GAM members reach Banda Aceh full of hope

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The convoy of motorists consisted of about 50 men, whose faces looked dark while they slowly drove their motorcycles into Banda Aceh city under the watchful eyes of journalists.

The men had on their motorcycle lights even though the sun shone brightly. Some had left their faces uncovered while others had covered their mouths and noses with bandannas. They looked exhausted after driving 300 kilometers from Peurelak, East Aceh regency.

As they arrived in the city, journalists were quick to photograph them and request interviews, giving away that they were not your average men. And indeed, they were not. The men were Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members, who had driven for 24 hours to Banda Aceh.

They arrived on Tuesday, just ahead of the GAM disarmament, which starts on Thursday and will be monitored by European Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations observers in accordance with a peace pact signed on Aug. 15 in Helsinki, Finland.

The men came not only for the disarmament but also in search of relatives who may have survived last year's tsunami.

"Having come this far, we want to know whether any of our relatives survived the tsunami," said one GAM member, Radja, on Tuesday.

While looking for relatives, the battle-hardened former guerrillas also wanted to test the waters. Having made the journey, they want to see whether the Helsinki peace deal, forged between the Indonesian government and GAM and signed on Aug. 15, is being implemented in the field.

And indeed, the peace deal is being implemented. On their way to Banda Aceh from Peureulak, the GAM men were not bothered by the Indonesian Military personnel.

Upon arrival in Banda Aceh, they visited the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque. Some of them wept while praying. After visiting the mosque, they visited places affected by the tsunami, such as a beached ship near the city's downtown.

Pudo, 25, one of the men, said that after years of living in the jungle, the journey to Banda Aceh had been unbelievable. Had the trip been made during martial law, it could have meant death.

"But now I can even pray inside the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque," said Pudo.

Besides feeling pleased at having made the long journey, Pudo also expected that he and his former GAM colleagues would be treated well by the Acehnese community and the Indonesian Military.

"Previously, people kept their distance as they were afraid of the Indonesian Military. Now that a peace deal has been forged, I hope that will change," he said.

Guree, 40, another GAM member, was emotional at being in Banda Aceh. As he arrived in the city, he remembered those who had perished in the armed struggle against the Indonesian Military, including former GAM Peurelak commander Ishak Daud. "Were they still alive, they would have felt this joy," he said.