The nine visiting leaders of the Free Aceh Movement (Gam), were greeted by dozens of former fighters and a troupe of traditional dancers when they arrived at the airport close to the capital, Banda Aceh. They have been based in exile in Sweden since 1976, when they declared independence from Indonesia.
They said they had come to see how the peace deal was being implemented, and to pray at the graves of the Acehnese victims of the Asian tsunami of late 2004. The peace deal was signed amid goodwill generated by the devastating tsunami. So far some 20,000 Indonesian soldiers and 5,000 police have been withdrawn, in exchange for rebels laying down their arms.
