John Aglionby – It is almost eight weeks since the Boxing Day tsunami devastated much of the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra and it appears the world is beginning to suffer media fatigue over the story.

This was to be expected following the almost continuous coverage in the days following the tidal wave, and in some respects it is understandable considering the current state of events.

While the death toll is still rising by hundreds every day – the current figures in Indonesia are 120,000 dead and up to 115,000 missing – the vast majority of the 400,000 displaced people have some sort of roof over their heads, there are no significant food shortages or outbreaks of disease, and the hundreds of foreign military units, international aid agencies and non-governmental organisations are neither openly nor covertly at war with each other or the Indonesian authorities.

Meanwhile, in the provincial capital Banda Aceh two of the larger hotels have reopened, the markets are bustling, traffic congestion is increasing and the coffee shops are almost as busy as ever.

One seasoned aid worker was even recently quoted as saying that if the disaster had struck many parts of Africa it could well have taken over a year for the recovery effort to get as far as it has in Indonesia in less than two months.

This was due mainly to the fact that while the local administration in Aceh was paralysed, the central government and the military, which was effectively running the province as part of its war against the separatist Free Aceh Movement (Gam), were able to step in.

But such an assessment tells only half the story. The other half is about how the foundations are being laid for longer-term reconstruction. Here the picture is less clear, and success, while not unattainable, is looking far from guaranteed.

The main problems stem from the fact that reconstruction efforts have been suspended while the central government prepares its Aceh recovery blueprint. This is not due to be published until March 26, a timeframe that many Acehnese, who want to start rebuilding their lives as soon as possible, are not prepared to stick to.

The result is that rather than wait in refugee camps or overcrowded houses for key decisions, such as how far from the coast construction will be permitted, people are just getting on with doing what they want to do.

Fishing families are a case in point. Hundreds, if not thousands, have already started fishing again after being given boats and equipment. Not surprisingly, they want to be as close to the sea as possible and are willing to risk the possibility of another tsunami. Senior government officials accept it is unrealistic to expect fishermen to live two miles away from the sea, but it is unclear how the rules will be drawn up or how violators will be treated.

Then there is the issue of towns that have been washed away. Should they be rebuilt, even where more than 90% of the population has died? If so, how and where? Again, the answers are not forthcoming.

Consultation, or rather a lack of it, is exacerbating the growing feeling that reconstruction is going to take the form of a Jakarta diktat.

Grand plans by Malaysian firms to rebuild towns and cities along the lines of their newly-built capital, Putrajaya, appear to be getting much more attention in ministries than the people who will have to live in these places would want.

Similarly, civil society and cultural leaders were prohibited from holding a consultation brainstorming session in Aceh last weekend. The fact that the army didn't even bother to give a reason for the ban speaks volumes about the reality of life in a province that has being coping with 28 years of secessionist violence and mutual mistrust between the Acehnese, the military and the civilian authorities.

The meeting was eventually held in Medan, in the neighbouring province of North Sumatra, but many of the original participants were not able to attend. Both local and central government are now starting to consult with the Acehnese people, but it is unclear how widespread or effective it will be if Jakarta insists on controlling the whole reconstruction process, something the main international aid agencies are actively lobbying to prevent.

The other crucial ingredient missing from the reconstruction planning is and in-depth discussion of the region's armed conflict. Local government planners believe, strangely, that the economic issues they are responsible for can be implemented without considering the uprising, which impinges on almost every facet of Acehnese society. It is as if the fighting will become irrelevant if it is ignored.

If the planners are very lucky they might get away with their disingenuousness because Jakarta and Gam are negotiating for the first time in almost two years.

A second round of talks is due to be held this weekend in Helsinki under the auspices of the Finland-based Crisis Management Initiative. Even optimistic analysts accept progress will be slow, but few people are ruling out the possibility of success.