BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Hasan di Tiro, founder of the former rebel group GAM in Indonesia's Aceh, will return to the province in October after more than 30 years in exile, a spokesman for the former rebels said on Wednesday. Di Tiro, who is in his late seventies and understood to be in frail health, fled to Sweden after declaring Aceh independent in 1976, a move that set off a long-running conflict in the westernmost tip of Indonesia. As many as 15,000 people died in the conflict before a peace accord was reached in August 2005. The Helsinki peace agreement, partially prompted by the December 2004 tsunami that killed about 170,000 people in Aceh, paved the way for limited self-rule in the province. "The senior leader of GAM, Hasan Tiro, will return to Aceh on Oct. 11, 2008," said Ibrahim, spokesman of the Aceh Transition Commission (KPA), which was set up after the peace pact to represent former members of GAM's military wing. No other details were given. Some Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders who had also fled to Sweden, where they set up a self-styled government in exile, returned to Indonesia in 2006 to help implement the pact. But di Tiro, who GAM considered the rightful head of Aceh state, was not part of the group. The ailing di Tiro is descended from a family with close ties to Aceh's former sultans. (Writing by Telly Nathalia; Editing by Sugita Katyal and Paul Tait)
Balinese in traditional dress march to the government building as they protest against the country's proposed anti-pornography bill in Denpasar in Indonesia's resort island of Bali September 23, 2008. About 1,000 ...
