Aceh leaders fear clashes

Aceh leaders fear clashes

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

With the Helsinki peace deal only a few days away, some Acehnese
figures urged the government on Thursday to prepare the
technicalities for a plan to grant amnesty to former Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) members and return them to the community.

If the technicalities were not well thought-out, the
reintegration process could spark new problems, said an Aceh
figure, who requested anonymity.

"There is a lot of hatred among people for some GAM members
who often extorted and kidnapped their fellow Acehnese. Social
clashes could happen after they are given amnesty and returned to
the community," he told The Jakarta Post.

The problem began in 1998, when the military revoked Aceh's
status as a Military Operations Area (DOM). Since this was
revoked, there had been many murders of those whose relatives
were suspected of having been Indonesian Military spies. "The
murders have created hatred among some and they are eager to take
revenge. How can they erase the memories of their relatives who
were abducted and killed?" he asked.

In order to prevent social clashes, the Aceh figure urged the
government to prepare, among other things, a mechanism for
grassroots reconciliation.

"The former GAM members, for example, should attend a
reconciliation ceremony called peusijuek held by local
subdistrict officials. During the ceremony, residents and former
GAM members would be urged to shake hands and mend their ties
after the decades of conflict," he said.

Member of the House of Representatives from Aceh, Nasir Jamil,
shared his concerns.

"I agree that reintegration has to be carefully planned. All
community members whose integrity is accepted by the public, such
as religious leaders, cultural leaders and others, have to be
involved in the reintegration process," said Jamil.

Jamil said he believed that if those people were involved in
the process, then "horizontal conflicts" between former GAM
members and the community could be avoided.

While some Aceh leaders expressed concerns about possible
chaos during the reintegration process, the public at large were
generally willing to accept the return of former GAM members to
the community.

"If these people have repented and asked for forgiveness, then
we have to accept them. Islam does not teach revenge," said
Yusuf, a resident of Krueng Sabe, Aceh Jaya regency.

The area where Yusuf lives was labeled a "black zone" by the
Indonesian military, meaning that it was an area where GAM had a
lot of influence.

Muhammad, a resident of Lhoh Pulo subdistrict, Aceh Besar
regency, shared a similar view. "I can accept it if former GAM
members return to my neighborhood. However, those former GAM
members should be former Lhoh Pulo residents whom we know well.
It will make the place tense if the former GAM members coming to
our community are outsiders," he said.