|
BANDA ACEH - An official of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) exiled leadership arrived in Indonesia's Aceh province on Monday after a 25-year absence to see the peace process aimed at ending nearly three decades of conflict. The Stockholm-based GAM and Indonesia's government were pushed back to negotiations partly by the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated Aceh, and made some on both sides re-think the fight over whether Aceh should be independent.
The conflict had killed 15,000 people, mostly civilians, since it started in 1976. Bakhtiar Abdullah, the leading spokesman of GAM's leadership in Sweden, said he was at a loss for words after arriving in Aceh. He said he had been away for 25 years. "I don't know how I could describe my feelings returning to homeland Aceh. I am touched," he told reporters. However, he was prompt to comment on the peace process.
"You can see all the process has run smoothly ... beyond expectations," he said, adding he would stay in Aceh for the next 60 days to monitor the situation on the ground. "I am here to see how far we have gone. I don't want to be specific ... as there are friends here who know better," Abdullah said. Under the peace agreement, GAM is to be allowed to reincarnate as a local party that could participate in elections in Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra island.
Asked whether he would run in those elections, Abdullah laughed and said: "Later. Later." Earlier this month, both sides had completed half the deal related to government troop withdrawals and GAM weapons surrender, and foreign monitors had said the overall process was proceeding without significant problems.
|
|
Log in to write a reaction
|
You are not logged in to the website. You have to be logged in to write a reaction on this blog entry.
· If you already have an account, please login.
· If you have lost your password, please retrieve it.
· If you don't have an account yet, you can create one.
|
|
|
ABOUT THIS ENTRY |
Add this blog entry to your email, your own blog, MySpace, Facebook, or whatsoever via AddThis:
|

Login if you want to receive emails for reactions on this blog entry. You will receive an update as soon as a reaction on this blog entry is posted.
|
|
Looking for e-tickets for flights in Indonesia? Here's your solution! Order your e-tickets at ticketindonesia.info.
|
BLOG ARCHIVE |
· 2015, 28 entries
· 2014, 591 entries
· 2013, 750 entries
· 2012, 1061 entries
· 2011, 792 entries
· 2010, 644 entries
· 2009, 916 entries
· 2008, 504 entries
· 2007, 725 entries
· 2006, 1014 entries
· 2005, 723 entries
· 2004, 558 entries
· 2003, 525 entries
· 2002, 375 entries
· 2001, 162 entries
|
POPULAR TAGS |
Automatically generated every hour
|
EXCHANGE RATES |
@ 17 May 2018 18:12 CET
|
@ 17 May 2018 21:58 CET
|
@ 15 May 2018 08:42 CET
|
@ 07 May 2018 07:48 CET
|
@ 16 May 2018 09:18 CET
|
@ 17 May 2018 00:46 CET
|
|
Go to 'exchange rates' |
|