as determined by the JSC, would be of a moral
\npenalty, such as the widespread publication of the perpetrator in
\nthe mass media.<\/p>\n
Another progress was the deployment of 90 monitoring team
\nmembers, although the number still fell short of the 150 members
\nagreed to by both parties.<\/p>\n
Monitoring teams consisting a total of 72 personnel were
\ndeployed on Dec. 28, while 18 members were deployed on Jan. 7.
\nThe teams are mostly stationed in North and East Aceh.<\/p>\n
Acehnese have expressed positive reactions to the implementa
\ntion of the peace agreement.<\/p>\n
\"Before the signing of the peace accord, we had no courage to
\ntill our farms, because of the many gunfights between TNI and
\nGAM, but now we even dare to go home at night from our farms,\"
\n56-year-old farmer Abdul Majid said.<\/p>\n
Fahmi concurred with Abdul's statement, saying that he had no
\nfears of coming home at night, from his office in Banda Aceh to
\nhis residence, which is located outside the city.<\/p>\n
\"That's my personal experience; there's been very positive
\nprogress here,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/casualties-down-but-violence-continues-in-aceh-1447893297",
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