Thousands to hold prayer for lasting peace<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
As the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
\nare expected to sign a peace deal in Helsinki on Aug. 15, the
\nAcehnese kneel for two days of prayers beginning on Sunday,
\ninvoking lasting peace in the land where decades of armed
\nstruggle for independence in the resource-rich province has
\nkilled over 15,000 people.<\/p>\n
No less than 60 tents to accommodate some 15,000 Acehnese have
\nbeen erected inside the compound of Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in
\nthe provincial capital of Banda Aceh.<\/p>\n
Charismatic Acehnese Muslim leader, Tgk. Djamaluddin Waly,
\nwill lead the mass prayer.<\/p>\n
Giant screens have been installed inside the mosque to allow
\nthe Acehnese to witness the signing of the peace agreement, which
\nwill be held at around 9 a.m. local time, to be aired by a
\nprivate TV station.<\/p>\n
\"I heard about the peace deal which has been reached between
\nthe government and the GAM leadership from the newspapers and
\ntelevision, but I don't really know the content of the peace
\npact. Well, if it is true, I feel good that we can live in
\npeace,\" said Hafnisah, who teaches at an elementary school in
\nKrueng Raya area.<\/p>\n
\"We have suffered because of the tsunami, now we just need to
\nlive without conflict,\" she added.<\/p>\n
The peace pact will be signed by Minister of Justice and Human
\nRights Hamid Awaluddin representing the Indonesian government and
\nself-styled prime minister Malik Mahmood representing the GAM
\nleadership.<\/p>\n
Facilitated by the Finnish-based Crisis Management Initiative
\n(CMI), a series of peace talks between the government and GAM,
\nwhich started in January, were made possible only after the
\ntsunami hit the province on Dec. 26, killing over 130,000 people.<\/p>\n
The peace pact grants greater autonomy for the Acehnese to
\nmanage their own political and economic affairs. It also arranges
\nfor a pardon for GAM members and other political prisoners. Under
\nthe pact the government will withdraw a large number of its
\ntroops and police personnel from non-local units.<\/p>\n
In return, GAM agreed to drop its independence demand for the
\nprovince and surrender its weapons.<\/p>\n
Both sides have agreed to invite representatives from EU and
\nASEAN countries to monitor the implementation of the peace deal
\nin the field.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, about 50 members of the Aceh Monitoring Mission
\n(AMM) have arrived in Banda Aceh and set up an office on Jl.
\nLorong Gembira.<\/p>\n
The monitoring team, comprising 150 EU representatives and 100
\nASEAN representatives plans to set up more than 10 posts across
\nthe province.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the monitoring team, Pieter Feith of the
\nNetherlands, will arrive on Sunday (today), and plans to prepare
\nthe peace mission program in detail in line with their mandate
\n\"to show the team's commitment to the conflict resolution in
\nAceh\".<\/p>\n
Separately, the police have begun to withdraw their personnel
\nfrom non-local units deployed in several regencies in Aceh on
\nSaturday in support of the peace process in Aceh.<\/p>\n
Two batches of a total of 708 policemen left from Malahayati
\nport in Aceh Besar and Krueng Geukueh in Lhokseumawe regencies
\nfor Medan aboard the KRI Teluk Saleh.<\/p>\n
\"I'm glad that we can finally go home. I'm glad to be alive
\nand happy that I will meet my wife again, and that the peace
\nagreement has been reached,\" Adhie, a low-ranking police officer
\nfrom South Sulawesi who has been assigned in Aceh Besar regency
\nfor about six months, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Adhie is among a total of 12,000 police personnel from units
\noutside Aceh who have been deployed in Aceh since President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri imposed martial law across the province in
\nMay 2003 and declared war against the separatist rebels.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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