Abstract
Acehs new governor, Irwandi Yusuf, is not a typical Indonesian politician. A US-trained veterinarian, he was a leading strategic thinker and propagandist for GAM. For several years after the collapse of the Suharto regime in 1998 he led a shadowy existence, dividing his time between composing GAM press releases and slipping away to the field, where he oversaw a major restructuring of the movements guerilla forces. Eventually, he was captured by the authorities after they declared martial law in Aceh in May 2003. He was imprisoned in Banda Aceh until the December 2004 tsunami destroyed the jail in which he was being held, allowing him to escape. A brief period as GAMs chief representative during the disarmament process which followed the August 2005 Helsinki peace agreement gave him the public profile with which to run for office.
Original language | English |
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Pages | 1pp |
No. | Edition 90: Oct-Dec 2007 |
Specialist publication | Inside Indonesia |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |