Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Due to its alleged "inhuman and violent practices" recently, the City Public Order Agency (Tramtib) has come under strong criticism from some members of the public and non-governmental organizations, with some groups calling for its dissolution.

Rita A. Widiadana, Denpasar – Indonesia will soon become "the backyard" nation among Asian countries if it fails to combat serious corruption and a lousy work ethic, says noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid.

Jakarta – The proposed formation of a Riau Islands province has stirred strong discord pitting the central government and the islands' inhabitants – some of whom oppose the idea – against the current Riau province on the mainland, which seeks a democratic compromise on the issue.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Two top separatist leaders in Indonesia's Papua and Aceh provinces have been killed in the last three months, raising suspicions that the Indonesian government is out to cripple the separatist movements by targeting their leaders, even as it promises to negotiate with them.

Jakarta – Two Indonesian national parks, homes to the endangered Komodo dragon and Javanese rhinoceros, have been earmarked by the United Nations for a million dollar ecotourism project.

Jakarta – A man at the center of a bribery claim involving ex-Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid and the son of former dictator Suharto has spent part of the money on gold and his house, media reported Saturday.

Mark Baker in Manila and Lindsay Murdoch in Jakarta – The Indonesian Government is under mounting pressure to crack down on the fundamentalist Jemaah Islamiah movement after new evidence linking it to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and terrorist raids across South-East Asia.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – A Melbourne-educated Indonesian lawyer has been appointed to judge crimes committed in East Timor in 1999 despite having represented former armed forces chief General Wiranto and having helped prepare the prosecutions.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province said on Friday they were still open to peace talks with Jakarta despite the shooting of its top military chiefs by security forces earlier this week.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – To avoid more bloodshed following the killing of military commander of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie, the House of Representatives (DPR) urged the government on Thursday to intensify dialog with the insurgents and resolve the Aceh question through peaceful means.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The death of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Commander Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie, has solidified the separatist movement and increased the guerrillas' will to fight for the independence of Aceh, says GAM spokesman Ayah Sofyan.

Dili – East Timor has started preparing for its first presidential elections but with full independence to follow soon after, time is of the essence.

The elections in the UN-run territory are scheduled for April 14 with formal independence due to be declared on May 20.

Jakarta – Three cars were set ablaze and a man was shot by police when a riot broke out Thursday in an Indonesian town over an attempt to extort money from returning migrant workers, officials said.

Jakarta – Mass rioting erupted when locals clashed with police in the West Java town of Purwakarta on Thursday, leaving at least two people shot and three vehicles, including two policecars, set ablaze.

Jakarta – An international labour body has strongly criticised Indonesian manufacturers for refusing to pay the new minimum wage, saying world retailers were unwilling to buy from "dirty sources."

Jill Jolliffe, Dili – A group of dissidents has accused the governing Fretilin party of trying to usurp democracy and remain in power for five years beyond its elected mandate.

Berni K. Moestafa, Jakarta – A review by a government watchdog has exposed glaring imbalances in a plan to extend the payment period for large debtors of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) that, if not revised, risked the government's effort to recoup some $13 billion in lost state funds.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda yesterday described Australia as the archipelago's "backyard" and said the government had no choice but to get along with Canberra.

Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim has said the construction of both the toll road, which leads to the Soekarno-Hatta airport and the Pantai Indah Kapuk real estate are a cause of the city's flooding problems.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – City councillors have expressed regret at the violence and repression used by some Jakarta administration officials during its controversial identification card raids early this week.

Even though it has been almost two and a half years since an eruption of violence in East Timor, not a single Indonesian military and police officer responsible for security in the territory at that time has been prosecuted.

Singapore – East Timor's Nobel Peace Prize-winning foreign minister said Friday he was confident Indonesia would be able to crack down on suspected members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.

Jakarta – Five suspected members of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network arrived in Indonesia from Yemen last July with a plan to blow up the United States Embassy in Jakarta, a high-ranking US official has revealed.

Jakarta – Religious leaders in Irian Jaya have nominated a number of activists and experts to be included in the planned national commission to carry out an independent investigation into the murder of proindepedence Papua Presidium Council (PDP) Chairman Dortheys "Theys" Hiyo Eluay.

Jakarta – Separatist guerrillas in Aceh will press on with their 25-year-long revolt against Indonesian rule despite the killing of their military commander, Abdullah Syafii, analysts said Thursday.

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia, which has temporarily halted the recruitment of Indonesian workers after a riot, Thursday deported 22 textile workers, raising to 91 the total of those sent home.

Oyos Saroso HN, Bandarlampung – Activists and the Lampung provincial legislative council clashed on Wednesday after the activists said the province's 2002 draft budget allocated more for the bureaucracy that it did for the poor.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – City councillors are again spending millions of rupiah of public money by conducting a two-day meeting with city officials at the Horison Hotel in North Jakarta to discuss the proposed 2002 budget. At least 15 councillors grouped under the council's special budgetary team and dozens of city officials attended the meeting which started on Wednesday.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Indonesia's armed forces claimed a major victory yesterday with the killing of the commander of the Acehnese separatist rebels, Abdullah Syafei.

Troops said they shot Syafei in the chest during a raid on the jungle headquarters of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). GAM has yet to confirm the killing.

Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (UNHCHR) stepped up its pressure on Wednesday for Indonesia to act swiftly against militiamen and others connected to human rights abuses in East Timor in 1999, promising to send international observers to monitor an upcoming rights tribunal.

Jakarta – