Framework for peace in Aceh

Framework for peace in Aceh

The draft peace deal between the Indonesian government and the rebel Free Aceh Movement, which has the potential to end a nearly three-decade-old militancy in the province, marks a bold and wise step in the search for peace in the troubled country.

The eventual decision to let East Timor, a province Indonesia annexed in 1976 and ruled with genocidal terror, break free and emerge as a new, independent country resolved one crisis. The sound solution for Aceh will be a framework of autonomy without undermining the territorial integrity of Indonesia.

If the insurgents launch a political party and become elected representatives of the people, Aceh can provide a model for the resolution of crises caused by insurgencies and their heavy- handed suppression.

There is a lesson in all this for the Philippines and Thailand, which are facing militancy and terrorism in their southern provinces. -- The Hindu, Madras