VP offers amnesty to Aceh rebels

VP offers amnesty to Aceh rebels

Ibnu Mat Noor, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Vice President Hamzah Haz offered peace to the Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) during his trip in Lhokseumawe on Wednesday, saying that
the government would possibly give amnesty to the rebels.

Speaking to local figures at the Multiple Purpose Building at
PT Arun NGL, some 10 kilometers west of Lhokseumawe, North Aceh,
Hamzah said a peace deal would be possible.

"If GAM asks for amnesty from the government, the government
will probably accept it on the condition that GAM will no longer
take up arms in the future," he said.

Hamzah arrived at the Malikussaleh airport, some 25 kilometers
west of Lhokseumawe on Wednesday morning. He took a helicopter to
Takengon, Central Aceh.

At about 1 p.m. he left Takengon for Lhokseumawe for a meeting
with the local figures. He spent the night at PT Arun and would
proceed with his trip on Thursday to Pidie concluding in Banda
Aceh on Friday.

Aceh was peaceful on Wednesday as scores of police and army
troops were guarding the main roads.

Hamzah's offers of amnesty apparently was not embraced by GAM
officials.

Senior chief of GAM Amri Abdul Wahab told The Jakarta Post by
phone that GAM would remain consistent with its struggle to be
independent from the "colonialists".

"We will never seek a pardon from the colonialist government
of Indonesia. The Indonesian government should have apologized
for killing thousands of Acehnese people," said Amri.

In a separate interview with Antara former Aceh negotiator
Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba said in Banda Aceh on Wednesday that the
peace deal between the government and GAM had a clear mechanism
and framework which had been agreed upon by the two parties.

According to Ibrahim Tiba, the deal was signed by the
government and GAM on Jan. 9 this year in Geneva, Switzerland.

The deal stated that both sides agreed to stop violence and
use dialog in settling any disputes.

In addition to two meetings in Geneva, the government and GAM
have also held talks in Banda Aceh in July ahead of more talks in
Geneva which were to be held in September, but never happened due
to continuing violence.

Ibrahim Tiba said that the existing deal should be properly
maintained and respected.

"Why should we change the old deal. The offer (of amnesty)
will only disrupt the previous deal which favors dialog in
settling the conflict. Just return to the Geneva deal," he said.

Aware of the importance of peace in Aceh, President Megawati
Soekarnoputri signed the special Autonomy Law for Aceh in August
this year.

The law rules that Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam is the new name
for the province, and the province will receive 75 percent of its
oil and gas revenues.

The government also will allow the province to implement
Islamic law, obliging, among other things, all women to wear a
head covering.