Indonesia pulls troops from Aceh Province
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-19 09:22

Indonesia withdrew 800 soldiers from tsunami-battered Aceh province on Sunday after rebels handed over a quarter of their guns, moving quickly to fulfill key obligations under a peace deal to end three decades of fighting, AP reported.

The troops — the first of some 30,000 security forces slated to leave the province by the year's end — chanted and waved their helmets in the air as they marched aboard the warship that set sail hours later.

If the process of demobilization and disarmament goes smoothly, it would significantly raise hopes that an agreement to end the war that has claimed nearly 15,000 lives in the oil- and gas-rich region might hold.

The country's powerful military — accused of undermining earlier agreements — reiterated that it fully supported the deal.

"The handing over of weapons by the former rebels ... is a new chapter that makes us all proud and helps our aim to create a peace in Aceh that the people have longed for for years," said Aceh military commander Maj. Gen. Supiadin, who goes by a single name.

Soldiers loaded down with bags and automatic weapons smiled and joked as they gathered at the port in the northern city of Lhokseumawe early Sunday.

"I have been here 18 months, most of which I have spent in the jungle," said Pvt. Gatot Broto before the ship set off for the city of Medan on Sumatra island. "I am just very happy to go home."

Indonesian soldiers march to board a ship in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, which will take them to their base in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005.[AP]

Despite the optimism, many people many remain wary because of the collapse of the earlier accords, and are closely watching to see how this deal is implemented.

Earlier this week, rebels from the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, surrendered more than a quarter of their self-declared 840 weapons to EU and Southeast Asian peace monitors, with the remainder to be handed over by Dec. 31.

Sunday's troop withdrawal marked the official beginning of the first phase in a gradual reduction of military and police units, linked to the decommissioning process, in the region.

Some troops left the province earlier this month as a goodwill gesture.

"The war with GAM is now over and I am looking forward to seeing my family," said another soldier, Pvt. Suhardi, who only uses one name. "If we are told to leave, we leave. If we are told to go to war, then we have to wage war."

The withdrawal was witnessed by members of the monitoring mission and Irwandi Yusuf, a key member of the rebels' political wing, who was high on the military's wanted list before the peace deal.

Human rights groups accuse Indonesia's army — and to a lesser extent the rebels — of executions, disappearances, torture and rapes during the 29-year war.

The speed that both sides have implemented the accord pleased observers, but the government has raised questions about the quality of some of the firearms — many of which appeared to be old or crude homemade guns — that the rebels are handing in.

Efforts to end the conflict in Aceh picked up pace after the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami struck the area, killing 131,000 people in Aceh and leaving a half million others homeless.

The rebels gave up their long-held demand for independence and the government agreed to give the region limited self-government and allow former insurgents to form a political party.

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