Indonesia Pulls First Troops Out of Aceh

Indonesia withdrew two battalions of combat troops from Aceh yesterday, the first step in carrying out a peace deal signed with separatists in the north Sumatran province.

The surprise move came three weeks before scheduled in the timetable agreed with the rebels.

Official monitors welcomed the redeployment of the approximately 1,300 infantry soldiers, and said the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) had also begun to surrender its weapons.

Under the memorandum of understanding signed on August 15 in Helsinki, the first month was to be a confidence-building period. Gam was expected to begin handing over 840 automatic weapons and Jakarta to start withdrawing its non-locally recruited forces on September 16.

Yesterday's moves to end the 29-year conflict, which has claimed some 12,000 lives, came as the two sides met for the first time in Aceh, at the inaugural meeting of a joint committee to coordinate security.

The Indonesian military spokesman, Colonel Yani Basuki, said the withdrawal was designed to send a strong signal.

"We're not playing around," he said. "We want to show everyone that we are truly committed to building peace in Aceh."

Jakarta had promised to reduce its military presence in Aceh from 34,000 soldiers to 14,000, Col Basuki said. There are about 20,000 police officers in the province, and their numbers are expected to drop by 30%. Nearly all those withdrawn will be from the paramilitary mobile brigade.

The Gam disarmament and Indonesian troop withdrawal are to be in four phases over the next five months.

Col Basuki said there were no plans to redeploy more forces before September 15.

"We intend to keep our side of the agreement," he said. "But of course it depends on Gam. They have to do what they have promised too."

Representatives of the official monitoring mission, made up of experts mostly from the EU with some from Indonesia's south-east Asian neighbours, watched the troops leave.

"Everything seems to have gone very well," said a spokesman, Andre Scholz. "We see this as underlining their readiness to commit to the [peace deal] and create an atmosphere of confidence."

He also praised Gam: "A number of individual Gam members have already handed in their weapons on a voluntary basis," he said. "This too inspires confidence."

Mr Scholz could not say exactly how many Gam fighters had surrendered to the Indonesian military, but he thought it was up to 10.

"We're going to register them so they can be eligible for the amnesty programme," he said. "From what we've heard they've been treated in a very friendly manner and there was no hatred."

No Gam commanders were available to comment on the surrenders or the movement's immediate plans. Its forces remain in remote jungle hideouts. Under the agreement all Gam members will receive land and financial help to reintegrate into society. This includes those in prison, who are due to be released by August 31.

Col Basuki said he had not heard of any violations of the peace deal, but Mr Scholz said the monitors had received several reports.

"We cannot classify these as violations, because we have not investigated them and reached a conclusion," he said. The monitors' decisions will be delivered to the parties at the new security committee, which is due to meet twice a week.