Jakarta – Nine more killings were reported in Indonesia's Aceh province, the scene of a decades-old separatist revolt, as US ambassador Ralph Boyce spent a second day there.

Annastashya Emmanuelle and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The government, which has come under strong criticism from human rights activists for reviving the Aceh military command just this week, is now set to give a new mandate to the military to crush the separatist movement in Aceh.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province have criticized Jakarta's decision to extend military operations there as a "declaration of war" on the Acehnese people.

Top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday announced the extension of military operations in the energy-rich province on the north of Sumatra island.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – The Indonesian army yesterday tightened the screws on rebels in Aceh and dealt a potential blow to the peace process there with the inauguration of a new military command to specifically handle the restive province.

Ibnu Mat Noor, Banda Aceh – Despite two days of dialog between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Geneva on Saturday and Sunday, violence continued unabated in the war-torn province, claiming at least 10 lives, including those of two servicemen.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province confirmed they would discuss Jakarta's autonomy law in future peace talks but denied they are softening calls for independence.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's restive province of Aceh, in a statement received Monday, urged local and foreign journalists to investigate conditions there and promised them protection.

Banda Aceh – At least four people including two suspected separatist rebels have been killed in Indonesia's restive Aceh province on the eve of peace talks due this weekend in Geneva, the army and residents said Friday.

The Indonesian government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will resume peace talks in Switzerland this weekend after a break of more than six months, according to a mediation body.

Lhokseumawe – Weapons are not the way to wipe out the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerrilla army even though their leader was killed last week, says the commander of Indonesian forces in the restive province.

Pidie – An unmarked mound of muddy earth marks the grave of Abdullah Syafii, the Acehnese guerrilla commander killed by Indonesian troops last week.

Anna Peltola, Stockholm – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province said on Tuesday they would not meet Jakarta representatives face-to-face in peace talks scheduled for this weekend.

Jakarta – Indonesian rights activists and analysts have criticised a decision to revive a separate army command for Aceh as a misguided attempt to impose a military solution in the troubled province.

The emphasis on force to end the separatist struggle could damage Indonesia's fledgling democracy and the army's own reform drive, they warned.

Jakarta – An Indonesian general predicted a long war against separatist rebels in Aceh despite the killing of their military leader. "This war will still be long," said Kostrad strategic reserve commander Lieutenant General Ryamizard Ryacudu, whose men shot dead Abdullah Syafii on Tuesday.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The death of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Commander Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie, has solidified the separatist movement and increased the guerrillas' will to fight for the independence of Aceh, says GAM spokesman Ayah Sofyan.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – To avoid more bloodshed following the killing of military commander of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie, the House of Representatives (DPR) urged the government on Thursday to intensify dialog with the insurgents and resolve the Aceh question through peaceful means.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province said on Friday they were still open to peace talks with Jakarta despite the shooting of its top military chiefs by security forces earlier this week.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Indonesia's armed forces claimed a major victory yesterday with the killing of the commander of the Acehnese separatist rebels, Abdullah Syafei.

Troops said they shot Syafei in the chest during a raid on the jungle headquarters of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). GAM has yet to confirm the killing.

Jakarta – Aceh separatist rebels accused Indonesian authorities of tracking their slain military commander by inserting a microchip into an invitation letter for peace talks.

Jakarta – Separatist guerrillas in Aceh will press on with their 25-year-long revolt against Indonesian rule despite the killing of their military commander, Abdullah Syafii, analysts said Thursday.

Deddy Sinaga, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons & Victims of Violence (Kontras) says the death of Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie, the commander of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) killed in an exchange of gunfire with the Indonesian Military (TNI) this week, shows that the Indonesian government continues to prefer repressive measures for handling problems in Aceh.

Annastashya Emmanuelle and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Pressures mounted on Tuesday against the planned reinstatement of the military command in restive Aceh, but both the government and the House of Representatives turned a deaf ear to the outcry.

Max Lane – There has been almost total support in Aceh for the three-day general strike called by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) for January 16-18 to protest against the decision of the Indonesian government to re-establish an Aceh Military Command.

Banda Aceh – Two more people have been killed in Indonesia's restive province of Aceh where separatists have been fighting for an independent state since the 1970s, the military and an activist said Tuesday.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Maj. Gen.

Banda Aceh – At least five people including a marine and two suspected separatist rebels have been killed in the latest violence in the restive Indonesian province of Aceh, the military and residents said Monday.

