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.