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 Since this was revoked, there had been many murders of those whose relatives were suspected of having been Indonesian Military spies.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.