Jakarta – Indonesia warned rebels in Aceh on Thursday that it would soon step up military operations in the restive province, saying the government's willingness to compromise was ebbing fast.

At least five people were killed in the Indonesian province of Aceh where separatist rebels are fighting government forces, military and rebels said Saturday

Gunfight broke out Friday in the Krueng Sabee area of West Aceh between military soldiers and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels, killing a soldier and three rebels, said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Firdaus.

Eleven people, including seven separatist rebels, have been killed in Indonesia's violence-torn Aceh province, the military and civilians said.

Max Lane – On November 11, a panel of three judges in Banda Aceh handed down their findings after two weeks of hearings in the case brought by the Indonesian National Police against Kautsar, a central leader of the Acehnese freedom movement.

Jakarta – At least seven separatist rebels and one soldier have been killed in the restive Indonesian province of Aceh in the run-up to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the military and the insurgents said Thursday.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels killed a soldier on Monday in the latest violence to hit Indonesia's Aceh province, the military said.

Banda Aceh – At least five civilians were killed in the Indonesian province of Aceh where separatist rebels are fighting government forces, residents said Sunday.

Four civilians were found dead, all with gunshot wounds in Muara Dua, North Aceh, near a pipeline of the ExxonMobil gas field on Saturday, a resident said.

Ibnu Mat Noor, Banda Aceh – Most of 13 Acehnese leaders who met with Vice President Hamzah Haz in Banda Aceh on Thursday said they preferred a cease-fire and dialog to settle the prolonged dispute between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the government of Indonesia.

Lhokseumawe – Indonesia might grant amnesty to rebels in Aceh province if they abandon their armed, separatist struggle, Vice-President Hamzah Haz said yesterday.

"If the rebels of the Free Aceh Movement ask for amnesty, the government will consider it. But they have to promise not to fight again in the future," Mr Hamzah said while on a three-day tour of the region.

Banda Aceh – At least four people have been killed and three badly wounded in the latest violence to hit the restive Indonesian province of Aceh, the military and residents said Wednesday.

Ibnu Mat Noor, Banda Aceh – At least four people were shot dead in separate villages in Aceh, three of whom were believed to be members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), military and police sources said here on Wednesday, despite GAM's insistence that they were civilians.

Banda Aceh – At least eight people, including two Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels, were killed in a series of incidents over Friday and Saturday, officials and activists said.

Banda Aceh – Seven people, including two members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist group, were killed in separate violence on Thursday and Friday, activists and an official said.

Banda Aceh – Gunmen killed a local government official on Thursday in the latest violence to rock the rebellious Indonesian province of Aceh, police said.

The secretary of the North Aceh district administration, Muchlis Ali, was shot dead by two unidentified attackers in the city of Lhokseumawe, said local police spokesman Adjunct Commissioner Adi Marwan.

Banda Aceh – Indonesian troops shot and killed a former negotiator for separatist guerillas in Aceh province after he resisted arrest, a military spokesman said yesterday.

[This is a special report of The Jakarta Post's reporter Ridwan Max Sijabat and photographer R. Berto Wedhatama, on their recent journalistic trip to Aceh.]

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Banda Aceh – There seems no right policy for Aceh. Whatever policy is pursued by the government seems to reach a dead end. The Acehnese say this failure stems from the fact that policies are introduced when violence is continuing unabated.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Idi, East Aceh – Yasdi, 40, has abandoned his job as a truck driver because he can no longer endure the rife extortion by security personnel on the streets in the province of Aceh. Sitting relaxed in his coffee shop in Idi, East Aceh, Yasdi, of Acehnese descent, recalled how local policemen and soldiers treat motorists and travelers.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – With about 20 people killed in fighting between separatist and government forces in Aceh in under a week, the Government's claims of pursuing dialogue are fast losing credibility. Parliament called on President Megawati Sukarnoputri to focus on the issue.

Ibnu Mat Noor, Banda Aceh – After serving his full 12-month jail term at the Banda Aceh prison, Muhammad Nazar, chairman of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA), was released on Tuesday.

Ibnu Mat Noor, Banda Aceh – Five dead bodies with gunshot wounds were found in separate locations after a gunfight between security forces and members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) that lasted all of Sunday, an Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) volunteer worker said on Monday.

The Free Aceh Separatist Movement (GAM) denied on Wednesday that it was training rebels of the so-named Free Deli Separatist Movement (GDM), aimed at fighting for the separation of the Deli sultanate in the northern part of North Sumatra from Indonesia.

An employee with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) in the regency of Bireun, Aceh, Jafar Syehdo, 57, was found dead – with gunshot wounds to his head and body – on a road in the village of Glumpang Payong, Jeumpa district in Bireun on Wednesday night, a Red Cross official confirmed on Thursday.

