Fedhly Averouss Bey, Jakarta – The government should not only focus on the disarmament of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) but must also act firmly against civilian groups carrying arms in Aceh, which must be disarmed and disbanded.

Jerry Norton, Banda Aceh – Indonesia will begin withdrawing thousands of troops from strife-torn Aceh province as soon as rebels there complete the first stage of an arms surrender this weekend, the military said on Friday.

Devi Asmarani, Banda Aceh – They used to emerge under the cover of night, sneaking into villages from base camps in the mountains for rare visits to their loved ones or to gather provisions from civilians backing their independence struggle.

Phelim Kyne, Jakarta – Foreign companies contracted to help rebuild Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged Aceh province must actively protect themselves from involvement in potentially graft-tainted projects, an international anti-corruption expert says.

Banda Aceh – The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) has decided that the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has violated the peace agreement by shooting two Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel in Lhokseumawe on September 10, 2005.

Robin Mcdowell, Peudada – Acehnese rebels emerged from their jungle camps Friday to surrender a second batch of weapons, as the guerrillas and the Indonesian government argued over what kind of guns should count under their peace deal.

The peace process in Indonesia's Aceh province is right on schedule, according to a joint European Union-ASEAN monitoring mission. The Aceh Monitoring Mission today began supervising the disarming of Free Aceh or GAM separatist rebels, after thirty years of conflict.

Alexander Bebordelius is a spokesman for the Aceh Monitoring Mission, in Banda Aceh. He spoke to Sen Lam.

Jerry Norton, Banda Aceh – Former rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province began handing in guns to foreign monitors on Thursday under a landmark peace agreement, but differences emerged over what weapons counted under the deal.

Lhokseumawe, Jakarta – Around 1,300 Mobile Brigade Police left Aceh on Wednesday as part of a peace agreement with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels which requires the Indonesian government to gradually withdraw security forces personnel from the province.

The pullout of the police strike force came a day before GAM members start handing over guns to foreign monitors.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – The convoy of motorists consisted of about 50 men, whose faces looked dark while they slowly drove their motorcycles into Banda Aceh city under the watchful eyes of journalists.

Nani Afrida, Pidie – In line with the peace deal earlier signed by the Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM), GAM members have begun gathering weapons and have said they are ready to hand them over to the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM).

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Aceh Working Group (AWG) has urged authorities to disarm and dissolve civilian militias in Aceh province, for fear that they could disrupt the peace process there.

The group accused certain security personnel of mobilizing and recruiting Acehnese civilians as members of the armed militia groups.

Free Aceh Movement rebels, who've fought a guerilla war for almost thirty years, will tomorrow begin handing over a quarter of their weapons as part of a landmark peace agreement reached between them and the government

Nani Afrida, Pidie – Distrust and fear still runs deep among members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as the date for the decommissioning of weapons is drawing near. As the disarmament between Thursday and Saturday nears, GAM members are still apprehensive about a possible backlash from Indonesian Military personnel, whom they have fought for almost 30 years.

Jerry Norton, Krueng Raya – As he impales coconuts on a sharp blade and twists them to remove the husks, M. Nur Taib says things are looking up.

The 35-year-old father of three lost his house and his job when last December's tsunami slammed into Indonesia's Aceh province. He and his family still live in a makeshift shelter of plastic sheets, canvas and wood.

AK-42, Bireuen – The public flogging of nine convicted gamblers, which took place on the grounds of the Bireuen Grand Mosque on Friday September 9, failed to attract spectators.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – It might not have been the kind of birthday present that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wished for, but nonetheless hundreds of protesters, led by former President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, staged a rally against his Aceh policy on Friday.

AK-38, Jakarta – TNI (armed forces) chief Endriartono Sutarto says that the TNI does not want to be blamed if the peace process in Aceh fails. "Even if it fails, I don't want the failure to be caused by the TNI's side.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarters on Wednesday in order to convince the armed forces that the peace deal with Aceh rebels would not pose a threat to national integrity.

Jakarta – The Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) has prepared a contingency plan for the eventuality that the peace agreement signed by the Indonesian government and GAM (Free Aceh Movement) is not implemented properly, a spokesman said here Thursday.

Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is apparently made up of many factions. If one of these fractions disagrees with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indonesian government and GAM there is concern that it will become an obstacle to the creation of peace in Aceh.

Dimas, Jakarta – The surrender of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) weapons that will begin on September 15 will be done in three stages. Before being destroyed, the weapons will be verified by the TNI (armed forces).

Banda Aceh – Sofyan Dawod, military spokesman of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), said he believed that the peace process in Aceh would run smoothly because both the Indonesian government and GAM had come to trust one another.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that the holding of human rights trials scheduled to try human rights violations in Aceh would not use retroactive principles.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – With his four-year-old son Salman al Farizi sitting on his lap, Teungku Syafiie bin Syamaun, a member of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) who was recently released from prison, feels a complete man.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Two weeks after the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed a peace deal in Helsinki, many continue to question its legitimacy, particularly House of Representatives lawmakers, which may pose a stumbling block to its implementation.

Jakarta – Dozens of Acehnese rebel prisoners eligible for release under a historic peace agreement remain behind bars, separatists said Sunday, calling on the government to make sure they're freed.

Chris Brummitt, Banda Aceh – Developments in Aceh have been "very encouraging" since last month's peace accord, but political resistance to the deal could increase if rebels fail to begin disarming later this month, according to the Dutch diplomat overseeing the accord.

Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – TNI (armed forces) troops will not remain silent if the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) fails to comply with the substance of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indonesian government and GAM. The TNI will clobber GAM members who betray the MoU – this is a promise said TNI chief General Endriartono Sutarto.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The government brushed aside on Wednesday any possibility of the Aceh peace agreement faltering despite foreseeable political moves in the House of Representatives that may keep the accord's details and principles from actually working.

Hundreds of Acehnese rebels walked free from Indonesian jails today, under a sweeping amnesty that forms a vital plank of a landmark agreement signed in Helsinki.

Banda Aceh – Hundreds of Acehnese rebels walked free from Indonesian jails on Wednesday under a sweeping amnesty that forms a vital plank of a landmark peace agreement signed in Helsinki this month.

Some 2,000 members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are expected to be released after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued the amnesty late on Tuesday.

Chris Brummitt, Jantho – Imprisoned Aceh rebel Idris walks free on Wednesday as part of a peace deal with the government, but the scars he claims he sustained at the hands of his captors will remain for life.

Tiarma Siboro and Zakki P. Hakim, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has called on the Aceh foreign peace monitoring team to take anticipatory measures to prevent the current peace process between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) from faltering, including banning former rebels from bearing weapons in public.

Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – Ex-Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members who are granted amnesties but persist in seeking independence must be destroyed by the government immediately. The articles in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) have been sign and the agreement represents the final deal to resolve the Aceh conflict with dignity.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – The first confirmed cross-fire involving Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerrillas broke out on Sunday, putting a peace deal in the province to a serious test.

Jakarta – Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla has dismissed calls by parliamentarians for Aceh rebels to swear an oath of allegiance to the government as a precondition for an amnesty, state media said.

Fabio Scarpello, Jakarta – As the historic Aceh peace deal, signed two weeks ago in Helsinki, enters the delicate, implementation phase analysts worry that the wording is vague and that mounting political opposition could yet derail the accord.

Veena Siddharth, New York – When the Indonesian government and the armed separatists of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed their peace agreement this week, they demonstrated that even the darkest cloud may have a silver lining after all.

Jakarta – The military may be held accountable for alleged atrocities committed during a three-decade separatist war in Aceh province, Indonesia's justice minister said Wednesday, denying that troops would escape rights tribunals.

Desra Percaya, New York – Following seven months of talks mediated by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in Helsinki on Aug. 15 between the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Criticism is gathering against the powerful Aceh Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) two months after it began the massive project of rebuilding the tsunami-affected province.

Banda Aceh – At least 60 separatist guerrillas have left their rebel stronghold in Indonesia's Aceh province after a peace pact was signed last week.

The move comes a day after 1,300 Indonesian soldiers withdrew from Aceh province, the first major step by Indonesia to begin implementing the historic peace.

Miswar, Banda Aceh – Indonesian negotiator Sofyan Djalil who is also the minister of information and communication, has started to manipulate the text of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Banda Aceh – Civilians who lost family and friends during a three-decade separatist war in Indonesia's Aceh province deserve justice, rebels said Sunday, days after an agreement was signed to end the fighting that claimed nearly 15,000 lives.

Jakarta – Criticism about the contents of the peace accord between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) continued on Friday, with legislators questioning the role of the foreign monitoring mission that they said was too powerful and was an "internationalization" of a domestic conflict.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – The government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have agreed to only bring human rights violations cases in Aceh to court that occur after the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Monday.

Salim Osman, Banda Aceh – All hopes for peace in the troubled Aceh province now rest on about 200 monitors who will oversee the implementation of the accord, with mistrust still prevailing between the Indonesian government and rebels.

AK-34, Jakarta – Responding to a plan by the Aceh regional house of representatives (DPRD) to issue a new by-law soon, an activist from the Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA), Thamrin Ananda, says that they cannot just issue new regulations because there are a number of important issues that must be considered first.

Jakarta – Indonesia's military, often accused of human rights violations, is likely to stick to a fresh peace pact in Aceh province despite frustrations over concessions to separatist rebels, analysts said.