IN early February, the Medina I Room at Hermes Palace Hotel in Banda Aceh suddenly heated up. This was not because the air-conditioning was malfunctioning. A debate was taking place over the plan of the Aceh government to write new regulations for the press and media operating in Aceh. The plan is to issue these regulations in an Islamic Press and Broadcasting Qanun (Law).

Actually, this meeting, which was facilitated by the Aceh NGO Forum, bro