Jakarta – The accused in the subversion case against the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) who are interned at the Cipinang prison, began a hunger strike last Wednesday (26/2) because they consider their trials are engineered.

The following is the text of a letter sent by Bill Jordan, General [Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, to the Indonesian Minister of Justice.]

Dear Mr Minister,

Urgent: Health conditons of MM. Pakpahan and Hariyanto

We strongly demand that the House of Representatives of Indonesia will not approve the nuclear bill!

Jakarta – One of the architects of the New Order economy, Prof Dr Soebroto, explicitly stated that the flourishing of various kinds of levies [read bribes - JB] which has been going on, is a reflection of absence of legal security.

Jakarta – Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja was called in for questioning last week by Bakorstanas [Badan Koordinasi Bantuan Pemantapan Stabilitas, National Coordinating body for the maintenance of Stability] over the pre-Easter apostolic letter by the Indonesian Bishops' Conference.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Ecolabelling Institute (LEI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have signed acooperation to speed up the implementation of ecolabelling toIndonesian tropical timber products, LEI chairman Emil Salim saidWednesday.

One of the chief aims of the cooperation is to train assessors, he said.

Jakarta – The Bill on Nuclear Power was finally agreed by the House of Representatives (DPR) for ratification as Laws, although it was coloured by interruptions of its members who questioned the quorum which was not reached, while outside the conference room a demonstration was going on which rejected the Nuclear Power Bill.

Marcy Gordon, Washington – In its first action in a decade under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced Thursday a settlement with a Texas-based oil company for a $300,000 civil penalty.

Margot Cohen, Jakarta – The judge hunched forward eagerly as details of a bank statement were read aloud in open court. "What is the total amount of overseas aid?" he prodded the witness.

The socio-political (sospol) role of the Armed Forces (ABRI) will not be a "flat tyre", even at President Soeharto's post leadership. ABRI's role will not change much because ABRI in its history of existence until this moment is performing its role as unifier of the nation.

Richard Borsuk, Jakarta, Indonesia – The chairman of Bre-X Minerals Ltd., facing shareholder ire over last week's pact fixing ownership of the Canadian firm's giant gold find in Borneo, said he had to settle for an arrangement that reflected Indonesia's "political, economic and social environment."

There is growing concern for the health of two men currently on trial for subversion. Both are detained in Cipinang Prison in Jakarta and have not been allowed to obtained medical treatment since being transferred there earlier this year. They were arrested after the raid on the PDI office in Jakarta on 27 July 1996. They have both been on trial since December 1996.

Jakarta – The Commander General of Special Troop Commandoes (Danjen Kopassus) Major General Prabowo Subianto stated that all strata of the society at the country should increase vigilance towards a group which intentionally wants to create instability. This group tries to create riots because it has its own political interests.

PDI fraction member Laksmiari Priyonggo interrupted the Minister of Research and Technology BJ Habibie during constitutional meeting at the National Parliament saying: "Although the speaker states that 317 people are present, in fact there are only 75 members of the DPR here or less than 15% of a total of 500 members. We cannot lie to the people".

S N Vasuki – The fallout from the Busang gold controversy in Indonesia has been immediate. Foreign mining companies, primarily from Australia and Canada, which are awaiting official approval for new mining projects in Indonesia are concerned that the controversy would lead to major delays and changes in the government's policy towards foreign investment in the mining sector.

Objections from environmentalists and other concerned groups notwithstanding, the House of Representatives yesterday passed a government-sponsored bill on nuclear energy which levels the way for the government to build Indonesia's first nuclear power plant on the Muria peninsula on the north coast of Central Java by the year 2003.

Andreas Harsono, Jakarta – It was a bright and sunny day in Jakarta, but that didn't help cheer up American diplomats William Brown and Stanley Roth as they emerged from a critical meeting with President Suharto.

The Indonesian military has accused Muslim separatists in Aceh province of attempting to sabotage the huge nearby Arun gas field.

The security commander of northern Sumatra including Aceh, Major-General Sedaryanto, says the sabotage had been planned for a long time, but did NOT say what the plan entailed.

Bandung, W Java – Four former policemen charged with inciting the recent riot in Tasikmalaya, West Java are facing up to 32 months in jail.

Military prosecutor, Col Ismail Bangun, demanded here Tuesday that the West Java military court imprison former Corporal Nur (38) for 32 months and former 2nd Sgt AM (24) for 30 months.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – The Indonesian Parliament has passed a controversial nuclear energy bill, clearing the way for the construction of up to 12 nuclear power plants.

The first nuclear reactor is due to be built alongside the dormant Muria volcano in Java.

Jakarta – The Constitutional Meeting at the National Parliament (DPR), intending to pass in to law draft laws on nuclear power yesterday and was attended by 75 people, was coloured interruptions and a "walk out" by PDI (Indonesian Democratic Party) fraction member Laksmiari Priyonggo along with anti-nuclear demonstrators.

Jay Solomon, Jakarta – Tommy Suharto's car project may be hitting the skids, but ironically it's been a boon to Indonesia's auto industry.

Jakarta – A top Indonesian military officer has warned that encouraging people not to vote was against the law, following a recent statement by the Catholic Church which told its followers it was not a sin to refuse to vote in this year's general election.

Joe Leahy, Jakarta – One of the country's top Muslim leaders has been ejected from the influential Suharto-backed Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals because of his outspokenness, analysts said.

