Indonesia press grapples with Aceh's plight

Access for foreigners to Aceh was restricted until this week

Many Indonesian papers on Friday focus on the situation in Aceh, a restive separatist region and the closest to the epicentre of the Asian quake.

A confusing picture emerges, with some reports speaking of paralysis and looting in the devastated province, and others of life returning to normal.

The papers urge all sides in the conflict to come together for reconstruction.

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The disaster suffered by Aceh has practically paralysed the local government... The paralysis of the local government in Aceh must be overcome immediately and effectively in accordance with a clear conceptual foundation, namely civil supremacy. The purpose is to create a bright future for Aceh under the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.

Jakarta's Media Indonesia

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President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on Acehnese separatist movement groups to cease their resistance against the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and to start a new life rebuilding the province of Aceh, which is in chaos and which has lost thousands of its people in the earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Medan's Sinar Indonesia Baru

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Clearly, it can be said that Aceh's infrastructure has been destroyed, and therefore the area requires total reconstruction... It is our common responsibility to rebuild Aceh.

Jakarta's Republika

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The latest data on the number of victims in Aceh... stated that the number of dead - including regional government officials, military and police - as a result of the earthquake and tsunamis totalled 45,029 people. But there were not figures on how many members of separatist movement groups were killed in the natural disaster.

Medan's Sinar Indonesia Baru

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The Indonesian military forces have tried their best by mobilizing every potential [to help Aceh victims]. Yet, the damage to infrastructure, such as bridges and roads, has made aid distribution in Aceh impossible... It seems the tsunami in Aceh has united every side of this nation.

Yogyakarta's Kedaulatan Rakyat

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After seeing the debris in Aceh ... everyone will certainly ask this question: How can we reconstruct the nearly utter devastation?

Semarang's Suara Merdeka

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President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has permitted foreign troops to enter Aceh as long as the tasks they conduct in the province are purely humanitarian and are to assist the Acehnese people affected by the disaster.

Medan's Analisa

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Aceh - Over the last two days thousands of refugees from the earthquake and tsunami in Meulaboh have begun suffering from diarrhoea, yet supplies of medicine are minimal... [Teuku Umar Military Provincial Commander] Colonel Gerhan Lantara stated that the number of refugees struck down by diarrhoea continued to rise due to minimal supplies of medicine. Moreover, refugees increasingly needed food and medicine given they were entering their fifth day.

Semarang's Suara Merdeka

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Soldiers from the Iskandar Muda Military Command arrested starving people looting several markets in Banda Aceh on Thursday, as the town remained paralysed by a powerful tsunami... The people took basic foodstuffs such as sugar, rice, coffee or eggs from stalls in the Atjeh market, next to the Baiturrahman Mosque.

The Jakarta Post

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Banda Aceh slowly began to show signs of life on Thursday as soldiers started clearing the Baiturrahman Mosque of rubble and corpses from Sunday's tsunami disaster. The mosque has been turned into a makeshift mortuary for victims of the quake and tsunami... Several businesses have also reopened, such as fruit stalls and corner stores selling sugar and coffee, albeit in limited quantities.

The Jakarta Post

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In a bitter and sad situation, we will welcome the New Year... The bitterness in Aceh should not last for long because many parties, particularly members of society both at home and abroad, will take part in the rehabilitation efforts.

Semarang's Suara Merdeka

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