Alfian, Jakarta – Disaster and post-tsunami support focused on reconstruction and rebuilding in Aceh, Sumatra, has seen tsunami-survivors and others lose the will to work, a social scientist said Tuesday.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Despite the imposition of a moratorium on logging in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, illegal logging has been rampant, causing the state about Rp 123.7 billion (US$13.70 million) in losses the past six months.

Banda Aceh – Commemorating World Human Rights Day, hundreds of activists in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh held a torch-lit procession from the Simpang Lima roundabout to the City Park in front of the Baiturrahman Great Mosque on the evening of Monday December 10.

Alfian, Jakarta – Activists proposed Sunday a model for a truth and reconciliation commission in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam aimed at accommodating the victims' sense of justice.

Jakarta – Economic and political authority needs to be shared equally in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam to ensure the brighter future envisioned at the signing of the 2005 Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), experts on Aceh say.

Jakarta – A rights watchdog group and victims of the conflict in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam lodged a complaint against the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Monday for the slow progress in handling human rights violations from Aceh's long and bloody separatist conflict.

Jakarta – Experts recommended Friday that Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam look toward locally implemented sharia laws to see established the Aceh Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR Aceh), despite the KKR's current lack of legal backing on a national level.

Reports from Indonesia say rogue elements of the Free Aceh Movement GAM are illegally hoarding weapons, two years after a peace agreement was signed with the government. The surrender of weapons and re-integration of former GAM rebels into the Acehnese community were part of a peace deal struck in August 2005 between the separatist group and the Indonesian government.

Fakhri, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) plans to form a local political party in Aceh soon. They will be sounding this out during an event titled Two Great Discussions (Duek Pakat Raya, DPR), which is being organised by the SIRA Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of a Local Political Party.

Christopher S. Rugaber, Washington – The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Bush administration for its view on a lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp. that alleges human rights abuses were committed at its natural gas facility in Indonesia.

Banda Aceh – Acehnese civil activists from the Aceh Anti-Corruption Coalition (KAAA) say they regret Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf has given his blessing to amnesty for former Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh, who was jailed over his involvement in a corruption case when he was still governor of Aceh.

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Governor Irwandi Jusuf has sent an official letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appealing for amnesty for his predecessor, Abdullah Puteh.

Politicians and activists in Aceh questioned the appeal, saying it undermined a sense of justice for the people of Aceh.

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam could face an unemployment explosion in two years after reconstruction work in Aceh is completed, says a local manpower office official.

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Since the establishment of the GAM Party in 2006, five more local political parties have been set up, although none has registered with the provincial authorities, a prerequisite for achieving formal recognition.

Daniel Rose, Jakarta – Nur, a young woman in a white shirt and green veil is quietly assembling a key chain from threads and other materials. Mouth open, her eyes focus on the movements of her own fingers. Behind her are children of all ages, sitting around on a red carpet, some just as deeply engrossed in making key chains as Nur.

Banda Aceh, Aceh – Six local parties have registered in Aceh ahead of the 2009 legislative election in the province, according to the provincial office of the Justice and Human Rights Ministry.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Deputy Governor of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Muhammad Nazar is upbeat regarding the implementation of sharia law in Aceh, denying it hindered reconstruction efforts and development in the region.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – An Aceh-linked organization that advocates for environmental issues demanded that the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) apologize for implicitly blaming the slow reconstruction work on sharia in Aceh province.

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – Physical reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam alone cannot accelerate development programs in the province severely hit by the December 2004 tsunami and recovering from decades of armed conflict, an official says.

Kanis Dursin, Cot Keueng, Aceh Besar – It was around 3:00 p.m. and the sky above Cot Keueng mosque in Lamroh village, Kuta Baro district, some 13 kilometers east of Banda Aceh, was peculiarly blue.

Kanis Dursin – Wearing a headscarf, T-shirt and jeans, Nurhayati, 21, appears very much like any other girl in Aceh.

Jakarta – A call by Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Governor Irwandi Yusuf for the Acehnese to surrender all of their illegal guns has so far gone unheeded, police say.

"The call was circulated across the province a week ago, but no one has come forward to surrender any weapons yet," Aceh Police chief Insp. Gen. Rismawan said as quoted by Antara in Banda Aceh on Saturday.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The swearing-in ceremony for the new Southeast Aceh regent turned into a clash between protesters and the police Saturday, leaving at least 26 people injured.

The new regent, Hasanuddin, and his deputy, Syamsul Bahri, were installed by Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf as scheduled on Saturday, despite controversy.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Accompanied by her mother, "Dedek" sat nervously in the Banda Aceh Islamic Court waiting to hear if her request for a divorce would be granted. There was no sign of her estranged husband.

"I requested a divorce because I couldn't take it anymore. I am sure the court will grant my request," she said.

Nani Afrida, Bener Meriah – Fatimah Inem Syam, 55, was just like any other woman in Aceh. As a wife and grandmother, she helped take care of her grandchildren, cook meals and harvest coffee beans on the family farm.

