Aceh a lesson for Asia's combatants
Asian governments and rebel movements should pay close attention to the peace process under way in the Indonesian province of Aceh. Against all expectations, after a three-decade conflict that claimed 15,000 lives, the accord is moving ahead on schedule without hitches.
The last of the 25,000 Indonesian military reinforcements sent to crush separatist ambitions pulled out yesterday, days after the fourth and final stage of disarming Free Aceh Movement rebels took place and the military wing of their organisation was dissolved. Under the gaze of foreign monitors, each step has been effortlessly achieved.
Challenges still lie ahead. Jobs must be found for demobilised fighters, laws agreeable to both sides drawn up and approved by Indonesia's parliament by March 31, the Free Aceh Movement has to evolve into a political force and systems of transparency and accountability established to vanquish mistrust. The military must give up its interests in the province's rich oil and gas industry, so that the self-governance and control of the mineral resources promised to Achenese in return for the dropping of rebel demands for independence can be achieved.
Expectations that these targets will also be met lie in the swift progress already made; in just four months since the peace pact was signed in Finland, the government and rebels have reached compromises they had previously baulked at. When the government and separatists last met before the tsunami, in May 2003, they left the negotiating table set on war rather than peace. Within days, thousands of soldiers poured into the province and martial law was imposed.
Much of the negativity surrounding an Aceh deal has centred on the obstinance of both sides. Successive Indonesian leaders have steadfastly refused independence for separatist-minded regions and used military force to brutally crush dissent. The Free Aceh Movement has similarly stuck to its demands, rejecting any offers that did not involve full independence.
The devastating earthquake and tsunami a year ago changed minds. Destruction in Aceh was so widespread that rebuilding the province required a combined, rather than separate, effort.
Governments and rebels elsewhere in Asia - the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal, among others - are locked in the same cycle of non-compromise that once beset Aceh. Decades-old conflicts are limping on, with civilians bearing the brunt of fighting. But a natural disaster is not the solution; each can be resolved through a change of mindset and a willingness to meet halfway.
Aceh's peace participants still have much to do before their deal can be considered a success. Continued resolve will bear fruit, though - and in the process, teach those locked in disputes elsewhere in Asia a valuable lesson.
