Peace felt on eve of Aceh deal signing
Peace felt on eve of Aceh deal signing
Tiarma Siboro and Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
An atmosphere of peace prevailed in Aceh ahead of an historic day
that many hope will mark an end to almost three decades of
bloodshed.
Hundreds of people thronged Baiturrahman Grand Mosque on
Sunday to pray for nothing to stand in the way of the signing of
a peace deal between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) rebel group in Helsinki on Monday.
"I wish for lasting peace in Aceh, which would not merely take
place in main towns, but also the remote places across the
province," a blind man, Rasiddin, 34, said as he joined the
prayer.
"We are tired of living amid a long-standing conflict."
Rasiddin lives in Barak Ruko Darussalam, a remote village in
Aceh Besar regency that is considered a GAM stronghold.
A woman shared a similar hope, although she was more cautious.
"Shaking hands is easy, but it's not so easy to do it from the
heart," she said.
Tuesday's peace agreement, if it materializes, will be the
third one signed in Aceh since former president Abdurrahman Wahid
initiated a humanitarian pause in the province in 2000.
GAM has been waging a guerrilla war since 1976 to found a
independent state in the natural resource-rich province.
Continuing violence has since then killed around 15,000
people, mostly civilians.
Earlier on Sunday morning, hundreds of students from state-run
Syiah Kuala University and others institutions grouped under the
All Aceh Student Executive Body (BEM) took to the streets to
express their desire for peace.
They distributed white paper roses to pedestrians.
"We hope that the peace talks will not benefit certain groups
in Aceh nor serve to entertain the elite of politics. More than
that, the peace agreement should mark the real reintegration of
all Aceh people who have suffered from the prolonged trauma upon
witnessing members of their families kidnapped, tortured and
killed by both warring parties," the students said in their
statement.
The message came amid the students' concern about a possible
social conflict as a consequence of the peace deal that requires
amnesty and the acceptance of GAM members back into society.
"We demand both parties to comply with the peace pact and not
consider it a ceremonial thing," said Andria Syah Putra, the
secretary-general of Syiah Kuala University's student
association.
Under the draft agreement, the government will provide
economic compensation for GAM members who surrender their
weapons.
Other key points of the peace pact include a greater autonomy
status for Aceh to administer their political and economic
affairs, and the withdrawal of reinforcement military troops and
police officers.
In return, GAM will drop its independence demand.
Also on Sunday, chairman of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM)
Pieter Feith from the Netherlands arrived in Banda Aceh.
Accompanying him were several other monitors and British
Ambassador to Indonesia Charles Humphrey.
Feith reiterated the team's commitment to conflict resolution
in Aceh with full respect of Indonesia's territorial integrity.
"I would like to urge both parties to show maximum restraint,
to desist from acts of violence, the use of force and cease all
offensive operations," Feith said. "This will create a climate of
confidence that will be the best way for starting the program of
decommissioning and redeployment."