JSC co-chairman arrives in Aceh to begin peace monitoring work
JSC co-chairman arrives in Aceh to begin peace monitoring work
Jakarta, Agencies
A Thai two-star general, who will be in charge of monitoring the
truce in Aceh, arrived in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh on
Wednesday.
Maj. Gen. Thanungsak Tuvinan will co-chair the Joint Security
Committee (JSC), set up to monitor the truce between the
Indonesian government and the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
The committee is tasked with investigating security violations
and applying sanctions, as well designating peace zones through
Aceh.
Thanungsak arrived at 10:45 a.m. at Sultan Iskandar Muda
Airport, Banda Aceh, in military uniform along with his JSC
deputy Brig. Gen. Nagomora Lomodag of the Philippines. The two
generals were accompanied by 10 Thai and Filipino soldiers who
will join the monitoring team.
They were welcomed by Rear Adm. S. Noerdin, an Indonesian
member of the committee, and Mark Knight of the Henry Dunant
Centre (HDC), at the international airport.
"It will be tough, so we may face some challenges on the
ground...but I'm optimistic (the peace agreement is) going to
work," Thanungsak was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying on
his arrival, as he began work as chairman of the committee.
"I'm sure that we can work to that goal," he added.
He was quoted by Antara as saying that for the first stage,
the committee would discuss in detail the guidelines of the peace
agreement implementation with the relevant authorities.
Thanungsak said he would meet HDC top officials in Aceh and
local government and security leaders soon after his arrival.
He will stay in Aceh for one year, representing the Swiss-
based HDC on the JSC, which mediated the cessation of hostilities
agreement signed on Dec. 9, 2002.
Thanungsak will be joined by a senior envoy from Indonesia and
another from GAM. The envoys will be joined by up to four JSC
members each and supported on the ground by joint security
monitoring teams.
About 50 monitors from the Philippines and Thailand
representing the HDC will join 50 monitors from GAM and another
50 from Indonesia.
Thanungsak, 56, who is secretary to the Supreme Command of the
Thai armed forces, said he previously spent some time working on
the Thai-Burmese border.
A Buddhist, he will be working in a devoutly Muslim province
but said, "I believe this is not a problem because the Acehnese
respect non-Muslims."
Lomodag is a Muslim from the southern Philippines.
Under the peace agreement, the JSC will design and implement a
mutually agreed upon process of demilitarization on the part of
GAM, and will decide on a simultaneous phased relocation of the
Indonesian military so as to reformulate its mandate from a
strike force to a defensive one.
The arrival of both Thanungsak and Lomodag coincided with the
second day of an unprecedented two-day visit to Aceh by President
Megawati Soekarnoputri, who said she had come to hear about the
province's development needs.
Also on Wednesday, a team from various UN humanitarian
agencies ended a two-day assessment mission in the province.
UN official Steven Allen spoke at a press conference and said
the mission looked at health, education and agriculture, as well
as the needs of victims of the conflict.
"From the UN side, our expectation is to be able to contribute
to mobilization of international support to Aceh and to provide
immediate humanitarian assistance," Allen said as quoted by AFP.