GAM to refrain from celebrating anniversary

GAM to refrain from celebrating anniversary

Nani Afrida and Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Jakarta

Former Aceh rebels have decided against celebrating the 29nd
anniversary of their movement on Sunday to show their commitment
to promoting peace in the province.

Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders came to the decision in Banda
Aceh on Friday following recommendations from the government and
the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM).

"We decided not to mark GAM's anniversary this year to avoid
provocative incidents, which GAM might be blamed for," GAM's
spokesman Sofyan Dawood told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

By not celebrating the anniversary, he said, GAM would not be
responsible for flag-raising or the display of GAM symbols.

"(If such a thing occurs), please take action because the
offenders will not be GAM members," Sofyan said.

Such activities, he said, would violate the peace deal signed
by the government and GAM on Aug. 18 in Helsinki. The agreement
requires GAM, which was founded on Dec. 4, 1976, to drop its
demand for an independent state in Aceh.

Earlier, GAM intended to mark its anniversary by holding
prayers in mosques, including the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in
Banda Aceh, to show its full acceptance of the agreement.

Sofyan said GAM could not stop people from expressing their
gratitude for the changes brought about by the peace deal.
"But please do not use GAM symbols or slogans. Don't involve GAM
(in celebrations) and don't encourage mass gatherings," he said.

The decision to cancel anniversary celebrations was also
influenced by the recommendations of the AMM.

AMM deputy chairman Jaako Oksanen said it would not facilitate
GAM's anniversary celebration. "AMM is still concentrating on the
decommissioning process as requested in the memorandum of
understanding (MOU) in Helsinki," Oksanen said recently in Banda
Aceh.

Aceh Police chief Insp. Gen. Bahrumsyah Kasman expected there
would be no celebrations this year "to ensure peace, which the
Acehnese have just started to enjoy following the signing of the
peace deal".

Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said
on Friday he had asked AMM and the local police to restrict GAM
members from celebrating the anniversary, saying that would not
be in the spirit of the peace deal.

"If the Dec. 4 celebration aims at commemorating the signing
of the MOU, well that's OK, but if the celebration is aimed at
commemorating the anniversary of GAM, which waged armed rebellion
for independence, I guess AMM and the police should take certain
moves to stop it, because it disregards the presence of the
Unitary Republic of Indonesia."

The four-star general also warned the former guerrillas not to
hoist GAM's crescent-star flag, saying the flag had yet to be
officially recognized in Aceh.