Washington DC – In the wake of last week's announcement that Freeport-McMoRan Cooper and Gold would be developing the Busang gold reserves in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, a broad coalition of organisations has express concern that the new mine will give rise to substantiaal new environmental degradation and human rights problems and has urged the New Orleans-based company to take sta

Jakarta – The Indonesian armed forces (Abri) should reduce its non-defence roles and concentrate more on their defence duties to allow democracy to flourish, members of the state-run Indonesian Institute of Science were quoted as saying yesterday.

Jakarta – Timor national car producer, PT Timor Putra Nasional,will no longer rely on special assistance from the government indeveloping its car industry, its president director, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, said Monday.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has proposed a new economic policy to support indigenous entrepreneurs.

The move is an attempt to reduce the overwhelming power of the country's small groups of ethnic Chinese businessmen and defuse potentially explosive racial tensions.

Vice President Try Sutrisno said that the majority of various recent riot actions, which were carried out by using the potential of the youth towards negative and destructive actions, should be responded to by introspection regarding the guidance and development of the potential of the youth in its entirety.

Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman and People's Republic of China's Deputy Minister of Justice Xiao Jianzhang met in Jakarta on Tuesday (25/2). In that meeting, legal cooperation was discussed as well as the possibility of a renewed fathoming of an extradition agreement, and the problem of illegal immigrants.

The Indonesian Antinuclear Society (MAI) appealed to the House of Representative's to abrogate enactment of the Bill on Nuclear Power, which according to plan should take place today, Wednesday (26/2). Because the Bill which was discussed and passed hastily, still contains many weaknesses and could become legitimization to construct a nuclear power plant without referendum.

James Balowski – According to a chronology sent to ASIET by the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD), four students, Yudha, Irwan, Ikra and Indah are believed missing following a raid by security forces on a boarding house in Bandung, West Java, on February 26.

The executive board of the Malang (East Java) branch of KNPI, the Indonesian National Youth Committee organised an opinion poll in a bold move, seeking the opinion of nearly a thousand young people in the area about their voting intentions at the forthcoming elections. 92.4 per cent answered that they would support 'Golput', in other words boycott the election.

Malang – Of 1,000 respondents, 92.4% answered that they would abstain from voting [golput, golongan putih/white movement] in the coming general election in a pole conducted in Malang since be beginning of January.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Union Party (PUDI) denied yesterday charges made by Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung last week that it was behind recent unrest.

PUDI chairman Sri Bintang Pamungkas said his organization shunned violence although it adopted a "noncooperative" policy toward "people who refuse political reform".

Jakarta – I Gusti Agung Anom Astika, one of the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) has refused to be a witness in the subversion case against the Secretary General of the PRD, Petrus Hariyanto. His statement was given to the South Jakarta Court on Monday, February 24.

Susan Sim, Jakarta – The leader of Indonesia's second-largest Islamic organisation has resigned from his post in a Suharto-linked Muslim association amidst talk that he had angered the President with his criticism of the government's handling of the Busang gold find and the activities of American mining company Freeport.

Jakarta – A top Indonesian military official has said that encouraging people not to vote in the upcoming general election is against the law, a local newspaper reported Tuesday.

Washington – Increased political sensitivity here over U.S. ties to Indonesia has given advocates of independence for East Timor more hope of pressing Washington to support their cause, according to activists and government analysts alike.

Dili, East Timor – The dossiers of the four suspects involved in the riots here last Dec 24 were returned by the District Attorney's Office to the police for lack of facts and evidences. Local district attorney JF Martanto on Monday said that with thereturn of the documents the police was given two weeks to complete the dossiers.

[A summary was posted earlier, but parts got mangled by an unstable line. (Not as bad as the truth is mangled by Indonesian reports on East Timor). Pedro T Coelho asked for a reposting, here done so by Wes, + comments.]

Susan Sim, Jakarta – Indonesia's Environment Minister has described talk of a nuclear power plant in the country as premature as yet another local non-government organisation attacked the nuclear energy Bill due to be passed by Parliament tomorrow.

Ignatius Damianus Pranowo – who was brought from Jakarta along with Budiman Sudjatmiko and Ken Budakusumandaru – where evicted by the judge in the subversion case against Dita Indah Sari and Coen Husein Pontoh Spt, being heard in the Surabaya State Court on the afternoon of Tuesday 25 Feb.

Amsterdam – International experts begin a two-day conference in Amsterdam Wednesday to consider how to eradicate the most exploitative forms of child labor such as child prostitution, debt bondage and slavery.

Jakarta – The government has urged the House of Representatives to ratify immediately the Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone in Southeast Asia (NWFZ-SEA) treaty.

Jakarta – The head of the Indonesian United Democratic Party (PUDI), Sri Bintang Pamungkas, along with PUDI leaders have gone to the National Human Rights Commission to lodge a complaint against armed forces chief General TNI Feisal who they consider discredited PUDI.

According to The Sunday Age of South Africa on Sunday, 23 February, an employee at the Indonesian embassy in South Africa has asked for asylum and says that he is in possession of secret documents giving proof of corruption in Indonesia and relating to human rights violations in East Timor.

Ambeno, East Timor – Indonesian police have arrested three people and are hunting another who allegedly killed a man during unrest in East Timor last week which left more than 300 people homeless, The Jakarta Post reported yesterday.

In a few weeks time, Ireland's capital city will have a square named after the Timorese Resistance leader, Xanana Gusmao... The initiative is evidence of the interest and commitment to the East Timor cause that exists in the Republic.

Dili – An estimated 6,000 East Timorese have burned tens of houses owned by Indonesians migrants after local people became enraged by a slight against a Catholic priest who had been given a dinner-box containing leftover food on Wednesday evening.