GAM urges monitors to protect ex-rebels
Tiarma Siboro and Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Aceh
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels in the field said they were ready to surrender their weapons and come down from the mountains, but urged the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) to ensure their safely during their reintegration into society.
"I have made contact with our leaders in exile and we, the GAM guerrillas in the field, will follow their policy even if we have to decommission our weapons," GAM spokesman Sofyan Dawood said on Thursday.
"But the AMM should be responsible for our safety once we put down our weapons. They must draw up the rules for dealing GAM members who receive a pardon (from the Indonesian government)," Sofyan told The Jakarta Post and several other journalists at his base in Aceh.
The government and GAM signed a peace agreement on Monday in Helsinki after six months of talks. The agreement aims to end three decades of conflict in the resource-rich province that has killed some 15,000 people, mostly civilians.
Under the deal, the separatists agreed to drop their demand for independence in exchange for a form of local self-government and to disarm and demobilize their 3,000 troops beginning on Sept. 15.
The government promised an amnesty for rebels, to allow the creation of local political parties and to withdraw non-regular military soldiers and police officers from the province by the end of the year. An amnesty is due to be granted to GAM members and political prisoners within two weeks after the signing of the peace deal.
The AMM, which groups some 200 unarmed peace monitors from the European Union and five member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), will monitor the implementation of the peace accord.
Some observers have said the successful implementation of the peace agreement will rely heavily on the peace monitors, because the surrendering of GAM's weapons and the reintegration of the rebels into society will require careful handling.
The latest peace accord faced its first test on Wednesday when plainclothes police officers threatened some 48 guerrillas who were released from Jantho Penitentiary in Aceh Besar regency. This created panic among some prisoners and their awaiting family members. The police are investigating the case.
The prisoners were released after receiving remissions in conjunction with the country's Independence Day. Another 1,482 GAM prisoners will be released soon as part of the peace accord.
"The AMM must protect former GAM prisoners. They (the peace monitors) could even pick them up as they are being released from jail," Sofyan said.
Led by Pieter Feith from the Netherlands, the AMM has set up its headquarters in Banda Aceh and offices in Sigli, Bireuen, Lhokseumawe, Langsa, Tapak Tuan, Blang Pidie, Meulaboh, Lamno, Kutacane and Takengon.
The AMM has said that GAM must surrender and destroy about 840 weapons.
Sofyan said he had already asked troops not to carry their weapons and not to attack government soldiers.
"We follow all of the policies taken by GAM political leaders. The fate of the Helsinki peace pact will depend on the way the Indonesian government deals with its security personnel and also the militias," he said,
Progovernment militias, which are difficult to officially link with the military, were blamed for the collapse of a 2002 truce.