Aceh is the only part of Indonesia that has the legal right to apply Islamic law (Shari’a) in full. Since 1999, it has begun slowly to put in place an institutional framework for Shari’a enforcement.
The Indonesian police are closing in on Noordin Mohammed Top, South East Asia’s most wanted terrorist.
The legacy of “losing” Timor-Leste (East Timor) continues to haunt Indonesia, affecting attitudes toward Aceh and Papua, heightening suspicions about foreign intervention, complicating relations with Australia and perpetuating fears for territorial integrity.
Just past the half-year mark of the agreement to end the conflict in Aceh, several long-anticipated problems are surfacing.
There is serious risk the long-awaited Papuan People's Council (Majelis Rakyat Papua, MRP) is about to collapse, only five months after it was established, ending hopes that it could ease tensions between Papuans and the central government.
The Aceh peace process is working beyond all expectations. Guerrillas of the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM) have turned in the required number of weapons.
In the wake of a second terrorist attack on Bali, the need to understand Indonesia's violent jihadist networks is greater than ever.
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