Tiarma Siboro and Nani Afrida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh – Acehnese responded coldly to the government's decision on Thursday to extend the state of civil emergency in the province, complainin

Indonesia on Thursday offered amnesty to separatist leaders in Aceh and promised to help redevelop the province if rebels drop their bid for independence, but a spokesman for the rebels

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Thursday the civil state of emergency in Aceh will be extended for up to six months effective Friday, but he vowed to solve the confli

Tangerang – The government has officially decided to maintain the state of civil emergency in Aceh which should have ended today.

Astrid Felicia Lim, Jakarta – The extension of the state of civil emergency in Aceh by the government though Presidential Decree Number 2/2004 has been condemned by three non-government

James Balowski, Jakarta – The new government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono faces a staggering array of problems – rampant corruption, continuing human rights abuses by the milit

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The extension of the civil emergency in the troubled province of Aceh is now a foregone conclusion as the House of Representatives has thrown its suppor

Sian Powell – Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, although regarded as one of Indonesia's most effective peacemakers, says he will never allow foreign nations to interfere in peace n

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The government has extended the state of civil emergency in Aceh, but is still undecided for how long the extension will last and what areas of the prov

Tiarma Siboro and Adianto P.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The Indonesian Government has barred all foreign journalists from the troubled provinces of Aceh and Papua, the first such ban for at least four years.

Jakarta – It is hoped that the government can resolve the conflict in Aceh peacefully in the lead up to the end of the period of civil emergency on November 18.

Jakarta – The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Widodo AS, has admitted that the operation to restore security in Aceh, as one of five programs which make

Dear President Yudhoyono,

Ramidi, Jakarta – Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) says the policy of implementing a state of civil emergency in Aceh has failed.

Nur Raihan, Banda aceh – The commander of the Iskandar Muda Territorial Military Command, Endang Suwarya, says that Aceh needs to remain under a state of civil emergency when the curren

Jakarta – Indonesian soldiers killed seven suspected rebels in two gun battles in restive Aceh province, a military spokesman said Friday.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Two anti-corruption activists in Aceh were grilled on Tuesday by local authorities, two days after they made harsh comments over the allegedly rampant corrupti

Jakarta – Indonesia's top Security Minister said yesterday that the new government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would make no deals with separatist guerillas in troubled Aceh a

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The government must abandon its security approach and open dialog with civilian figures to settle the Aceh conflict once and

Jakarta – The Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Affairs, Widodo Adi Sutjipto, says that his office is in the process of putting together a recommendation on Aceh when

Nur Raihan, Banda Aceh – The raging armed conflict in Aceh has left behind a huge trauma for the Acehnese people.

Jakarta – Indonesia's top security minister called on rebels in Aceh province Tuesday to disarm and "rejoin the nation," but didn't say whether fighters who surrendered would be given a

Eworaswa, Jakarta – The Aceh Working Group (AWG), a grouping of non-government organisations concerned about the Aceh question, have put forward a three point plan to evaluate [whether

Suwarjono, Jakarta – The state of civil emergency in Aceh will end on November 18.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – With the six-month state of civil emergency in Aceh nearing an end, leading ulemas in the province suggested on Monday that the government of President Susilo

Nur Raihan, Banda Aceh – The prolonged conflict in Aceh cannot be resolved by arms.

Yuswardi A.

Aguswandi, London – Aceh will be the best place to judge whether the new government will be any different from previous regimes in Indonesia.

Banda Aceh – Indonesian troops killed seven men they claimed were separatist rebels in the country's oil-and-gas rich Aceh province, the military said Sunday.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – A group of armed men shot dead an elementary school teacher and injured his son and a neighbor in Sawang district, South Aceh regency, according to an official

Jakarta – Two Acehnese non-government organisations, the Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (Front Perlawanan Demokratik Rakyat Aceh, FPDRA) and the Acehnese Democratic Women'

Ivy Susanti, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will review the visa procedures for foreign diplomats to facilitate their travel to Indonesia, particularly Aceh, foreign affairs minist

[The following report was filed by the Aceh Working Group on 18 October, following their investigation of three places of detention, in Aceh and Java.

Flamboyan, Jakarta – The head of the European Union's Troika Delegation, Bernard Bot, said on Thursday October 28 that they were interested in visiting Aceh and West Papua.

Sunariah, Jakarta – The Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (Front Perlawanan Demokratik Rakyat Aceh, FPDRA) has rejected a decision by the coordinating minister of politics, l

Nani Farida and Tiarma Siboro, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – Peace, safety and justice for local officials implicated in corruption are all that the Acehnese are demanding from the Susilo admini

Jakarta – Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) governor Abdullah Puteh has said that the existence of the Free Aceh Movement in Aceh is still of concern.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Cabinet members dealing with security decided on Sunday their short-term priority programs, including a comprehensive review of the state of civil emergency in

Nani Afrida, Aceh – The Acehnese, who long for change, are largely upbeat over the inauguration of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as president, as they believe he is more popular and more cap

Banda Aceh – Thousands of Acehnese refugees from East Aceh regency have not returned to the regency because of the continued conflict here, a senior government official said on Wednesda

Banda Aceh – A senior separatist rebel on Tuesday was given 16 years in jail for treason in Indonesia's war-hit Aceh province.

Jakarta – Chief Justice Bagir Manan said the country's first sharia court in Aceh, which applies Islamic law, or sharia, could not work effectively due to the absence of related bylaws.

Jakarta – The coordinator of Indonesia's NGO Coalition for International Human Rights Advocacy (HRWG), Rafendi Djamin, hopes that president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) will rep

Jakarta, Kompas – The Aceh Working Group or AWG is urging the government to investigate human rights violations which have taken place in Aceh, many of which have been suffered by polit

Jakarta – Eight suspected separatists and a marine were killed in a fierce gunbattle in Indonesia's restive Aceh province, a military spokesman said Friday.

Maria Ulfah, Jakarta – Chief of Army Staff Ryamizard Ryacudu said he would not withdraw troops from conflict areas such as Aceh and Papua.

Police raided a squatter settlement in a Malaysian jungle, burning down shacks and arresting more than 100 illegal immigrants, mainly from Indonesia's war-torn Aceh province, a human ri

An Islamic judicial system has been introduced in Indonesia's restive province of Aceh as part of increased autonomy granted to the staunchly Muslim province by Jakarta.

Langsa – Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh expressed on Saturday his expectation that the armed conflict in his province would be settled soon.