Among the donors to tsunami survivors in Indonesia's Aceh, Turkey stands out. Not for bringing money, shelter or food, but for flying their flag – an emblem that bears an uncanny likeness to the outlawed insignia of separatist rebels.
The red flag bearing a white crescent and star can be seen across the city of Banda Aceh, fluttering on roadsides and emblazoned on T-shirts in what may be a homage to the Turks, but could also be a cheeky salute to the rebels.
Aceh, which bore the brunt of the December 26 disaster, losing hundreds of thousands of people, has been in the throes of a separatist struggle for almost three decades.
Recent talks between leaders of the rebel Free Aceh Movement, known by its Indonesian acronym GAM, and officials from Jakarta have raised hopes of peace, but military efforts to pursue the guerrillas have continued largely unabated.
The action includes the enforcement of a long-running ban on the rebel flag – identical to the Turkish banner but with the addition of a black stripe, top and bottom.
Americans, Australians, Germans and Japanese have led the parade of foreign aid missions into Aceh but their colours are seldom seen outside the camps of their humanitarian staff. The Turkish emblem, however, is much more prolific.
"Everybody here wants Turkish flags, they can't get enough," said Ilhan Arikhan, a correspondent for Turkey's TRT television spending a week in Aceh to report on the disaster and his country's relief contribution.
The ban on the Free Aceh Movement flag has been strictly enforced since former president Suharto waged a campaign against the rebels, who accuse Jakarta of syphoning off their resource-rich province's wealth.
When the nine year operation came to an end in 1998, authorities said they had greatly weakened the guerrilla movement, but in an act of defiance, outlawed flags were hoisted across Aceh.
The province was subjected to martial law and a new wave of conflict in May 2003, with Jakarta again declaring it had all but broken the rebel movement – a claim that a renewed bout of emblem-hoisting could call into question.
With spies from both Indonesia's military and the rebels operating across the region, many Acehnese are uneasy talking about the guerrillas and their flag.
"The Turks gave it to me yesterday, it is only for decoration," said Darwin, whose roadside banana stall now sports a giant Turkish flag on its back wall. "We are neutral, we don't support the GAM side or the Indonesian side. The Turks gave it to us and we are grateful for the help they have offered."
Others were equally circumspect, claiming the banner's popularity was solely due to the Turkish aid effort, which includes a round-the-clock bread bakery and pledges to construct homes for survivors.
"It has similarities to the GAM flag, but it doesn't mean that Aceh people are drawing spirit and strength from it," said Budi, a 40 year-old shop owner who also described himself as "neutral" in the conflict.
Ami Hazrami, a streetside sunglasses vendor, said he had heard rumours that people were displaying the Turkish standard in support of the rebels. "But I don't think it's true," he added.
According to Turkish television man Arikhan, Indonesia's military is a little more convinced of the flag's significance.
"We had some trouble at a military checkpoint. The soldiers were pointing at our Turkish flag and shouting 'What is this?, what is this?'. We showed them our passports and told them we were Turkish and they eventually let us go."