Acehnese civilians to meet in Sweden
Acehnese civilians to meet in Sweden
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ahead of talks that it is hoped will seal an enduring peace in
tsunami-devastated Aceh at the end of this month, a group of
civilians born in Aceh will meet with leaders of GAM, which has
been fighting for an independent state at the northern tip of
Sumatra.
The meeting is being arranged by the Sweden-based Olof Palme
International Center in Stockholm to help the voices of Acehnese
people from around the world be heard.
Damien Kingsbury, a political advisor to the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) and a lecturer at Australia's Deakin University,
said on Tuesday that he hoped the meeting would result in mutual
understanding between GAM and Acehnese civilians, and for their
common interests to be brought to the negotiating table in
Helsinki, where talks are scheduled to begin on May 26.
"It is normal for everybody to discuss ideas. In the case of
Aceh, the views of Aceh civil society should be included in any
possible peace agreement. Their voice is very important,"
Kingsbury told The Jakarta Post by phone.
Although refusing to call the meeting secretive, Kingsbury
declined to give the time and venue of the meeting.
"This is a very sensitive issue. We are worried about the
behavior of the Indonesian Military (TNI) once they know about
the meeting. Well, you know there has been a continuation of the
torture, rape and arson in Aceh," he said.
He confirmed that representatives of GAM's political wing
would attend the meeting.
"Both the secessionist movement and Acehnese civilians should
consult with each other and listen to each other as much as
possible," he said.
Following the Dec. 26 tsunami, the Indonesian government and
GAM have been involved in a series of informal talks in Helsinki.
A coalition of non-governmental organizations grouped under
the Aceh Working Group (AWG) praised the proposed Stockholm
meeting, saying the separatist movement had left the Indonesian
government far behind in designing a workable peace strategy for
Aceh.
They also criticized the government's policy of not renewing
the state of civil emergency in Aceh without pulling out its
troops from the province.
"The military presence in Aceh should be aimed at carrying out
non-combat operations, instead of launching offensive operations
there. Any offensive policy will only prevent civilians from
participating in the peace process," sociologist Otto Syamsuddin
Ishak from Syah Kuala University said.
The Olof Palme Center was established in 1992 by the Swedish
Social Democratic Party, trade union confederation (LO) and the
cooperative union (KF).
It works on several issues, including the promotion of
democracy and human rights, and develops projects in, among other
places, the developing countries and in Central and Eastern
Europe.