Peace felt on eve of Aceh deal signing<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro and Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
An atmosphere of peace prevailed in Aceh ahead of an historic day
\nthat many hope will mark an end to almost three decades of
\nbloodshed.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people thronged Baiturrahman Grand Mosque on
\nSunday to pray for nothing to stand in the way of the signing of
\na peace deal between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM) rebel group in Helsinki on Monday.<\/p>\n
\"I wish for lasting peace in Aceh, which would not merely take
\nplace in main towns, but also the remote places across the
\nprovince,\" a blind man, Rasiddin, 34, said as he joined the
\nprayer.<\/p>\n
\"We are tired of living amid a long-standing conflict.\"<\/p>\n
Rasiddin lives in Barak Ruko Darussalam, a remote village in
\nAceh Besar regency that is considered a GAM stronghold.<\/p>\n
A woman shared a similar hope, although she was more cautious.<\/p>\n
\"Shaking hands is easy, but it's not so easy to do it from the
\nheart,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Tuesday's peace agreement, if it materializes, will be the
\nthird one signed in Aceh since former president Abdurrahman Wahid
\ninitiated a humanitarian pause in the province in 2000.<\/p>\n
GAM has been waging a guerrilla war since 1976 to found a
\nindependent state in the natural resource-rich province.<\/p>\n
Continuing violence has since then killed around 15,000
\npeople, mostly civilians.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Sunday morning, hundreds of students from state-run
\nSyiah Kuala University and others institutions grouped under the
\nAll Aceh Student Executive Body (BEM) took to the streets to
\nexpress their desire for peace.<\/p>\n
They distributed white paper roses to pedestrians.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that the peace talks will not benefit certain groups
\nin Aceh nor serve to entertain the elite of politics. More than
\nthat, the peace agreement should mark the real reintegration of
\nall Aceh people who have suffered from the prolonged trauma upon
\nwitnessing members of their families kidnapped, tortured and
\nkilled by both warring parties,\" the students said in their
\nstatement.<\/p>\n
The message came amid the students' concern about a possible
\nsocial conflict as a consequence of the peace deal that requires
\namnesty and the acceptance of GAM members back into society.<\/p>\n
\"We demand both parties to comply with the peace pact and not
\nconsider it a ceremonial thing,\" said Andria Syah Putra, the
\nsecretary-general of Syiah Kuala University's student
\nassociation.<\/p>\n
Under the draft agreement, the government will provide
\neconomic compensation for GAM members who surrender their
\nweapons.<\/p>\n
Other key points of the peace pact include a greater autonomy
\nstatus for Aceh to administer their political and economic
\naffairs, and the withdrawal of reinforcement military troops and
\npolice officers.<\/p>\n
In return, GAM will drop its independence demand.<\/p>\n
Also on Sunday, chairman of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM)
\nPieter Feith from the Netherlands arrived in Banda Aceh.
\nAccompanying him were several other monitors and British
\nAmbassador to Indonesia Charles Humphrey.<\/p>\n
Feith reiterated the team's commitment to conflict resolution
\nin Aceh with full respect of Indonesia's territorial integrity.<\/p>\n
\"I would like to urge both parties to show maximum restraint,
\nto desist from acts of violence, the use of force and cease all
\noffensive operations,\" Feith said. \"This will create a climate of
\nconfidence that will be the best way for starting the program of
\ndecommissioning and redeployment.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/peace-felt-on-eve-of-aceh-deal-signing-1447893297",
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