Banda Aceh – Attacks by separatist rebels in the tsunami-hit Indonesian province of Aceh have intensified in recent weeks despite a renewed peace dialogue, military officials said Thursday.

Jakarta – "Do you believe that the Rp 41 trillion in funds apportioned to finance the rehabilitation and reconstruction of disaster-devastated Aceh and Nias in North Sumatra, will not be embezzled?," an activist with Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) asked when addressing a seminar here on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare Alwi Shihab says that one of the clauses which is currently being prepared for foreign non-government organisations (NGOs) working in Aceh is that they not interfere in Indonesia's domestic affairs. They are also prohibited from working in the interests of separatists and particular ideologies.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Some 1,441 containers filled with relief aid for tsunami victims in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam are still being detained by the customs authorities at Belawan port in Medan due to incomplete documentation, an official said on Monday.

Jakarta – Foreign peacekeepers won't be part of any international monitoring of Indonesia's tsunami-devastated Aceh province after a possible peace deal between the government and rebels, Jakarta said on Wednesday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Thursday the military was ready to pull out some 40,000 troops from Aceh if an agreement was reached by the government and rebels.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – After holding two meetings in Helsinki, Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have yet to sign an agreement. For as long as there is no agreement in black and white the TNI (armed forces) will reject a cease-fire with GAM.

Jane Perlez, Jakarta – After a long delay, Indonesia announced a new body to oversee the reconstruction of Aceh, but it will start work without the help of a UN agency that had planned to spend $60 million on more than 35,000 houses.

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Helsinki – The third round of the Helsinki negotiations between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to find "a comprehensive and permanent solution with dignity for all" was just concluded with new hope for a peaceful breakthrough.

Suadi Sulaiman Laweueng, the Free Aceh Movement's (GAM) spokesperson for the Pidie regency in north Aceh, spoke to Green Left Weekly's Jes Abek about the struggle in Aceh. The interview was translated by James Balowski.

Can you explain the situation there?

Less than four months after the big wave hit, villagers in Nusa have cleared tonnes of debris and will soon start rebuilding homes and cultivating land.

But in the third visit to the Indonesian village, whose reconstruction the Guardian is monitoring this year, John Aglionby also finds creeping tensions.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The "positive and constructive" results achieved during the third round of peace talks between the government of Indonesia and leaders of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will be worthless if violence prevails in the province, a senior GAM official has said.

Helsinki – Aceh rebels and Indonesian government delegates have made a "breakthrough" at peace talks on the tsunami-ravaged province, and will continue negotiations in Finland May 26-31, the Finnish mediator said Saturday.

Aceh rebels fighting for the independence of Indonesia's northernmost province have told the Indonesian government in peace talks that they see Bougainville in Papua New Guinea as a model for self-government, a rebel spokesman said Friday.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono insisted Friday Jakarta would never allow Aceh province to separate from the rest of Indonesia, but said a government plan to give the region a greater say in running its affairs must be implemented.

Soraya Permatasari, Jakarta – Three Indonesian soldiers were injured in a clash with Aceh rebels, as peace talks aimed at ending three decades of conflict continued near Helsinki.

Soraya Permatasari, Jakarta – Malnutrition was found in almost 12 percent of children in Indonesia's Aceh region who were displaced by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, according to a survey by the government and aid agencies.

Optimism prevailed as Jakarta and Aceh separatists sat down for a third day of peace talks in Helsinki, but on the ground war-weary Acehnese expressed less confidence in the negotiations as the Indonesian military sent in more troops to hunt down rebels.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government will not accept the option of a cease-fire offered by GAM [Free Aceh Movement]. The coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Widodo AS, has said that the Indonesian government's mission is fixed, namely the acceptance of special autonomy for Aceh and the complete and permanent termination of conflict.

Indonesia is to reinforce its military presence in the tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh, even as peace talks with separatist rebels in the province make progress, an army spokesman said.

Aceh separatists and Indonesian officials said they had reached a "point of understanding" following a second day of peace talks aimed at ending a conflict that has killed more than 12,000 people.

Aceh separatists urged Indonesian officials to call a ceasefire as a gesture of goodwill as the two parties held a third round of peace talks n Helsinki aimed at ending a conflict that has killed more than 12,000 people.

Sian Powell, Jakarta – Splits have emerged among Aceh separatists on the eve of peace talks with the Indonesian Government in Helsinki, with one faction damning the Finnish negotiators and flatly rejecting special autonomy and another expressing cautious optimism.

Jakarta – Separatists from Aceh province have dismissed a government offer of self-government for the tsunami-hit region ahead of a new round of peace talks in Finland this week.

Jakarta – The Dec. 26 tsunami that swept Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam not only devastated infrastructure but also caused extensive damage to agricultural land, with some areas needing up to five years before returning to full production.

Separatist rebels in Aceh province accused Indonesia's military of stepping up their campaign in the tsunami-shattered region, a charge that underlines the obstacles to peace ahead of a crucial third-round of talks in Finland later this week.

Nick Gentle, Banda Aceh – Out of all the countries affected by the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami, Indonesia was dealt the heaviest blows, and now the country is facing up to the most daunting rebuilding task.

Nick Gentle, Banda Aceh – In the streets surrounding Banda Aceh's grand mosque, the city's commercial heart is starting to beat again. The stunning white building stands about 2.5km inland, yet its minarets and domes bear the scars of the tsunami.

Nick Gentle, Banda Aceh – Darmin's first catch since the tsunami is a good one.

In a little less than 12 hours, the three-man crew of his eight-metre fishing boat has hauled in more than a tonne of tuna, mahi-mahi and something the locals call cakalang – all good-eating fish worth up to 60,000 rupiah ($50) apiece when they get to the local fish market.

Indonesia hopes to sign a peace deal ending three decades of conflict with separatists in Aceh province in July, its vice president said in an interview.

Vice President Yusuf Kalla expressed optimism over the peace process ahead of a third round of talks due to get under way in Finland next week.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – A top-level government delegation will hold a third-round of peace talks with officials of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Finland next week in a bid to seek a peaceful way to end nearly three decades of armed conflict in Aceh.

Indonesia's Aceh province has just marked 100 days since the Tsunami last December in which more than 120,000 Indonesians died. Oxfam International says of those killed, 80% were women and this has created a new gender imbalance in Aceh.

Presenter/Interviewer: Huey Fern Tay

Jakarta – An Acehnese forum here on Friday criticized the newly issued blueprint for the reconstruction of Aceh, calling it incomplete.

The blueprint required major revisions in order for the reconstruction work to focus on human development, added the Aceh Recovery Forum (ARF) for 10 working groups in the province.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) said on Thursday it was facing difficulties in auditing the use of humanitarian funds in Aceh due to the presence of more than one authority in charge of the funds.

Indonesia's former chief peace negotiator in Aceh agrees that now is the best, perhaps the only, chance for a peaceful end to the 30 year conflict. Wiryono Sastrohandoyo is a former Ambassador to Australia and was Indonesia's chief negotiator in ceasefire talks with the Free Aceh rebels in 2002.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – The government is being urged to design a clear policy framework for the reconstruction of tsunami-devastated Aceh, particularly one that is based on the participation of the Acehnese people.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The reconstruction of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and the surrounding tsunami-stricken areas will be able to start in the immediate future now that the government has completed the final draft of its blueprint for rehabilitation in the province.

Banda Aceh (Reuters) – Women in Indonesia's devastated Aceh province who lost their homes in the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami face sexual attacks in relief camps, Oxfam said, as it warned of long-term social dislocation.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Three months after the tsunami hit Aceh on Dec. 26, many Acehnese dread the departure of foreign aid workers, as they are not yet confident of making it on their own.

Indonesia says it will provide evidence to Canberra that Australian-funded aid groups are helping separatists in Aceh and Papua.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – A Banda Aceh military court on Wednesday sentenced Capt. T. Syuib Mahmud to three months jail for assaulting activist Farid Faqih, who is currently in custody for allegedly stealing donated items destined for tsunami victims in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Just days after the government extended the deadline for all foreigners to leave Aceh by March 26, an immigration official said on Tuesday some 1,175 foreigners have to leave the province to get their visas-on-arrival renewed.

Timothy Mapes, Jakarta – As Indonesia embarks on a massive effort to rebuild swaths of Aceh province wiped out by the Dec. 26 tsunami, government officials say coordination is being complicated by foreign agencies' focus on shielding their aid from corruption.

Indonesia has backed down on a threat to expel foreign aid workers from Aceh, granting them a two-month extension to continue relief efforts.

Aguswandi, London – It is almost impossible to imagine what the lives of tsunami survivors is like. Not only have they lost many members of their families and all their worldly goods, but they will have to try and rebuild a life in an ongoing conflict area that is little more than a man-made disaster.

Police in Indonesia's tsunami-hit Aceh province will rejoin the military pursuit of separatists because the rebels have started regrouping.

Sydney – A new report from Australia's aid watchdog AID/WATCH, 'International Response to the Indian Ocean Disaster. A Donor Analysis: Focus on Australia', finds that the $1 billion tsunami aid package from Australia is not as generous as most Australians had expected.

The report launched on the eve of the Indonesia-Australia summit finds:

Mulia – When Sofyan Mahdi needed crushed cars removed from his tsunami-devastated neighborhood last month, he called the United Nations, which quickly took care of the problem. By contrast, it took 10 trips to Indonesia's state utility to get electricity, and he is still waiting for local officials to fix the water system.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Rudy, a Banda Aceh resident, breathes a sigh of relief. He has just acquired a document that substitutes for his land title certificate that was lost as a result of the tsunami on Dec. 26 last year. For Rudy, the substitute land title certificate is very important, as it is all his family has left. The family's house was leveled by the disaster.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – A government decision to restrict the presence of international aid agencies in Aceh would force them to abandon their unfinished work in the province just as it started to return to some semblance of normalcy nearly four months after December's devastating tsunami.