Just over a week ago, the people of Indonesia's western province, Aceh, celebrated the second anniversary of the end of thirty years of separatist hostilities. Now, the chief of the region's military has given his personal assessment of the former rebels, saying they're no longer considered an enemy of the Indonesian Defence Force.

Jakarta – Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Commander Air Chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto said that the theft and burning of Indonesian flags in Aceh were not separatist actions. He believed the incidents were a legal matter for the police to handle.

Jakarta – Chief of the Iskandar Muda Regional Military Command Maj. Gen. Supiadin A.S. defended Monday former members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), a number of whom are in leading government positions in the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province.

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, Jakarta – Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid said Thursday Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf should be held responsible for a recent incident in the province in which an Indonesian flag was burned.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Despite political obstacles, the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam provincial administration is considering establishing a truth and reconciliation committee (KKR) to settle unresolved human rights abuse cases.

Mohamad Rayan, Banda Aceh – Two years have passed since the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Aug. 15, 2005. Several significant developments have taken place in Aceh since, including a successful and widely respected democratic election and the swearing in of a democratically elected government.

Jakarta – Politician and patron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Taufiq Kiemas, said the central government's lack of authority had seen the Acehnese take down hundreds of Indonesian national flags.

"This proves the country is not yet stable," Taufiq said. "There should have been no taking down of national flags."

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Two years after the signing of the Helsinki peace agreement, justice is not being properly upheld in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province and prosperity remains an illusion for many Acehnese, activists said Tuesday.

Nani Afrida, Bener Meriah – The woman in the dirty clothes was once one of the wealthiest people in the village.

Now Nursinah Alamsyah returns to a mere hut after working in the fields planting coffee seeds. "I've just moved here in the last six months," she said, placing her sickle in a corner of the hut.

M.

It's not yet four in the morning but Nyak Nur Asiah, 50 years old, is already out of bed, getting everything ready for the day's business. In the cold morning air, she gathers together pieces of paper and leaves for wrapping up rice and portions of food.

At dawn, Nyak Asiah, as her friends call her, is ready to set out, hoping that she will make a small profit.

The Aceh people remain hopeful the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) could finish the construction of infrastructures in Aceh by 2008.

James Balowski, Jakarta – A furor has erupted over the recent formation of the GAM party in Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh. Former members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) announced the formation of the party on July 7.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam governor Irwandi Jusuf agree the establishment of a local political party should have legal grounding.

"Aceh's governor has agreed the process of forming a new local party should be based on laws or other rulings," State Secretary Hatta Rajasa told Detik.com news portal.

Udin – At least 200 victims of the Aceh conflict from the Fraternal Solidarity for Victims of Human Rights Violations (SPKP HAM) demonstrated at the Aceh Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on the afternoon of Monday July 23. They were calling on the government to immediately form a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) to resolve past humanitarian crimes.

Nani Afrida, Berastagi – Five years after sharia was first implemented in Aceh, many residents, especially villagers, still do not fully understand it, an Islamic group says.

Many residents are unsure about its implementation, while some groups have politicized it, resulting in a focus on punishments like public caning and the requirement for women to wear a headscarf.

Banda Aceh – Victims of the Aceh conflict being assisted by the group Fraternal Solidarity for Victims of Human Rights Violations (SPKP HAM) will hold their second congress in Saree in the Lembah Seulawah sub-district of Greater Aceh on July 20-23.

Aguswandi, Banda Aceh – The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) establishing itself as a political party is the last thing Jakarta needs to worry about right now. In fact it should be celebrated as another step in Aceh's peace process. It is a success of the reintegration – political reintegration – of former combatants fully into the society.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Nani Afrida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh – Vice President Jusuf Kalla shrugged off the possibility of the former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) starting a new separatist movement by forming a local political party.

Banda Aceh – The case of RCTI television reporter Ersa Siregar, who died during a fire fight between TNI (Indonesian military) soldiers and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) during the period of martial law in Aceh has been reported to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour.

Udin, Banda Aceh – United Nations High Commission for Human Rights Louise Arbour is particularly interested in women's issues in Aceh. She is asking the Aceh government under the leadership of Governor Irwandi Yusuf to pay attention to gender equality at all decision-making levels in the Aceh government.

Banda Aceh – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has been asked to pressure the Indonesian government to resolve cases of human rights violations that befell the people during the Aceh conflict. This was conveyed by 12 Acehnese civil society organisations during a meeting with Arbour at the UN representative offices in Aceh on Thursday July 12.

[The following is a compellation of abridged translations from Detik.com on reactions to the establishment of the GAM Party by former members of the Free Aceh Movement in Banda Aceh on July 7.]

Banda Aceh police protest use GAM logo and flag as party symbol

Jakarta – The government denied Monday that it had given the go-ahead for ex-members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to use the flag of the former rebel group as symbol for a local political party.

Banda Aceh – A plan by the Aceh government to liquidate the Asean Aceh Fertilizer (AAF) factory and have it managed by a foreign company has been opposed by the Aceh People's Party (PRA). The PRA is instead calling for the government to restart operations at the factory.