Indonesia Cautious about New Peace Deal in Aceh Tsunami Aftermath

The people in Banda Aceh in Indonesia have reacted with caution to a new deal to bring an end to the civil war in the country that has lasted for the past 30 years. One of the major considerations of all people has been what affect will the peace deal have in the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 that devastated the province.

A previous agreement that was reached in 2002 caused a great stir of hope in the country, yet this hope faded and despair once again rose once it was realised that the peace deal had not changed the desperate situations of so many Indonesians there.

The agreement in 2002 fell apart within a few months after the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) begun blaming each other. The current deal now has stirred a lot less hope in the people as it is believed that it could easily follow this same pattern.

A newspaper agent in Banda Aceh told Reuters, "All this is only promises, just like the promises from previous negotiations."

He continued, "We are not pro-GAM or pro-RI (Republic of Indonesia). We are only pro-peace. But whenever there is negotiation there is always a clash. They talk up there but they fight down here."

The 30 years of continuously fighting that has caused the deaths of more than 12,000 people has taken its toll on the nation’s public. Although some are still looking to be optimistic, however, this has to now be taken with a touch of reality; an elementary school teacher reported, "I'm happy to hear the news of peace, but it's a normal thing. I've heard this before, so let's see how it goes."

That school had more than 300 students, yet just 60 survived the tsunami as it flattened most of the school’s buildings.

The devastation in December 2004 saw more than 170,000 killed or missing in Aceh alone, and the society’s survival now depends greatly upon international donors.

The head of the Indonesian reconstruction effort reported, "With this peace agreement all of our rehabilitation efforts can be performed more smoothly."

Details of the peace deal are still very much hazy ahead of the scheduled signing to take place in Helsinki, Finland on August 15th. But Masduki Baidlowi, a Muslim leader and a deputy in parliament of the Nation Awakening Party, a swing group, said in Jakarta: "What the Indonesian government and GAM have achieved in Helsinki is a big result."

"I am really optimistic that it will work," he told.

The Helsinki agreement carries provisions for disarming GAM, withdrawing Indonesian troops and monitoring a ceasefire.

Religious violence in the country has also increased tensions. Three women in Indonesia, recently arrested, are currently standing a trial on charges of 'Christianisation'. If convicted they face jail sentences of up to five years, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has informed.

CSW's Advocacy Director, Tina Lambert said that, "for three women to be arrested, detained and charged for simply organising a children's holiday club in good faith illustrates how serious the situation for Christians in Indonesia is becoming. CSW urges the British government to raise this case with the Indonesian government."

Meanwhile Christian organisations have been working diligently in the country alongside the relief efforts. The Indonesian Bible Society (LAI) has been co-working with relief agencies on the island of Nias, which was hit by an earthquake while still recovering from the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami.

The region, which has a weak economy has received special attention of the LAI even before the disasters - in the form of a program called "One in Love."

After the tsunami, local representatives were dispatched to the most badly affected areas and collaborated with local emergency teams. The LAI distributed Biblical materials to Christians who had literally lost all of their possessions. During the mission they distributed 1,500 Indonesian Bibles, 900 Children's Bibles, 2,000 Bible comics and 35 cassette players.