Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The arrest of Acehnese environmentalist Bestari Raden has drawn strong criticism from rights activists and a sociologist, who see the move as part of systematic attempts to silence those critical to government policies in the troubled province.

An environmentalist arrested in Indonesia's Aceh province is at serious risk of torture by the military, Amnesty International said. It said Bestari Raden, 55, was said to be undergoing intensive interrogation.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The Aceh martial law administration has arrested an environmental activist for alleged involvement with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), sparking protests from his lawyer.

Bestari Raden, 50, was arrested in the Southeast Aceh last Friday, when he visited the area to evaluate the feasibility of a controversial highway project there.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – As many as 52 villages in war-torn Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam may skip the elections due to the unfavorable security situation there, a senior Cabinet minister said on Monday.

James Balowski, Jakarta – The government of Megawati Sukarnoputri declared martial law in Indonesia's northern-most province of Aceh last May. It launched an "integrated operation" to smash the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and restore "law and order".

A barbed-wire fence and steel gate stand in the way of Fatimah Ali (not her real name) in Bukit Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Nezar Patria, Kuala Lumpur – A wooden boat stealthily approached a beach near Port Klang in Malaysia at the end of last February. As night descended upon the quiet coastline, the thin fog and the light drizzle seemed to be offering a reassuring sense of peace and security to Hamdun (not his real name).

Astrid Felicia Lim, Jakarta – The elections in Aceh will not be delayed, but its implementation will be dependent on the security situation. There are fears however that the elections in Aceh will not be conducted in a democratic manner.

Jakarta, Kompas – The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) is of the view that law enforcement in Aceh since a state of martial law was declared is not working.

East Aceh – Seven members of the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and two Indonesian soldiers were killed on Friday after an armed clash on Tateh mountain in East Aceh regency. The two dead soldiers are First Pvt. Heroik and First Pvt. Hartono, both from the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus).

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The situation in Aceh Nanggroe Darussalam at present is calmer than it has been in recent months, but it is not really very different from other days aside from the thousands of party flags fluttering in Banda Aceh during the political campaign period.

Jakarta – Indonesia has increased restrictions on foreign journalists trying to visit war torn Aceh province ahead of April parliamentary elections, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

Jakarta – A court in Indonesia's Aceh province on Tuesday jailed a former separatist rebel ceasefire negotiator for two years for subversion.

Judge Erry Mustanto said Alfi Shahril Fil bin Syafruddin, 26, was guilty of plotting to secede from Indonesia, the state Antara news agency reported.

Banda Aceh – Government troops shot dead two suspected separatists in more clashes in restive Aceh province, the military said Monday, while accusing the rebels of killing a teenaged girl.

The suspected Free Aceh ovement (GAM) rebels were shot dead during a clash Saturday in Pasi Merapa, South Aceh district, Capt. Chandra said.

Jakarta – Indonesian police tortured imprisoned rebels from Aceh province to warn them that they must confess to terrorist attacks when they are interviewed by visiting Swedish investigators, a spokesman for the guerrillas said Friday.

Banda Aceh – The Indonesian military said Thursday it had shot dead a key figure in the self-styled government proclaimed by separatist rebels in Aceh province.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province urged Acehnese on Wednesday to vote in next month's elections and said they would not try to disrupt the polls.

Ishak Daud, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) operations commander in East Aceh, said the security presence is so intense that he expects all electors will cast ballots to avoid physical reprisals.

A pro-independence group in Indonesia's Aceh province has accused police and troops of intimidation and violence in the run-up to the general election on April 5.

Banda Aceh – Military authorities in Aceh on Thursday banned foreign observers from monitoring next month's general elections in 453 so-called "black areas" in the war-torn province due to security concerns.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – A joint monitoring team will begin immediately to inspect humanitarian projects carried out by the martial law administrator and Aceh provincial government since the implementation of martial law in the troubled province.

Yuswardi A. Suud, Banda Aceh – The Aceh emergency military command (PDMD) will prohibit foreign observers from monitoring the elections in locations which are categorised as hot spots (black zones) – areas classified as being a significant security risk. They will only given permission to observers to monitor the elections in a number of pre-determined sub-districts.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights' (Komnas HAM) ad hoc team for Aceh has found indications of gross human rights violations in Aceh, most of which were committed by military members.

Teuku Agam Muzakir, Lhokseumawe – The martial law administration in Aceh will deploy all of its forces to ensure the upcoming general election will be a success in the province, a military official said on Monday.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Denpasar – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has stressed the importance of enhancing security in Aceh during the election campaign beginning on March 11, a decisive factor in evaluating the progress the government has made under the martial law in the province that could end in May.

Jakarta, Kompas – General elections in Aceh will be held under a state of martial law and hundreds of foreign observers will monitor the elections in Aceh. Responding to this, the People's Representative Assembly (DPR) Aceh Monitoring Team has asked the emergency military command (PDMD) in Aceh to restrict the total number and movements of foreign election observers.

Jakarta – Rebels in Indonesia's Aceh are still a major security threat despite a 10-month-old military offensive, an army spokesman said on Monday, a day after the president expressed hope martial law could soon be lifted.

Zainal Bakri, Lhokseumawe – The National Elections Commission (KPU) in Aceh has stated that as of Saturday afternoon, March 6, no foreign election observers – either organisations or individuals – have arrived in Aceh. This is despite the fact that the election campaign will begin on March 11.