Jakarta – After weeks of restive calm, at least seven people were killed on Thursday in a series of incidents in the Aceh province, police and reports said.

Banda Aceh – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's restive province of Aceh claimed yesterday to have killed 31 soldiers over the weekend, but this was denied by the military.

Jakarta – Troops shot and killed two separatist rebels in separate clashes in Aceh province, officials said on Tuesday.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Agus Dwiyanto said an insurgent was killed during a clash in East Aceh on Sunday. On Saturday, a rebel was killed in western Aceh when guerillas ambushed a government patrol.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesian police yesterday linked the blast at the Atrium Senen Plaza on Sunday to members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel group who have been arrested for involvement in the Jakarta bourse blast last year.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Simmering differences are emerging between President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her generals on how to resolve the bloody conflict in Aceh. Both sides share the aim of keeping the restive province within the Indonesian fold.

Banda Aceh – At least 11 people were killed in an armed clash in strife-torn Aceh on Wednesday night, local police said.

Medan – More than 500 families of Acehnese who fled clashes between separatist rebels and the military have encroached on Gunung Leuser National Park, a non-governmental organization reported on Friday.

Jakarta – Rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province have released five Muslim leaders who police say were abducted after meeting President Megawati Sukarnoputri when she visited the province at the weekend.

Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri publicly asked on Saturday for forgiveness from all Acehnese for past mistakes of the government. The plea was made by the President before thousands of Acehnese people in a gathering on the grounds of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province.

Associated Press in Banda Aceh – A day after President Megawati Sukarnoputri led a peace mission to troubled Aceh province, rebels vowed to maintain their secessionist war and activists described the visit as a failure.

"Our struggle will continue," rebel spokesman Teungku Agam Kateraja said. "Soldiers on patrol in rebel areas will be attacked."

Tomi Soetjipto, Banda Aceh – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri made an emotional apology to the people of rebellious Aceh on Saturday over their suffering under past governments before being jeered by scores of students.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Combatants in Aceh's separatist war like to use visits by Jakarta dignitaries to make brutal political points – and President Megawati Sukarnoputri's trip to the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, today is no exception.

Tomi Soetjipto, Banda Aceh – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri flew into rebellious Aceh on Saturday on a fleeting trip aimed at bringing peace to this war-torn province.

Jakarta – A human rights worker was Friday found shot dead and eight alleged rebels were reported killed in Indonesia's troubled province of Aceh on the eve of a visit by President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Police and troops were deployed on every corner of the capital Banda Aceh and residents deserted the streets towards dusk in fear of violence, witnesses said.

Banda Aceh – State Syiah Kuala University rector Dayan Dawood, 54, was shot dead by unidentified people on his way home from campus here on Thursday, just two days ahead of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's visit to the restive province.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – With the police and military leaders repeatedly labelling him an agent of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), Mr Nasir Djamil knows it is no longer safe to stay in his hometown.

Banda Aceh – Ships using the Malacca Strait – one of the world's busiest sea lanes – should "seek permission" from separatist guerrillas in Indonesia's Aceh province, a rebel leader said Monday.

Banda Aceh, – A provincial legislator and five other civilians have been killed in the restive Indonesian province of Aceh, police and residents said Sunday.

Jakarta – An East Timorese claimed on Saturday that members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have made secret contacts with proindependence East Timorese, asking how the latter won their freedom from Indonesia, Antara reported.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has postponed a September 2 visit to rebellious Aceh province, an official said, citing technical reasons. "The proposal is for the fifth and sixth or eighth and ninth," Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh told reporters on Friday. Asked the reason, he replied: "Technical matters ... preparations."

Jakarta – Indonesian police on Wednesday released five key negotiators from the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) days ahead of President Megawati Sukarnoputri's visit to the troubled province.

But police said the negotiators still faced trials over allegations of spreading hatred against the government.

Banda Aceh – At least 11 more people have been killed in clashes between Indonesian troops and police and separatist rebels in Aceh province, police and residents said Monday.

Jakarta – The military is losing patience with peace efforts in Indonesia's Aceh province and should be allowed to crack down on separatist rebels, a top general said yesterday.

Jakarta – Separatist guerillas in Aceh are increasingly cornered and disunited, Indonesia's top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said yesterday.

Terry Friel, Jeunieb – Indonesia's generals insist they are winning the war against the rag-tag rebels fighting for independence for the bountiful province of Aceh, but after dusk at one of hundreds of rebel barricades on the main north-south highway the reality is different.

Reuters in Jakarta – A leading international rights group yesterday accused Indonesia's security forces and Aceh rebels of violating human rights with impunity in an increasingly bloody conflict in the province.

Terry Friel, Lhokseumawe – Rebels in Indonesia's battered Aceh province said on Sunday they could not work with new nationalist President Megawati Sukarnoputri and demanded foreign intervention to help end the bloodshed.