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Thai delegation studies appeasement in Aceh
A Thai government delegation has visited Aceh province in Indonesia to study the peace process and the implementation of sharia law. The three-day visit was to get input from the Aceh provincial administration so that the lessons learned can be applied in Thailand, particularly in the southern provinces of the country, where people have been fighting for autonomy and sharia law.

Narumon Siriwat, a delegation member representing the Thai senate said, "We want to know exactly how the people of Aceh, especially the disputing parties such as the Free Aceh Movement [GAM] and the Indonesian government, could make peace and sit together now."

"We wish to transfer the knowledge achieved by the people of Aceh to our citizens in the south," Narumon added.

In the meeting between the delegation and members of the Aceh Legislative Council, members from the Thai delegation asked a number of questions about the peace process, including the reasons why GAM demanded independence from the Indonesia.

Legislative council member Adnan Beuransyah, a former GAM member, responded by saying, "The conflict ensued from the Dutch era, when they attempted to rule the Aceh kingdom. However, since Indonesia’s independence, Aceh was unilaterally handed over to the Indonesian government and Aceh became a part of Indonesia."

In addition to Aceh’s historical resistance to the central government, the delegation was also told about prominent separatist figure Hasan Di Tiro, who formed the Free Aceh Movement in 1976 to fight for independence, leading to armed conflict between GAM and Indonesia.

The Thai delegation also asked about the implementation of sharia law in Aceh. Delegation head Narong Vongsumits asked, "Has the Islamic sharia been implemented long ago, or ever since the peace pact was signed in 2005?"

Hasbi replied that sharia law has been enforced in Aceh since the signing of the peace treaty in 2005. Although sharia law was one of the regional autonomous rights in Aceh, its implementation was still in a transitional stage. Hasbi said, "In several aspects we have implemented Islamic sharia, but in other aspects we still use the national law."
Posted by: ryuge 2012-02-25
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=339696