JSC to start probing peace violations

JSC to start probing peace violations

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

The joint committee in charge of monitoring a cease-fire deal
between the government and separatists in Aceh said on Friday
that it would start probing violations of the agreement, starting
with an ambush last week that killed two soldiers.

The Joint Security Committee (JSC) will begin its probe with
serious cases of violations to the peace agreement, said a member
of the committee from the Henry Dunant Centre.

"We admit that a lot of minor incidents have happened since
the peace agreement was signed, and that is normal in a conflict.
So priority will be given to the big cases," the centre's project
manager, David Gorman, said in a news conference.

Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed the peace
agreement on Dec. 9 under the auspices of the Swiss-based centre.

The JSC was set up to monitor its implementation with the help
of a monitoring team comprising representatives from Indonesia,
GAM and foreign observers appointed by the centre.

Indonesia and GAM's negotiators have warned of such skirmishes
as both sides were seen blaming each other for provoking violence
or breaching the cease-fire agreement.

An investigation into the reports of violations and
sanctioning those responsible is seen as necessary to discipline
government and rebel troops to respect the cease-fire agreement.

So far 14 have died in bloodshed based on reports over the
past three weeks.

Gorman said the deaths of two members of the Army's Special
Forces (Kopassus) were one of JSC's priorities.

The two soldiers were killed last week in an ambush by an
unidentified armed group in Manggamat, South Aceh. The Indonesian
Military (TNI) blamed GAM for the attack, however the rebel group
has made no response to the charges.

Another priority case is the killing last week of a police
officer from the National Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) in
Bireun, South Aceh, said Lt. Col. Embu Akapitus, who is a member
of the Indonesian team on the JSC.

Embu said his team had received 124 reports of violations made
to the peace agreement.

Gorman added the JSC would start sending out its monitoring
members on Saturday to oversee Aceh's security.

"Sending out the monitoring team is an important step in
ending the hostilities," he explained. "They will operate all
over Aceh."

Representatives of the government, GAM and the centre each
make up one-third of the 150-member monitoring team.

The strife-torn province is reeling from more than two decades
of war since GAM began fighting for the independence of the
natural resources-rich province in 1976.

More than 10,000 have died in clashes or violence with most of
the victims being civilians.

In Manila, Philippines President Gloria Arroyo protested GAM's
demand that the Filipino delegation be withdrawn over charges it
was biased toward the rebels.

She was responding to GAM negotiator Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba's
accusations that Filipinos on the monitoring team were biased
since their government was waging a war against Muslim rebels.

"We are emphasizing that we were invited there on the basis of
our being neutral and that is a very accurate assumption," the
president's spokesman, Rigoberto Tiglao, told AFP.

Tiglao rejected GAM's demand that the Filipinos be replaced by
a team from Norway or Brunei. He said Filipino monitors were "not
really withdrawing," but added that there was a plan "to reduce
the number of participants anyway".

A Filipino general and officers from Thailand are members of
the monitoring team, representing the centre's appointed
observers.