Violence continues despite peace plan
JAKARTA (JP): Violence continues to plague the restive province of Aceh ahead of next week's peace accord between the Indonesian government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
A resident of Lambada Lhok village in Aceh Besar regency was killed on Thursday by an unidentified armed group in a predawn attack. Witnesses said the man, identified as Subhan, was shot in front of his house.
Over 300 people have been killed so far this year in Aceh. The province has seen a violent independence struggle since the late 1970s.
The killing came as the government was preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding in Geneva next Friday.
State Minister of Human Rights Affairs Hasballah M. Saad announced on Thursday the Indonesian permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Hassan Wirayuda, would represent the government. GAM has named Zaini Abdullah to attend the historic meeting on behalf of the group's exiled leader Hasan Tiro.
The signing was initially scheduled for Saturday but was delayed for six days as Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab intends to witness the historic meeting, said Hasballah. Hasballah himself will also be present.
"All parties will agree not to use a violent approach anymore. It means both sides will lay down their arms.
"After that we will begin to build a conducive atmosphere by rehabilitating the economy, improving the situation and then developing a political dialog to resolve the problems," Hasballah said after meeting with President Abdurrahman Wahid at Bina Graha presidential office.
Hasballah said the memorandum of understanding would officially be named a memorandum for a humanitarian pause. The two parties agreed to seal the notandum after they had held three rounds of informal negotiations, he said.
Tiro, who currently lives in Sweden after fleeing there in 1979, fully backs the peace plan, the minister said.
The Henry Dunant Foundation in Geneva will provide financial assistance to cover travel expenses to Geneva, he noted.
Hasballah did not elaborate on the foundation's role. The participation of the Henry Dunant Foundation has seemingly been influenced by the President's meeting with its executives in Geneva on Jan. 30.
Abdurrahman himself confirmed the peace plan during a meeting with the participants of an investment seminar at his office on Thursday.
The President, however, declined to describe the plan. "Because in this delicate situation a wrong statement could capsize the whole thing," he insisted.
Meanwhile, GAM's spokesman in Aceh, Ismail Syahputra, said the movement's military wing backed the peace accord as it would be "the first step toward gaining independence".
"Our people on the ground have been notified and we will support and honor the peace accord," Ismail told The Jakarta Post by phone.
Ismail claimed the peace accord would contain four main points: a cease-fire between GAM and security forces; the withdrawal of troops deployed from outside Aceh; the laying down of arms; and the prosecution of alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses in the province.
He was skeptical, however, on whether troops in the troubled province would also be able to honor the agreement.
"There is still a fifty-fifty chance the military leaders will be able to control all of the troops on the ground," Ismail added. (prb/byg/50/51edt)