JSC gives details of Aceh peace zones

JSC gives details of Aceh peace zones

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The Joint Security Committee (JSC) has designated Indrapuri
district in Aceh Besar as the first peace zone and agreed on a
set of criteria applicable to the Indonesian military (TNI) and
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) when entering designated peace zones.

The committee agreed on Sunday on the details of how the
warring sides should conduct themselves within the peace zones,
the JSC said in a statement on Monday evening.

Sunday's agreement on the peace zones applies to members of
GAM, the TNI, and the police force.

Following the designation of peace zones, which according to
the Dec. 9 peace agreement will officially enter into effect on
Feb. 9, 2003, GAM will start placing their weapons in designated
stores.

GAM and the TNI will also move into defensive positions. This
requires them to refrain from any operations or movements that
could lead to armed contact between the two sides.

Among the criteria the JSC agreed on was that only troops who
were already stationed within the peace zones could enter peace
zones.

Neither the TNI nor GAM, however, may carry their weapons
outside their respective posts or bases located inside peace
zones.

Unarmed troops may move freely within the zones, while armed
troops may enter the zones but may not show their weapons
publicly.

Both sides may enter demilitarized zones like schools, health
institutions or other public places like bazaars, marketplaces,
foodstalls and bus terminals.

The JSC, whose members consist of representatives from the
Indonesian government, GAM, and international observers
representing the Swiss-based non-governmental organization, the
Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), also agreed to ban political
activities by either side within the zones, fearing they could
incite violence.

The zones are part of the Dec. 9 peace agreement to end more
than two decades of separatist war in Aceh that has claimed more
than 10,000 lives, mostly innocent civilians.

The peace zones will become the focus of the JSC's work to
establish and maintain security. Initial humanitarian and
rehabilitation efforts will concentrate on these areas as well.

Violence, however, continued to rock the restive province,
more than a month after the peace accord was signed.

Villagers found three male bodies on Tuesday buried inside a
oil palm plantation near Blang Kolam village, Kuta district,
about 20 kilometers from Lhokseumawe in North Aceh.

The bodies were identified as M. Kasem (41), Fauzan (25), and
Abubakar (28). Locals said that Indonesian soldiers arrested the
three men two days after the signing of the peace accord.

Members of the JSC's monitoring team witnessed the removal of
the bodies.

The GAM spokesman in Pase, Teungku Jamaika, said that the
victims were members of the GAM police and were captured by the
military on Dec. 7 last year.

A TNI spokesman in Aceh, Maj. Eddy Fernandy, confirmed that
the victims were members of GAM but denied the TNI had killed
them. "That's just a way of cornering the TNI," he said.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhyono warned on Monday that the government
would withdraw from the agreement if GAM was unable to stop the
violence.

His statement followed last week's shooting of Chief Pvt. Hadi
by a group of unidentified people in Kruen Teunom village, Lammo
district, West Aceh.

GAM spokesman Sofyan Dawood denounced Susilo's statement as an
attempt to terrorize the people of Aceh.

"Such statements are designed to cause terror among the people
of Aceh who have just started out on a peaceful period. We hope
there are no more such terror attempts," he said in a statement
on Tuesday.