Acehnese begin to taste normal life

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Life in the once conflict-torn province of Aceh seems as normal as in the rest of the country just one month after the signing of the cessation of hostilities agreement between the government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) on Dec. 9, 2002.

The current favorable security situation has allowed the courts in Aceh to resume operation and convinced the central government to deploy 4,000 extra teachers to the westernmost province.

The head of the provincial office of the justice and human rights ministry, Teuku Darwin, said in provincial capital Banda Aceh on Sunday that 90 percent of district courts had resumed activities despite the fact that not all of the courts had the minimum requirement of three judges.

Only two out of the 18 district courts in Lhoksukon and Galang are not functioning because they have no judges.

"Although many of them have only one judge, the courts have resumed their daily activities," Darwin was quoted by Antara wire service as saying.

The government, he said, will recruit some 48 new judges from Aceh to help law enforcement in the province.

"Twenty-four new judges have been assigned to chair court proceedings in the province, while 24 others are still in pre-job training in Jakarta," he said.

Besides providing more judges, the government will also give priority to rebuilding courthouses that were burned down during the years of conflict between GAM and the government.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education will send 4,000 teachers and has allocated Rp 200 billion (US$222,000) in financial assistance to support the education program in Aceh.

The extra teachers in Aceh are expected to meet the need for teachers in the province, the director general of elementary and basic education affairs, Indrajati Sidi, said.

However, Aceh reportedly needs some 15,000 more elementary and senior high school teachers.

Indrajati said the Rp 200 billion in financial assistance would be used to support a scholarship program, book procurement and the renovation of school buildings. The money will be disbursed in February, he said.

Foreign donors through the World Bank has also promised to provide a trust fund to help rebuild education in the natural resource-rich but underdeveloped province.

Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yutaka Iimura said after a meeting between foreign diplomats and President Megawati Soekarnoputri last week that several sessions regarding post-war financial aid would be held in coming talks with the Consultative Group on Indonesia on Jan. 21 in Bali.

Besides the resumption of legal institutions and the imminent arrival of extra teachers, other activities in the province have returned to normal since the signing of the Dec. 9 peace accord.

Farmers have started cultivating their fields without fear of traveling home at night, while others consider traveling at night from Banda Aceh to other cities quite safe.

But the peace agreement, the implementation of which has been considered a success so far due to the sharp decline in fatalities, must be monitored continuously until July 9, when GAM places all its weapons and the Indonesian Military (TNI) relocates its soldiers in Aceh to certain locations determined by Joint Security Committee.