"strong political will and strong leadership, such as that provided by Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu." He believes that such a commission would be too difficult to implement in Maluku, Indonesia, because there is no comparably strong leader.
As well, in his opinion, truth and justice imposed by the Western world cannot be implemented in Maluku because the justice system has collapsed.
"People involved in the justice system have fled Maluku, and even police forces are torn between the Muslim and Christian viewpoints."
In spite of the enormous obstacles, the Peace Building Institute has persevered in its search for answers to the troubles in Maluku, which started on January 19, 1999, a day remembered as the bloody Idul Fitri. The began between a local driver and an immigrant from Bugis in the Batu Merah area, and quickly spread throughout the province of Ambon, resulting in a large-scale exodus of Muslims to areas outside of Ambon.
Every aspect of life in Maluku became clouded with religious issues. "The whole of Maluku collapsed, everything was divided into Christian and Muslim, each group willing to fight to defend their own faith," said Malik.
He noted that everyone is involved in the conflict, and that its source was exploitation by the elite and the politicisation of religion.
Now, whole communities are conditioned to experience prolonged trauma, and people proceed with their lives in an environment of discrimination and resentment.
Malik observed that when a is triggered by religious sentiments, energy lying dormant will spill over to cause a great disaster. He doubts that a permanent solution can be achieved by interfaith values in Maluku. Yet he is determined to find a way to stop the violence.
Malik started his work by actively researching who the actors in the conflicts in different places were, analysing the situation and mapping out a plan of action. He then started to implement the plan.
A crucial step in his peace-building effort was to establish Community-Based Groups, so that people could take part in finding their own solutions. He said his peace-building institute understands the necessity of having strong networks in society to promote actions which support peace.
Thus, along with South Africa's Truth Commission, the approach taken by the the Peace Building Institute - to investigate causes and work with the people of a society coming out of violence - is one which may be of interest for Thailand.
TRANSITION IN NEPAL
In June, Nepal's government agreed to dissolve parliament and form a temporary coalition with the Maoist (Communist Party of Nepal) rebels who had been waging an insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom for the past decade. The Maoists pledged to also dissolve a rival "people's government" operating in the areas they control.
Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli said at the regional conference that Nepal is undergoing a transition to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, following the restoration of democracy through the People's Movement in April of this year, after widespread street protests. Nepal's new government is comprised of the Seven Party Alliance.
The decade-long armed forced the Nepalese people to face a reality of day-to-day violence and human rights violations (see related story), and also brought about complex challenges for their traditionally sustainable lifestyle.
More than 14,000 people were killed, and many people became internally displaced. The deputy PM said the key challenges in building peace in Nepal are arms management and related issues, as well as drafting a new constitution.
"The government is committed to establishing a permanent peace in the country by bringing the Maoists into the competitive political process," he added, but he admitted that challenges still abound.
Sharma said the building of a sustained peace cannot be done without providing adequate justice to the people affected by the violence.
"Any peace accord which does not redress the sufferings of victims and provide for truth and reconciliation initiatives is liable to unravel," he said. Therefore, sustainable peace calls for "reconciliation initiatives that sufficiently address the concerns of the victims of the conflict," he added. He also stated that the plight of the internally displaced persons should receive priority attention. (see related story)
Sushil Pyakurel, former commissioner of the Nepal Human Rights Commission (NHRC), also addressed the conference. He said there is a need to seek justice for the disappearances, extra-judicial and other merciless killings and rapes, and uphold the rights of victims. In order for this to happen the rule of law and the independence of national institutions such as the NHRC must be established. As well, the "arbitrary actions of the non-state actors and the absolute muteness of the state" must be addressed.
He stressed that many victims are not easily able to forgive those who violated their rights unless they face the consequences of their actions through a transparent and fair legal process.
He believes that to achieve sustainable peace and end the cycle of violence is impossible without guaranteeing the rights of all in the process.
"Besides those killed, tens of thousands of Nepalese were forced to flee their homes during the 10 years of fighting, after attacks or threats from the Maoists or state security forces," he said. Some internally displaced persons want to return to their villages, but hundreds remain missing and their fate is a point of argument, he added.
Locals in the remote village of Nepalganj believe discussions of a sustainable peace should address the problems and the grief of the locals before any schemes for sharing power.
Norita Chand, 43, whose husband was allegedly killed by Maoists four years ago, said, "I can forgive those who killed my husband when they reveal why they killed my husband."
She said that he had never done anything wrong, and was never associated with any vices. "Why did they kill him?" she asked.
Her sentiments are shared by Angkhana Neelapaijit, the wife of a missing Thai human rights lawyer.
Forgiveness is something she wants to do when the truth about her husband's case, as well as other similar cases, has been revealed and the perpetrators are taken to task.
"Sustainable peace won't last long without justice," she said.
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