Banda Aceh – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri said on Tuesday a landmark peace pact agreed with Aceh rebels was a dream come true, although both sides have started to accuse each other of violations.
After more than two decades of war that has killed thousands of people, most of them civilians, Megawati told Muslim worshippers that she believed Aceh could prosper within two years.
Megawati arrived in the capital Banda Aceh around dusk amid tight security, the same day rebels said government troops had killed 10 people since the deal was signed in Switzerland on December 9 to end one of Asia's longest running conflicts.
Military and police spokesmen denied the claims by a senior Free Aceh Movement (GAM) official. No independent confirmation was available, but the charges – and counter claims by the military – show how difficult it will be to implement the pact.
"What I dreamed about, and what the entire Indonesian people dreamed about, became a reality on December 9," said Megawati, wearing a white Muslim robe that covered her from head to foot and speaking in brief remarks at Banda Aceh's grand mosque.
Megawati added that she had brought many cabinet ministers with her. She said they would stay for several days to hear what needed to be done to develop Aceh, although she urged the province's four million people to join hands in rebuilding the war-shattered region on the northern tip of Sumatra island.
"With a situation like this, I am confident, truly convinced, that only within two years Aceh can thrive again," she said.
Desire for stability
Megawati is not expected to make major speeches on Aceh's future during her 24-hour visit, but the pact is key to her desire to stabilise the world's most populous Muslim nation and entice foreign investors back to troubled Indonesia.
In one minor incident, security forces took away a young man carrying a poster who entered the mosque just after she finished speaking. He was taken away before he could unfurl the poster.
Elsewhere, the military and GAM traded accusations. Senior GAM officer Amri bin Abdul Wahab said eight civilians had been found dead in the West Aceh region, and two more in other parts of the province.
Wahab said residents in West Aceh had told GAM that troops arrested a group of people on December 10, one day after the peace accord was signed. The bodies of eight, some of whom had been shot, were found the following day, he said.
Asked who killed the eight, Wahab said: "TNI," using the acronym for the military. Wahab offered no direct proof.
"But they were arrested by TNI. So it's clear who did this." Aceh military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Firdaus Komarno denied the GAM accusations, adding the rebels had committed 24 violations of the peace pact, although he did not elaborate.
"I see in the media that GAM is being continually provocative, making false reports," Komarno said.
'No crocodile tears wanted'
Many Acehnese have welcomed the peace pact, and said they had at least begun to feel less fearful. owever, there was little warmth from ordinary Acehnese for Megawati, on her third visit since becoming president 18 months ago. Many said they were sceptical about any promises.
Megawati will hold a series of meetings on Wednesday in Banda Aceh, 1,700 km northwest of Jakarta.
"What is the purpose of her coming to Aceh if she only gives false promises and sheds crocodile tears? She has been here twice but her promises had never been implemented," said Nova Yanti, a 15-year-old high school student.
When Megawati visited Aceh not long after becoming president, she made an emotional apology for the suffering of the Acehnese people. On Tuesday, she showed no emotion.
"At least now we are brave enough to ride our becaks [ickshaws]during the night till 10 o'clock. We used to feel scared riding to the suburbs and villages, but not anymore," said Julkifli, 42, who drives a three-wheeled rickshaw.
The peace accord, the most wide-ranging ever signed by Jakarta and GAM, follows a series of failed ceasefires agreed since 2000. It follows international pressure on both sides to end the conflict and support from donors to aid reconstruction.
The accord calls for a ceasefire, for rebels to disarm over seven months, for Jakarta to withdraw some of its 22,000 troops and for elections and monitors to ensure the ceasefire holds.
But unresolved is a fundamental disagreement – the rebels want independence while Jakarta will only grant special autonomy.