I attended a dinner at the Indonesian Embassy last March, which was part of PROMUDA's Embassy Series. The night was hosted by the Indonesian Ambassador, His Excellency Hadi A. Wayarabi Alhadar. In his eloquent speech, Pak Dubes talked of hope in view of Indonesia's next elections and of plans for greater autonomy for the provinces in a bid to contain separatist movements.
Last December, the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) reached an historic agreement, but things began to break down as the plan moved towards its second phase, disarmament of GAM and backing down of the Indonesian military to defensive positions.
Talks between the two parties over the weekend broke down, and Aceh is now under martial law.
Aceh is yet another conflict-ridden oil-and-gas-rich region.
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Why it all went wrong.