Team arrives to check GAM weaponry
Ibnu Matnoor, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh
Two Indian military officers arrived here on Saturday to check weapons to be surrendered by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
The international weapons inspectors, Sarab Bandhawa and Amardeep Rai, were selected by Aceh peace-broker, the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), due to their experience in several countries, including Nicaragua, officials of the Switzerland- based organization said.
The two officers are part of the team consisting of dozens of weapons inspectors, who will be arriving soon in Banda Aceh.
HDC spokesman Steve Daly said on Saturday the Indian inspectors would be assigned to keep the weapon sites safe from GAM, who under the cessation of hostilities agreement has to place its weapons in certain places over five months between Feb. 1 and July 1. Only HDC and GAM who will know the location of the sites.
"We are now preparing a way to mark the weapons so that we can trace them in case they are moved or tampered with. It is important that both sides are secure and confident in the weapons placement mechanism," Daly said.
The Indonesian government and GAM have entered the second phase of the peace deal, signed on Dec. 9 last year, which requires GAM to store their weapons, while the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police should relocate their troops.
GAM's top representative in the Joint Security Committee (JSC) Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba said his side would lay down 20 percent of their weapons each month, within the five-month period of disarmament.
The weapons will be placed in 32 sites, under the supervision of the two weapons inspectors and HDC to ensure that GAM fulfills the deal.
Earlier GAM armed wing commander Muzakkir Manaf said his group possessed between 1,500 and 2,000 firearms for around 10,000 troops.
While GAM is storing its arms, TNI will have to withdraw its troops to defensive positions inside their barracks in Aceh, and the police special force Mobile Brigade (Brimob) has to shift their function to law enforcers.
The demilitarization process will determine the success of the peace deal, as Jakarta has warned that the earlier process of trust building almost failed due to violations committed by GAM.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono threatened to seek "a contingency plan" to maintain the unity of the country should the demilitarization process fail.
Facilitated by HDC, the truce marked a final effort to end 26 years of armed conflict in the natural-resource rich province. More than 10,000 people. mostly civilians, were killed during the period.