GAM members come down from the hills, out of the jungle

GAM members come down from the hills, out of the jungle

Nani Afrida and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Bandung

At least 60 members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have come
down from their Manggamat mountain hideout, making this the
biggest group so far to come out of the jungle in the wake of the
Helsinki peace agreement signed last week.

The former insurgents have been trickling into Simpang Tiga
village, Central Kluet district, South Aceh, since last week and
are now staying in houses in the area, a local district official
said on Tuesday.

The GAM fighters have been mingling and even drinking coffee
with Indonesian troops at the local Army outpost, said the chief
of Central Kluet district, Muhammad Nasir. Among the GAM members
who have come in from the cold are Kamil, the local GAM
operations commander, and Sudi Nyak Midun, a senior GAM officer.

"They came down here from Manggamat without any weapons. They
are not saying where they have stashed the weapons and insist
they will only hand them over after they are ordered to do so by
their superiors," said Nasir, as quoted by Antara.

For the time being, the GAM fighters are being fed by local
people, who are elated at the Helsinki peace deal.

Military officers welcomed the reports on the arrival of the
GAM members in Central Kluet district, and the fact that they
seemed to be getting on well with the soldiers stationed there.
"That is beautiful," military spokesman Lt. Colonel Ahmad Husein
told Deutsche Presse-Agentur from Banda Aceh. "That's what we are
longing for."

While GAM members in Manggamat were looking forward to
resuming normal lives, former GAM member Syamsuddin bin Husain in
Aceh Besar regency said he had no idea what he would do now that
he was released from prison.

Syamsuddin, 36, was released from Jantho Prison in Aceh Besar
a few days ago after receiving a cut in his sentence to mark
Indonesian Independence Day on Aug. 17. "I used to sell rice and
coffee," he said.

Syamsuddin has been informed that he will be given land and a
house by the government, but says he doesn't expect too much.

"If the government gives me land and a house, I will be
grateful. But, if they don't, so be it," he said smiling.

As part of the Helsinki peace deal, the government has said it
will give houses and land to the 3,000 to 4,000 former GAM
insurgents that will amnestied by the government.

"We have proposed a Rp 3 trillion reintegration fund to the
government," said acting Aceh governor, Azwar Abubakar.

The money would not only be disbursed to former GAM fighters,
but also to another 15,000 Aceh residents who fell victim to the
prolonged conflict. The funds would be mainly spent on the repair
of damaged and burned schools, and other public facilities.

The provincial government is now collecting data on GAM
members that are likely to be amnestied, mapping out the land
they will be granted and arranging the technical aspects of the
reintegration program.

In Bandung, still in handcuffs, 56 GAM members who had
previously been incarcerated in different prisons in West Java
were moved to Sukamiskin Prison in Bandung, the West Java
capital.

This was despite the fact that Minister of Justice and Human
Rights Hamid Awaludin had earlier promised that GAM prisoners
would be treated with dignity.

"I don't know why they are in handcuffs. Probably, it is for
the sake of security on their way here," said Mashudi, the warden
of Sukamiskin Prison. The new arrivals joined another group of 18
GAM prisoners already in the prison. As to when they will all be
released, Mashudi said it all depended on the central government.