Hundreds of Acehnese rebels walked free from Indonesian jails today, under a sweeping amnesty that forms a vital plank of a landmark agreement signed in Helsinki.

Munawar: Most of them are members of the Free Aceh Movement and also civilian activists in Aceh arrested during military operations in Aceh in 2003 and also 2004, of course. And then, the government of Indonesia must release them unconditionally, not later than fifteen days after the signing of the MOU.

Lam: And of course, many of those released, were released on Java island. Does that mean that they'll be returned to Aceh province, on Sumatra island?

Munawar: Of course, most of them are from Aceh prisons, we can see 834 from Aceh and Bengkulu, and from West Java 74, and from central Java, 219. Altogether, 1424 political prisoners.

Lam: And is that the sum total of prisoners who will be released, or will there be more to come?

Munawar: Indonesia said they released 1,424... but surely, we got more than that in other prisons in Java and also in Aceh, because most of Acehnese arrested not only in Aceh, but also outside Aceh, for example in Medan, Bengkulu, Jambi. And there are also members of GAM and also civilian activists so the Indonesian government must release them as soon as possible.

Lam: I understand that four of the released detainees were separatist leaders who were arrested in 2003 when they were about to board a plane for Tokyo, for an emergency meeting during the talks two years ago. Does that mean the amnesty now also applies to separatist leaders in exile, that they're now free to return home to Indonesia?

Munawar: According to MOU, there is a point mentioned that any Acehnese they can regain their Indonesian nationality whenever they come back to Indonesia.

Lam: What is your understanding of the time frame for the Indonesian military to withdraw from Aceh, and also for GAM rebels to totally lay down their weapons?

Munawar: It will be started on the fifteenth of September, it will be withdrawal 25-percent of Indonesian troops, and also decommissioning 25-percent of GAM armoured arms. So it will be a four-month process, until the end of December. So, from our side, from GAM, we are ready to disarm and also, we are ready to follow the process of the MOU.

Lam: So you're confident that many of your rebels will be able to find jobs and be able to re-integrate into mainstream Acehnese society?

Munawar: Yes, sure. And also we need the full commitment of Indonesia to implement all the points of the MOU. Because you know, we also get some problem with the presence of the militias. Because the Indonesian military when they withdraw from Aceh, they train groups of militias which will be used as a tool by the military to terrorise the GAM families and also the GAM members. So we need also support from the international community, to monitor the situation very carefully.