Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province began handing over their guns Thursday under a pact designed to end almost three decades of war. In what the government termed a "historic event", members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) handed over Kalashnikov rifles, handguns, a machine gun and a rocket propelled grenade launcher to monitors from Europe and Southeast Asia.
After an inspection, the monitors cut the guns into three pieces using electric cutters. GAM official Irwandi Yusuf said 78 firearms were surrendered at the ceremony held under a clear sky in a field in the Aceh provincial capital. It was the first in a series of weapons handovers scheduled until the end of the year.
The disarmament is taking place under a peace agreement signed one month ago in Helsinki by the rebels and the government. In return, the government will withdraw non-local troops and police.
Thursday's ceremony marked the start of work by the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) created under the agreement, which comprises about 240 observers from the European Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
It is the EU's first peace-monitoring venture in Asia.
About one dozen AMM members, including chief monitor Pieter Feith, witnessed the weapons surrender along with dozens of Indonesian military, police and government officials.
Close to 40 GAM members dressed in civilian clothes delivered the guns. Some also brought cameras to record the moment.
"We have fulfilled our mandate under the MOU. Now it is TNI's (the military's) time," Yusuf said.
One former rebel, Muzakkir, 30, who was recently released from prison, said he went to the ceremony out of curiosity. "I just want to watch because they used to be my comrades," said Muzakkir, who said he had been involved in three clashes with the military.
Adi, one of the rebels who delivered the guns that were destroyed, said he backed the disarmament process even though he did not know what he would do now.
After the weapons were handed over, two GAM representatives shook hands with the foreign monitors. Foreign Minister Jack Straw said the peaceful settlement would set "a very positive example regionally and internationally."
Similar weapon handovers were planned for Friday and Saturday to bring the total surrendered firearms to 210, or a quarter of the GAM's declared arsenal of 840.
The military and police will, in return, proportionately reduce to zero their troops which were sent to Aceh from elsewhere in the country. They will leave behind 14,700 soldiers from Aceh-based units and 9,100 local police.
Indonesian Information Minister Sofyan Djalil said at a press conference after the ceremony that it was a "historic event."
Observers see the Helsinki pact as the best chance yet of ending the conflict which has claimed about 15,000 lives, most of them civilians. GAM began its struggle for an independent state on the western tip of Sumatra island in 1976.
Comments
Comments are closed.