United Nations Radio

Map of Aceh, Indonesia

PRESENTER: Three and a half years after a deal ended 30 years of a bloody independence war in the western Indonesian province of Aceh, ex-rebels are still struggling to make a living. The peace agreement signed between the Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, and the Indonesian government in 2005, paved the way for the reintegration of 3,000 ex-combatants. As observers worry over the rise of petty crime in the ex-rebels' ranks, one original project is making a difference by tapping into their troubled past. Our correspondent Sophie Boudre found out more:

Duration: 4'21"

INSERT JUNI crossfire - 24"
(SFX walking) Di sini lah pernah kontak sama TNI ... VOICER
"This is where we exchanged fire with the Indonesians! We were watching from our post, there, when they came up. We opened fire, there were many of them - two of their soldiers died that day"

ATMO JUNGLE machete under

SOPHIE Standing in a mountain on the outskirts of Banda Aceh, 30 year-old Juni remembers the old days when he was fighting for Aceh's independence. Today, Juni no longer carries a gun... but he still roams the same jungles where he used to fight and hide.
This time, though as a tour guide. Mendel Jon Pols, a Dutchman living in Aceh, saw a potential in men like Juni:

INSERT MENDEL Rambos - 30"
"Ex-GAM combatants know all the secret trails in the areas were they were active as combatants and these secret trails may be of interest to the upcoming inflow of foreign tourists in Aceh. Also the fact that they are former rebels adds flavour to the tour package."

SOPHIE Despite a few hurdles, Mendel's plans to set-up 'guerilla tours' finally took off last year when Aceh's new governor, ex-fighter Irwandi Yusuf, wrote him a letter of recommendation. With this go-ahead, Mendel asked around in villages and quickly managed to set up a team of 15 trekking guides, mostly ex-fighters. Each guide gets 15 to 20 dollars for a day of trek plus shoes, backpacks and a uniform tagged 'Aceh Explorer', the name of Mendel's business. Marjuni, the first to join the team, says being a guide is more than a job:

INSERT MARJUNI memories - 36"
Itu pasti kita terbayang kesan sudah lama... VOICER MARJUNI memories -
"We remember the old days... this is our life, our history. It was tough in the mountains. I prefer my job now because there's no hassle. And I am proud to show our forests. I hope I can do this more often as I like to be in the wild. It's much better than sitting and do nothing."

SOPHIE Three and a half years since peace, most of GAM's rank-and-file are still jobless. As part of the peace agreement reached between GAM and the Indonesian Government, 3,000 ex-combatants should have received 25 million Rupias each, roughly 2,500 US dollars. But the money was spread thinly, and many like Juni only received around 600 dollars. Nur Djuli, who runs the Peace and Reintegration Board in Aceh, or BRA, explains:

INSERT BRA_E - 41"
"When you say combatants, for GAM, it's combatants who do the fight. We have ... total weapon-carrying combatants of 3,000. But we also had support groups, logistics, intelligence, women and men who helped. That may come to more than 20,000. That's why when the Commander received funds from the Government, he does not give these 25 million each for 3,000 but he divided according to how many in an area."

SOPHIE As central government funds allocated to BRA dry out in 2009, international donors are starting to come forward. The International Organization for Migration is helping ex-GAM political prisoners start up new livelihoods, while UNDP is designing assistance packages for female ex-combatants. But for Mendel Pols, one solution lies in what he calls 'guerilla tourism':

INSERT MENDEL post-conflict - 33"
"Eventually wars will end. And then to reintegrate former combatants will be a major challenge and one of the ways to integrate them into something they can do at their best is puting them to work in tourism industry in places where they were active. And also work that suits their skills, that suits their needs, it is very recommendable."

SOPHIE For UN Radio in Aceh Indonesia, I am Sophie Boudre.