Acehnese begin to taste normal life
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.