Banda Aceh – Eight more deaths were reported Friday as a general strike called by separatist rebels gripped Indonesia's restive province of Aceh for a third day. Most public minibuses stayed off the streets, schools remained shut and most shops were closed, especially in the main towns of Banda Aceh and Lhokseumawe.

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Indonesia's rebellious province of Aceh began returning to normal on Friday, the last day of a strike called by separatist rebels to draw attention to the decades-long conflict, residents said.

Banda Aceh – Indonesian Vice-President Hamzah Haz yesterday warned the Acehnese against harbouring futile dreams of independence, as a general strike called by separatist rebels hit the province for a second day.

A general strike called by separatist rebels shut down businesses and public transport for a second day in Indonesia's restive province of Aceh, residents said.

Jakarta – A court in the Indonesian capital on Wednesday sentenced an activist fighting for a referendum on self-determination in troubled Aceh province to one year in prison.

Faisal bin Saifuddin is guilty of spreading enmity and hatred against the state, chief judge Iskandar Tjake said in the verdict.

Violence has left at least ten people dead as explosions and volleys of gunfire marked the start of a two-day strike called by rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province.

Banda Aceh – At least 12 people, including a soldier, were killed in the latest outbreak of violence in restive Aceh province from Wednesday to Thursday, official and humanitarian activists said.

Jakarta – The military is establishing a separate command in Aceh to spearhead the war against the rebel Free Aceh Movement, a move which means that soldiers in the province will no longer be accountable to headquarters in Jakarta.

Human rights activists have denounced the move, saying the action will increase military atrocities.

Banda Aceh – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province on Friday accused US-based energy giant ExxonMobil Indonesia of providing funds and facilities to soldiers to wage "a brutal military campaign" in Aceh.

Banda Aceh – At least eight more people including two suspected separatist rebels have been killed in Indonesia's restive province of Aceh in recent days, the military and humanitarian workers said Monday.

Banda Aceh – A family of three shot dead by unidentified gunmen were the latest victims of violence in Indonesia's Aceh province where at least eight others were killed in past days, reports said Thursday.

Jakarta – Indonesian soldiers have killed four suspected separatist rebels in the troubled province of Aceh, the official Antara news agency said Tuesday.

Jakarta – Four bodies have been found in the Indonesian province of Aceh, a region plagued by violence exchanges between government and separatist rebel forces, a press report said Monday.

Banda Aceh – A policeman and five suspected separatist rebels were killed in the latest outbreak of violence to hit Indonesia's restive province of Aceh, police said Sunday.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, – Jakarta Oil and gas producer ExxonMobil Indonesia Inc. will not shut down its gas fields in troubled Aceh province despite an ambush by unidentified armed men on Thursday that killed one employee of the company's contractor, a company spokeswoman said on Friday.

Vaudine England and agencies in Jakarta – An Indonesian military transport plane was destroyed after being hit by rebel ground fire yesterday as it approached an airport in separatist-racked Aceh province.

Banda Aceh – At least seven people were killed in Aceh on Tuesday and Wednesday, three were military personnel and four others were Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist rebels, officials and witnesses said on Thursday. The incidents took place in three different sites in West Aceh, Aceh Besar and East Aceh.

Banda Aceh – The government must be extra careful with an Indonesian Military (TNI) plan to reestablish an Aceh-specific military command, or else the dialog to settle the lingering conflict in the province will be disrupted, an Acehnese figure says.

Lela E. Madjiah, Lhokseumawe – The Indonesian Military (TNI) is considering reestablishing the Iskandar Muda military command, which would be an Aceh-specific military command, if the Acehnese people agree to its resumption, a military commander said here on Sunday.

Four separatist rebels have been killed in the latest violence in Indonesia's troubled province of Aceh, security authorities said.

Soldiers killed four suspected members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in a gunfight Wednesday in Aceh Besar district, said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Firdaus.

Max Lane – The cities and towns of the northern province of Aceh were almost like ghost towns on December 4, the 25th anniversary of the GAM, the Free Aceh Movement.

Banda Aceh – Four people have been found murdered in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province, apparently the latest victims of separatist violence, health workers said Monday.

The bodies were discovered Sunday in a rubber plantation in Langkat, a district in North Sumatra province which borders Aceh, a local paramedic said.

Banda Aceh – Six people were killed yesterday in Indonesia's Aceh province as rebels marked the 25th anniversary of an independence struggle which has cost an estimated 10,000 lives.

Ibnu Mat Noor, Banda Aceh – At least five people were killed and five more seriously injured in separate, violent incidents in the strife-torn province of Aceh on Wednesday, separatist movement and military sources said here on Thursday.