[Karuna Shinsho, Cnn Anchor, Asia Tonight:] Indonesian security forces say they've uncovered a mass grave in the northwestern province of Aceh. Separatist guerrillas say the cite contains remains of 48 civilians abducted by police over the course of several weeks. Meanwhile, the military has stepped up security after 15 bombs exploded in the provincial capital Banda Aceh Thursday; no one was injured. The renewed unrest comes as the country celebrates Independence Day. As Maria Ressa reports, many Indonesians are hopeful their president will usher in a new era of peace and prosperity.
[Maria Ressa, Cnn Correspondent:] Independence Day has special significant for Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri. After all, her father, Sukarno, led Indonesia to independence 56 years ago and became its first president. The challenges for his daughter, the nation's fifth are daunting. Separatists, religious and ethnic violence, a series of bombings, an economic crises, turmoil has defeated three presidents in as many years, all leaving a public craving stability. "I hope the country will move forward and be peaceful," says this housewife. But certainly the markets have given Mrs. Megawati high marks. Her economic and political moves the past week have pushed the currency, the rupiah, to its strongest point in nearly a year. UMAR JUORO, CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES; I think it's good for the country and there's some kind of positive expectations in the near future.
[Ressa:] Still reminders of the problems ahead: In Aceh, where rebels have been fighting for a separate state since the mid-70s, police say they found a mass grave with the bodies of 48 civilians. The military claims they were killed by rebels. Rebel say they were killed by soldiers. This week Mrs. Megawati apologized for the human rights abuses of the past and inaugurated a new law giving Aceh autonomy; that seems to have had little effect on the ground, where law and order seems tenuous at best. [on camera]: Still, by nearly all account, Mrs. Megawati's performance as her nation's leader has exceeded initial expectations, getting her government off to a good start. The question now is: Can she sustain it? Maria Ressa, CNN, Jakarta.