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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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).

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.

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).

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jakarta - The Democratic Party has been accused of flirting with the Aceh Emergency Military Command by three Acehnese women's non-government organisations. They say that political party membership cards are being used as a replacement for the red-and-white identification cards.

Banda Aceh – During a military operation in the troubled province of Aceh on Friday, government troops discovered various types of weapons and logistic supplies belonging to the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), local military spokesman Lt Col Asep Sapari said in Lhokseumawe on Saturday.

The Indonesian military says it has stopped publishing figures for separatist rebels killed by its troops in Aceh province.

The military says the move is temporary and denied it is linked to criticism from rights activists.

Nani Farida, Lhokseumawe – Sawang district, Aceh province, is determined to see political parties campaigning for the upcoming general election, despite the fact that it is still classified as a "black zone" by the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Banda Aceh – The Emergency Military Commander in Aceh, Major General Endang Suwarya, has said that they are waiting to see what the government's decision will be on foreign observers in the 2004 election in Aceh.

Jakarta – The Indoenisan government on Thursday decided to allow foreigners to observe the conduct of general elections in troubled Aceh province under supervision of the local authorities.

The decision was taken at a cabinet session led by President Megawati Soekarnoputri here.

Tiarma Siboro and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) urged on Wednesday the two warring parties in Aceh to allow humanitarian workers to move around freely when carrying out their duties there.

An Indonesian Red Cross medical team treating sick civilians in Aceh province was forced to withdraw after a gun battle between separatist rebels and troops, its leader said.

Lhokseumawe – Concerns about the smooth running of the 2004 general elections in Aceh are becoming a reality. The Aceh Emergency Military Command has stated that it will restrict campaigns which involve large numbers of people in areas which are considered dangerous.

Indonesian troops shot and killed 18 suspected rebels in gunbattles across the restive province of Aceh, a military spokesman said yesterday.

The 18 members of the Free Aceh Movement were gunned down yesterday by government troops in separate shootouts, Lieutenant Colonel Asep Sapari said.

Banda Aceh – Government troops mounting an offensive against Aceh separatist rebels have killed six more guerrillas, the military said Friday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The government claimed on Tuesday that in the ninth month of the military operation, the situation in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam was relatively safe and stable ahead of the general election, however, it had no plan to lift martial law.

Nani Farida and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – While the provincial government has predicted Aceh's elections will run successfully, many Acehnese are pessimistic they will be democratic or deliver a desired outcome.

Jakarta/Lhokseumawe/Banda Aceh – Two hostages were freed in Tungkah Gajah village in East Aceh regency on Thursday, exactly seven months after they were kidnapped by members of separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday it had put on ice its role in attempting to mediate the release of civilians being held hostage by Free Aceh Movement separatists.

Jakarta – A soldier shot and killed two civilians before turning his gun on himself, and eight other people have also been killed in separate incidents in the strife-torn province of Aceh.

An army spokesman said Chief Private Kun Hendrianto had killed two people when he fired at random in a street in Takengon, the capital of Central Aceh district, on Sunday night.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has set conditions for a temporary cease-fire in troubled Aceh to allow Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders to free all civilian hostages, including journalist Ferry Santoro.

Slamet Susanto and Teuku Agam Muzakir, Yogyakarta/Lhokseumawe – Eighty-nine convicted Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members arrived in Yogyakarta on Sunday from their home province in the second such transfer to prisons on the country's main island of Java.

Jakarta – Two human rights workers detained in Indonesia's Aceh province have reportedly been beaten up by security forces while in custody and may face further torture or ill treatment, Amnesty International said.

Indonesian troops have shot dead seven suspected separatist militants in Aceh province, the military said Monday.

Troops killed two men during clashes with guerrillas of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Bireuen and South Aceh districts on Sunday, said provincial military spokesman Asep Sapari.

Nani Farida and Suherdjoko, Banda Aceh/Semarang – Under a tight security escort 54 convicted Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members were transferred from Aceh on Thursday to prisons across Central Java to serve their sentences.

The group is the first batch of 143 prisoners who will do their jail time in exile across Java.

Banda Aceh – A German freelance journalist was arrested for illegally entering and reporting in war-torn Aceh province, a military spokesman said Saturday.

Cradow Cascha, 35 – who claimed he was working for the International Press Association – was detained late Friday while traveling on a public minivan in Central Aceh, said Lt. Col. Asep Sapari.

Pip Hinman – On January 14, the Aceh high court upheld the verdict of a lower court which last year convicted five Free Aceh Movement (GAM) negotiators of treason and terrorism and sentenced them to long prison terms. The maximum penalty is death.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – Maulidarrahmi and another 437 supposed former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members appeared relieved as they were finally allowed to return home on Sunday after attending a five-month ideological "reeducation" course in the war-town province.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – After the six-month extension of martial law in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, civilians have been mobilized to set up militia groups across the war-torn province to help crush separatist rebels.

Jakarta – The Indonesia Military (TNI) headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta has thwarted a possible bomb attack allegedly planned by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as the man picked for the mission did not have the gumption to carry it out, an officer said.

Banda Aceh – Four people suspected to be members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) were killed during separate exchanges of fire with the military in several districts of Aceh province, the military said on Saturday.

Jerry Norton and Tomi Soetjipto, Jakarta – An Indonesian presidential candidate who once headed the country's armed forces said on Thursday that if elected he would move quickly to end an intensive military campaign against rebels in Aceh province.

Rachel Harvey, Jakarta – Journalists covering events in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province have faced a particularly difficult task since martial law was declared last year.

Their movements are severely restricted and local reporters are officially forbidden from contacting separatist rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (Gam).

Nani Farida and Teuku Agam Muzakir, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe – Two anti-separatist groups in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam held rallies in separate towns, demanding the government help with the relese of all people abducted by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).