Geoff Spencer, Jakarta – Millions of Indonesia's poorest are in danger of serious food shortages because of drought conditions and a deepening economic crisis, a United Nations team said today.

Raj Rajendran, Singapore – Southeast Asian environment ministers meeting this weekend have little hope of finding a way to extinguish Indonesia's raging forest fires, experts said on Wednesday.

Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Brunei on Saturday might best focus on prevention of future fires, rather than cure, they said.

Jim Mann, Washington – The current crisis in Indonesia isn't all about money. It's also about guns, armies and political power.

Jakarta – Hundreds of hospital patients in Jakarta have fled their beds before making a full recovery because they cannot afford their bills, an Indonesian newspaper said on Thursday.

Coimbra, 01 Apr (Lusa) - Indonesian military arrested and "tortured" a young Timorese in Dili on Friday, a Timorese student in Portugal said on Tuesday.

There can be no doubt that the dramatic changes which have taken place since student-led protests forced Suharto's resignation in May have seen the emergence of a new democratic space in Indonesian society.

Peter Hartcher – The international community's $US43bn ($64bn) package for support of Indonesia is a waste of money, according to a US analyst and former senior policy maker in the Bush Administration.

Jakarta – Only 180 of 800 Indonesian companies have responded to official requests for detailed information on their debts, State Enterprises Minister Tanri Abeng was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying..

Disclosure of such information would now be a "compulsory requirement" as the country tries to restructure the private sector's massive foreign debt, Abeng said.

Tuesday's issue of Kompas reports on the growing concern over a number of "disappearances".

Jakarta – As many had suspected, the pre-trial appeal of six of the accused in the case of those arrest at the "Indonesia Congress" was rejected by the judges at the North Jakarta high court. At the session held this morning (31/3), the judges unanimously rejected all of the accused's requests. As a result the accused remain detained at Polda Metro Jakarta.

A student went on trial in Bandung on 31 March charged with insulting the government. If found guilty, he faces a sentence of up to seven years under Article 154 of the Criminal Code.

Lisbon – The commander of the Armed Forces for the Liberation of East Timor (FALINTIL) Konis Santana died on March 11 after falling in an embankment, Portuguese radio RDP announced on Monday, quoting a radio message by the a spokesman for FALINTIL, Taur Matan Ruak.

Sydney – Indonesian soldiers detained and tortured a young Timorese farmer early this month in the region of Baucau, the organisation East Timor International Support Centre (ETISC) said on Friday.

It said in a statement that the farmer who was seriously injured during the detention was now under the care of his family.

Lisbon – The head of the external delegation of East Timorese resistance movement FRETILIN warned on Saturday for the shortage of basic foodstuffs in East Timor, due to the "economic, social and political crisis" affecting Indonesia.

Andi Arief has been in incommunicado detention since 28 March 1998. There is grave concern that he is at risk of torture or ill-treatment. He is also known to have been seriously ill recently and in view of this there is concern that he may require immediate medical assistance.

Tokyo – Japanese commercial banks are likely to write off for fiscal 1997 ending Tuesday around 200 billion yen in loans to private companies in Indonesia that have been hit hard by the nation's economic crisis, banking sources said Monday.

Terry McCarthy, Jakarta – 1,000 students rallied against the government at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta last month, one rebel climbed up to a sign near the main gates: welcome to the campus of the struggle of the new order.

Peter Hartcher – Indonesia will cut itself off from the global economy if it fails to win back the financial support of the International Monetary Fund, according to an economic adviser to the new Vice-President, Dr B.J.Habibie.

The adviser, Mr Umar Juoro, said the costs of continuing to operate in the world economy were too great for a weakened Indonesia to bear alone.

Allan Nairn, Jakarta – Today in Indonesia activists and observers speculate that the country – reeling from hunger and mass layoffs promoted by the IMF – is moving toward social upheaval and perhaps a change of regime. At the dumps in Bantar Gebang, the ranks of scavengers have soared as sacked day laborers pick through garbage hoping to survive.

Andi Arief, the ex-chairperson of Student Solidarity for Indonesian Democracy (Solidaritas Mahsiswa Indonesia untuk Demokrasi, SMID), one of the affiliated mass organisations of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), who has been sought by the authorities for some time, was arrested Saturday morning (28/3) at around 10.30am. He was arrested at a house owned by his older brother.

Press statement by the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute and the Lampung Legal Aid Institute regarding the arrest of Andi Arief by security officers today.

The Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) and the Lampung Legal Aid Institute have received a complaint from the family of Andi Arief represented by his father, Arief Makhya and his older brother, Edy Irawan.

Jakarta – A clash between demonstrators and security personnel has again occurred on the campus of UNS, Solo on Wednesday (25/3) yesterday. The incident took place at about 13.50 West Indonesia Time, some ten meters in front of the campus gate.

Kafil Yamin, Pekanbaru – For two days now, Dorin, has been staying in a high hut here, waiting for armies of fish to pass through the small canal below so he can catch some.

On Friday March 13, three leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) of Indonesia were captured in a flat in Jakarta. The three leaders are Mugianto, Nesar Patria and Aan Rusdianto.

Geoffrey Barker – Indonesia is on the brink of hyperinflation and is committing major breaches of its economic reform agreement with the International Monetary Fund, a confidential Department of Foreign Affairs report has warned the Federal Government.

