GAM celebrates anniversary with prayers for peace

GAM celebrates anniversary with prayers for peace

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) marked its 29th anniversary quietly
on Sunday by holding prayers at mosques across Aceh province.

"We're just expressing our gratitude that peace is being
upheld in Aceh," the GAM commander in Aceh Besar regency,
Muharram, told The Jakarta Post.

Prayers in Aceh Besar were held in Lhok Nga district, where
former GAM insurgents gathered at the Lampuuk mosque, which
escaped the Dec. 26, 2005, tsunami.

Lampisang and other areas of the regency also organized
similar events.

Besides the former GAM members, Acehnese civilians also
gathered to celebrate the anniversary.

The celebrations this year were in marked contrast to
previous anniversaries before GAM and the government signed a
peace accord on Aug. 15 in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. Past
celebrations were always marked by major troop deployments and
donations to orphans' charities.

This year GAM scrapped all forms of celebration to avoid any
possibility of provocation from those bent on destroying the
peace.

The decision was taken during a recent meeting of GAM leaders,
including Teungku Muhammad Usman Lampoh Awe and the commander of
the group's armed wing, Muzakkir Manaf. Earlier, the government
and the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) warned GAM against overtly
celebrating its anniversary in order to safeguard the peace.

"I have ordered all GAM members not to hoist the GAM flag or
any other attributes as we will only have mass prayers for peace.
We will not take any responsibility for flag-hoisting or the
display of other GAM attributes," Muharram said.

Aside from Aceh Besar, prayers meetings were also held in
North Aceh and Bireuen, as well as Peureulak, where traditional
feasts were held for orphans.

The government praised the former separatist group for
refraining from overtly celebrating its anniversary.

"I have to extend my full appreciation as they remain
committed to their obligations and committed to the peace process
itself," Maj. Gen. Bambang Darmono, a government representative
on the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), told Jakarta's Elshinta
radio.

Bambang added that celebrations celebrating or eulogizing the
conflict would run counter to the peace accord.

Local police and military officers said that the province
remained calm on Sunday.

Aceh Police chief Insp. Gen. Bahrumsyah Kasman told AFP that
he had seen no signs of anniversary celebrations by GAM during a
helicopter tour around Aceh on Sunday.

"Everything is normal, and, as far as we can see, there are no
commemorative events being held to mark the anniversary," said a
a military spokesman in Aceh, Eri Sutiko.

In the Aug. 15 peace accord, GAM dropped its demand for
independence in return for wide-ranging autonomy in the province,
which has a population of four million.

The peace accord was prompted by the disastrous tsunami that
left over 200,000 Acehnese dead or missing.

Observers said that the peace pact was the best chance yet of
ending the 29-year long separatist conflict, which has claimed
about 15,000 lives, most of them civilians, since GAM began its
struggle for an independent state in 1976.