Washington – The United States expressed deep concern on Friday over the recent arrests of non-violent activists in Indonesia's rebellious region of Aceh and the treatment of a leading activist.

Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta – The People's Representative Assembly (DPR) has asked the Aceh emergency military command (PDMD) to restrict the movement of foreign election observers in Aceh. This request was submitted in order to better monior the work of foreign observers.

M. Munab Islah Ahyani, Bandung – An activist from Aceh Papua Solidarity (Solidaritas Aceh Papua, SAP) who was arrested and detained in Bandung (West Java) and who is suspected of being linked with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), is now being processed by the national police headquarters.

Jakarta – Aceh has almost become the "forgotten" war. Because of this, Acehnese students believe that is necessary to hold demonstrations in Jakarta to remind people of the issue. Yesterday, at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, scores of Acehnese activists demonstrated over the fate of several recently arrested colleagues.

Indonesian police said yesterday they had arrested a man believed to be a senior aide in the self-styled government proclaimed by separatist rebels in Aceh province.

Mohammad bin Mohammad Thoyib, 26, was arrested yesterday at a dormitory for Acehnese students in the city of Bandung in West Java, said the local police chief, Eddy Mulyono.

Bandung – An Acehnese student, identified as Mohammad bin Mohammad Toyib, has been arrested for allegedly serving as an adjutant to the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) finance minister.

Police nabbed Mohammad, a student of Banda Aceh-based state Ar-Raniry Islamic Institute, at the Aceh student dormitory on Jl. Cicendo, Bandung, on Monday.

James Balowski, Jakarta – In a statement issued on February 23, Amnesty International said that the five human rights activists and one other person who were detained by the Indonesian police between February 19 and February 23 in Indonesia's northern-most province of Aceh are "at grave risk of torture and ill-treatment".

Ahmad Fikri, Jakarta – West Bandung (West Java) police have arrested Mohammad bin Toyib (26) who they say is the adjutant of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) finance minister.

This was revealed to journalists by the head of the West Bandung police, Eddy Mulyono, at the Bandung police headquarters on Tuesday March 2.

Banda Aceh – Since martial law came into force in Aceh on May 19, 2003, the Banda Aceh Military Court I/01 has handed down verdicts on 90 legal cases involving 120 TNI (armed forces) officers. Those who have been punished are not just officers from the Iskandar Muda territorial military command (Kodam), but also from military operational units at the district level (Korem).

Jakarta – Indonesian police have released eight activists detained earlier this month in war-torn Aceh province but plan to charge two others with treason for allegedly helping separatist rebels, officials said on Saturday.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – Aceh police declared two of 11 student activists arrested recently as treason suspects on Friday, saying that they had supported the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Police said the two students had helped GAM by provoking people in Aceh Tengah regency to take refuge.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A panel of judges at Medan district court sentenced on Thursday 10 members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to between two and 10 years in jail for acts of terrorism.

Of the 10, two were top brass in GAM's Medan Deli area of operations. This was the first trial in Medan to decided the fate of leading GAM personnel.

Banda Aceh – Police have admitted to arresting and detaining a number of student activists in Aceh. Of the eleven activists which were arrested, three of them are still being held under charges of being involved with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The Aceh martial law administrator has vowed to go after non-governmental organization (NGO) activists in the province, saying many of them were accomplices of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Indonesian troops have killed eight separatists in Aceh province, the military said Monday.

Two of the eight Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members were killed in a skirmish in Nagan Raya district on Sunday, said Lieutenant Colonel Asep Sapari, an Aceh military spokesman.

Yogyakarta – Around 100 activists from the group People's Solidarity for Aceh (Solidaritas Rakyat untuk Aceh) held a street action in Yogyakarta, Central Java, on Thursday February 26. As well as demanding an end to marshal law in Aceh they also called for the release of a number of activists who are currently being held by the Aceh emergency military command (PDMD).

Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh – Six Acehnese students, mostly activists, have disappeared after they were taken by officers from the Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) from their homes three days ago.

Rachel Harvey, Aceh – It has been more than nine months now since the Indonesian government launched its military campaign in the north-western province of Aceh.

The stated aim was to crush separatist rebels of the Free Aceh Movement, known by its Indonesian acronym, Gam. It was meant to be all over in six months, but it has not turned out that way.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – As many as five student, youth and women's activists in Aceh have disappeared since February 16. Aceh Papua Solidarity (Solidaritas Aceh Papua, SAP) suspects that they have been arrested by the TNI (armed forces) or police. They are demanding that the TNI admit responsibly for the disappearance of the five activists.

Jakarta – On Monday morning, February 23, four non-government organisation (NGO) activists who have publicly rejected the military operation in Aceh continuing during the 2004 general elections, were arrested by a special unit of the Mobile Brigade (Brimob). As of Tuesday February 24, the whereabouts of the four activists remains unclear.

Sunariyah, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has condemned the arbitrary arrest and detention of activists in Aceh.

Jakarta – Five human rights workers and another man are "at grave risk" of torture and ill-treatment after being arrested by police in Aceh province, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

Heru Margianto, Jakarta – Six Acehnese activists have been arrested by security forces in Central Aceh. One has already been released but as of Tuesday February 24, the whereabouts of the other five remains unknown. The reason for the arrests is unclear.