Dian Kuswandini , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 10/06/2008 9:55 AM | Headlines
Hasan di Tiro, a former chief of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel group who has not set foot on Indonesian soil for 30 years, will make a historic homecoming this weekend, a former aide said Sunday.
Suadi Sulaiman, also known as Adi Laweung, a spokesperson for the then GAM council, said Hasan was expected to set foot on Aceh for the first time after three decades on Oct. 11 and spend between two weeks and one month on his home soil.
"He (Hasan) has been missing his homeland Indonesia very much, in particular Aceh. His return has nothing to do with politics," the spokesperson said.
Adi said that after 30 years living abroad, Hasan, who is a Swedish national, felt the moment had arrived for him to return home.
Hasan led the fight against Indonesian rule from his base in Sweden.
The Aceh government and legislative council have invited Hasan to visit the province in a bid to boost peace in the province, which was engulfed in armed conflict for decades.
The Indonesian government and Aceh rebels signed a peace pact in Helsinki, Finland, more than three years ago.
Hasan's decision to return to Aceh is entirely his own, Adi said, adding that he was not certain whether Hasan would visit Jakarta.
Adi confirmed Hasan had arrived in Kuala Lumpur for talks with former GAM leaders prior to his trip to Indonesia.
Hasan met with several Acehnese living in Kuala Lumpur during his trip to the Malaysian capital, the spokesperson said.
"Di Tiro will hold a meeting with the people of Aceh in the Selangor State Mosque, Shah Alam," Adi said, adding that the people he would meet with were victims of the tsunami that hit Aceh in December 2004.
Several former GAM figures, including Muzakkir Manaf and Kamaruddin Abu Bakar (Abu Razak), Aceh Transition Commission spokesman Ibrahim Syamsuddin and religious figures Muhibbudin Wali and Abu Tumin Blang Blahdeh will accompany Hasan during his stay in Kuala Lumpur, Adi said.
The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur confirmed the former GAM leader had arrived Saturday morning and would meet representatives of the Indonesian government in the city.
"According to the schedule, there will be representatives of the Indonesian government who will meet him and take him to Jakarta before he returns to Aceh," a source told Antara.
It was reported that former Indonesian chief negotiator Hamid Awaluddin, who is now the Indonesian Ambassador to Russia, would accompany the former GAM leader to Kuala Lumpur, Antara said.
Hasan di Tiro, a former chief of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel group who has not set foot on Indonesian soil for 30 years, will make a historic homecoming this weekend, a former aide said Sunday.
Suadi Sulaiman, also known as Adi Laweung, a spokesperson for the then GAM council, said Hasan was expected to set foot on Aceh for the first time after three decades on Oct. 11 and spend between two weeks and one month on his home soil.
"He (Hasan) has been missing his homeland Indonesia very much, in particular Aceh. His return has nothing to do with politics," the spokesperson said.
Adi said that after 30 years living abroad, Hasan, who is a Swedish national, felt the moment had arrived for him to return home.
Hasan led the fight against Indonesian rule from his base in Sweden.
The Aceh government and legislative council have invited Hasan to visit the province in a bid to boost peace in the province, which was engulfed in armed conflict for decades.
The Indonesian government and Aceh rebels signed a peace pact in Helsinki, Finland, more than three years ago.
Hasan's decision to return to Aceh is entirely his own, Adi said, adding that he was not certain whether Hasan would visit Jakarta.
Adi confirmed Hasan had arrived in Kuala Lumpur for talks with former GAM leaders prior to his trip to Indonesia.
Hasan met with several Acehnese living in Kuala Lumpur during his trip to the Malaysian capital, the spokesperson said.
"Di Tiro will hold a meeting with the people of Aceh in the Selangor State Mosque, Shah Alam," Adi said, adding that the people he would meet with were victims of the tsunami that hit Aceh in December 2004.
Several former GAM figures, including Muzakkir Manaf and Kamaruddin Abu Bakar (Abu Razak), Aceh Transition Commission spokesman Ibrahim Syamsuddin and religious figures Muhibbudin Wali and Abu Tumin Blang Blahdeh will accompany Hasan during his stay in Kuala Lumpur, Adi said.
The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur confirmed the former GAM leader had arrived Saturday morning and would meet representatives of the Indonesian government in the city.
"According to the schedule, there will be representatives of the Indonesian government who will meet him and take him to Jakarta before he returns to Aceh," a source told Antara.
It was reported that former Indonesian chief negotiator Hamid Awaluddin, who is now the Indonesian Ambassador to Russia, would accompany the former GAM leader to Kuala Lumpur, Antara said.