Jakarta - Minister for Education and Culture Wiranto Arismunandar has commissioned a special report on the clashes between students and security forces which occurred at the University of Solo (UNS) on 17 March 1998. He has given specific instructions that the report should provide a detailed chronology of the events which eventually led to 29 students being injured.

Tom McCawley, Jakarta – In the end, Indonesia's banking reform was more like amputation than elective surgery. But nearly everyone agreed a radical step was necessary to save the patient. Jakarta announced March 13 that it was closing 38 banks, taking over seven others and recapitalizing nine.

Jakarta – Indonesia had ordered an American human rights activist, who accused the United States military of "directly supporting" repression in Indonesia, to leave the country, a source said yesterday.

A member of the security forces told Mr Allan Nairn, a journalist and activist, he would be expelled, the source said.

Jakarta – New Minister of Home Affairs R. Hartono scoffed at a suggestion that President Soeharto's proposal for ministers to donate their first year's salaries to the poor would open the door to corruption.

Salil Tripathi, Jakarta – If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Perhaps International Monetary Fund chief Michel Camdessus should have kept that investment axiom in mind before committing $33 billion to Indonesia--where President Suharto personally signed off on a wrenching reform package in January without a peep of protest.

Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Three Indonesian students will be charged with subversion after police allegedly found "communist material" in their apartment, in the latest round of charges against political activists.

[The following is an abridged translation of a chronology of an action by the Concerned People's Committee (Aksi Komete Peduli Rakyat). Please note that this was the second day of protest at the Unila university. 120 were arrested on the first day and released after protests and lobbying.

Jakarta – Indonesian police and students clashed in the West Java city of Bandung as security forces sought to prevent campus protests against the government spilling onto the streets, the Kompas newspaper reported on Thursday.

Jakarta – Police used tear gas, clubs and high-pressure water hoses to subdue thousands of stone-throwing student protesters today. At least 60 people were detained in the most violent of the anti-government demonstrations that began erupting on campuses weeks ago.

Jakarta – Indonesia's economic woes should be blamed on the government's failure to implement reforms, not on deficiencies in the International Monetary Fund's programme for the country, the agency's chief, Mr Michel Camdessus, told Time magazine in an interview.

Murray Hiebert with S. Jayasankaran in Kuala Lumpur – A late-afternoon telephone call alarmed the retired Malaysian civil servant. In a frightened voice, a woman told him she had just arrived by boat from Indonesia, and was calling from outside his Kuala Lumpur apartment complex.

Tim Weiner, Washington – The Pentagon has been training Indonesian military forces since 1992, despite a congressional ban intended to curb human rights abuses by those soldiers, Defense Department documents show.

Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Only hours after President Suharto swore in his new Cabinet, his golfing partner, who is now also his trade minister, showed where his loyalties lay, putting the Government in a worrying light.

And it did not bode well for demands by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to see economic reform before continuing its rescue package.

David Jenkins – What is one to make of the new Indonesian Cabinet, unveiled by a weary-looking President Soeharto as his nation grapples with its worst economic crisis in 30 years?

Louise Williams, Jakarta – President Soeharto's new Cabinet signals a retreat to personalised politics with the appointment to key portfolios of his powerful daughter, Siti "Tutut" Hardiyanti Rukmana, his golfing mate, timber baron Mohamad "Bob" Hasan, and the return of several ministers linked to recent corruption scandals.

Amien Rais has many personas. He is professor of political science at Gadjah Mada University in Jogjakarta in Central Java. He heads the Muhammadiyah, a 28-million-strong conservative Muslim organization focusing on social and educational activities.

Sangwon Suh – To many observers, Maj.-gen. Agum Gumelar's proposal was a confirmation of their suspicions. When the South Sulawesi regional commander called for an oath of loyalty to Gen. Wiranto on Feb. 20, shortly after the latter was sworn in as the new armed forces chief, it was seen as further evidence that there was a rift in the military.

By David Jenkins – So who is to blame for the mess in Indonesia, a nation that appears to be sliding inexorably towards political, social and economic chaos?

Can everything be laid at the feet of President Soeharto's New Order Government, in power for 32 years and widely criticised for fostering a climate of corruption and nepotism?

This week Indonesia's People's Assembly unanimously voted President Soeharto another five-year term. But he can't buy a vote of confidence from the IMF, or from many of his own people. Louise Williams reports.

Seth Mydans, Jakarta – As Indonesia enters one of its most difficult years, President Suharto announced Saturday a Cabinet marked by loyalty and family connections rather than economic expertise.

Sander Thoenes, Jakarta - General Wiranto, Indonesia's new military commander, has emerged as a new voice of moderation and even a potential alternative to President Suharto.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) has filed a pre-trial lawsuit against the police over the arrest of the playwright Ratna Sarumpaet and eight other activists last Tuesday.

Leon Hadar – The Clinton Administration, frustrated over its inability to persuade President Suharto to embrace economic and political reforms, has decided to adopt a "wait-and-see" policy towards Jakarta, sources say.

Jennifer Hewett, Washington – The International Monetary Fund, responding to criticism of its tough approach to Indonesia, has indicated it is willing to be more flexible in negotiating changes to the country's economic reform program.

By Margot Cohen in Jakarta and Bandung, West Java – By all accounts, the speech was masterly. "Human rights have practically disappeared," intoned President Suharto. "The law offers almost no guarantee or protection... Power is centred absolutely in one hand, that of head of state.