GAM to refrain from celebrating anniversary<\/p>\n
Nani Afrida and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Former Aceh rebels have decided against celebrating the 29nd
\nanniversary of their movement on Sunday to show their commitment
\nto promoting peace in the province.<\/p>\n
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders came to the decision in Banda
\nAceh on Friday following recommendations from the government and
\nthe Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM).<\/p>\n
\"We decided not to mark GAM's anniversary this year to avoid
\nprovocative incidents, which GAM might be blamed for,\" GAM's
\nspokesman Sofyan Dawood told The Jakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
By not celebrating the anniversary, he said, GAM would not be
\nresponsible for flag-raising or the display of GAM symbols.<\/p>\n
\"(If such a thing occurs), please take action because the
\noffenders will not be GAM members,\" Sofyan said.<\/p>\n
Such activities, he said, would violate the peace deal signed
\nby the government and GAM on Aug. 18 in Helsinki. The agreement
\nrequires GAM, which was founded on Dec. 4, 1976, to drop its
\ndemand for an independent state in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Earlier, GAM intended to mark its anniversary by holding
\nprayers in mosques, including the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in
\nBanda Aceh, to show its full acceptance of the agreement.<\/p>\n
Sofyan said GAM could not stop people from expressing their
\ngratitude for the changes brought about by the peace deal.
\n\"But please do not use GAM symbols or slogans. Don't involve GAM
\n(in celebrations) and don't encourage mass gatherings,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The decision to cancel anniversary celebrations was also
\ninfluenced by the recommendations of the AMM.<\/p>\n
AMM deputy chairman Jaako Oksanen said it would not facilitate
\nGAM's anniversary celebration. \"AMM is still concentrating on the
\ndecommissioning process as requested in the memorandum of
\nunderstanding (MOU) in Helsinki,\" Oksanen said recently in Banda
\nAceh.<\/p>\n
Aceh Police chief Insp. Gen. Bahrumsyah Kasman expected there
\nwould be no celebrations this year \"to ensure peace, which the
\nAcehnese have just started to enjoy following the signing of the
\npeace deal\".<\/p>\n
Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said
\non Friday he had asked AMM and the local police to restrict GAM
\nmembers from celebrating the anniversary, saying that would not
\nbe in the spirit of the peace deal.<\/p>\n
\"If the Dec. 4 celebration aims at commemorating the signing
\nof the MOU, well that's OK, but if the celebration is aimed at
\ncommemorating the anniversary of GAM, which waged armed rebellion
\nfor independence, I guess AMM and the police should take certain
\nmoves to stop it, because it disregards the presence of the
\nUnitary Republic of Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
The four-star general also warned the former guerrillas not to
\nhoist GAM's crescent-star flag, saying the flag had yet to be
\nofficially recognized in Aceh.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gam-to-refrain-from-celebrating-anniversary-1447893297",
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