Mechanism unclear for GAM to lay down arms

Mechanism unclear for GAM to lay down arms

Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh

Demilitarization in the restive province of Aceh is scheduled to
start on Sunday as part of last December's peace deal to end
long-standing hostilities, but exactly how it will work remains
unclear.

The Joint Security Committee (JSC) has yet to draw up the
operational mechanism for demilitarization, which will affect
both the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Free Aceh Movement
(GAM).

Mark Knight of the committee said JSC officials were
discussing the mechanism.

"We will not talk about this in detail to the press because it
is still being discussed," he told a news conference in the
province's capital of Banda Aceh on Thursday.

He said demilitarization would involve GAM and TNI, both of
whom must carry it out simultaneously and gradually over a period
of five months.

Knight said the military would be expected to restructure
troops deployed across Aceh from offensive to defensive
positions.

And the police had to review the function of its Mobile
Brigade (Brimob) so as to resume its "normal" service without
carrying long-barrel guns instead of pistols, he added.

Meanwhile, GAM must lay down arms under the supervision of the
JSC, comprising representatives of GAM, the government and the
Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), which brokered the peace deal on Dec.
9, Knight said.

Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba, a senior GAM envoy in the JSC, separately
said GAM members had not objected to disarming on the condition
that TNI was ready to abide by the demilitarization rules.

Proposing a mechanism for GAM's demilitarization, he said the
military should withdraw its security personnel from posts in
villages and the National Police (Polri) change Brimob's role as
a combat force.

"All should be done in an equal manner. If TNI/Polri relocate
25 percent of their personnel, GAM will also lay down 25 percent
of its arms," Sofyan said, citing an example.

He said that there should be assurances that only GAM and the
JSC knew where GAM would store its arms. "We don't want to be
trapped. Therefore, TNI should stay away from the process of GAM
laying down arms."

Yet Sofyan said that GAM wanted to retain control of its
weapons until after achieving its main goal of Aceh's
independence, a struggle that has cost 10,000 lives since 1976.

"We will cease using them, and we want HDC to make sure that
our weapons are not confiscated," Sofyan said.

He said that despite the truce, GAM was unable to fully trust
the Indonesian government in its effort to support the fragile
peace deal.

Sofyan was apparently referring to a recent statement by Aceh
Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djali Yusuf, who threatened to hunt
down rebels should they refuse to lay down their arms.

Such a comment could disrupt the situation on the part of GAM,
Sofyan said. "It could make GAM change its mind," he said.

The truce has significantly reduced bloodshed in Aceh,
although sporadic outbreaks of violence do still occur, with both
GAM and the military having violated the cease-fire.