Local independence wars are also being waged in Aceh, in north Sumatra, and in Irian Jaya.

ECONOMIST: A survey of Indonesia

"The students were entered by a third party, " claims an activist at the University of North Sumatra.

CNN: MEDAN'S MADNESS

In return its members (some 300, 000 in north Sumatra) provide protection services to private homes or businesses in the area.

CNN: MEDAN'S MADNESS

The deadly melee broke out in North Sumatra province, where more than 100 Rohingya migrants most intercepted off Indonesia's coast in rickety boats and 11 illegal fishermen from Myanmar were being held together, said local police chief Endro Kiswanto.

NPR: Buddhist, Muslims From Myanmar Clash In Indonesia

The government has clearly learnt some lessons from the much larger earthquake off the coast of north Sumatra in December 2004, which triggered a huge tsunami and killed more than 150, 000 people in Aceh province and another 60, 000 in a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean.

ECONOMIST: This time the president knew what he had to do

Exercise IOWave11 re-enacted the 26 December 2004 earthquake event, with a 9.2 magnitude earthquake off the North West coast of Sumatra (Indonesia), followed by an ocean-wide tsunami.

UNESCO: THEMES

The scenario established for the "Exercise IOWAVE 11" re-enacts the events of 26 December 2004, with a 9.2 magnitude earthquake off the North West coast of Sumatra (Indonesia), followed by an ocean-wide tsunami.

UNESCO: Social and Human Sciences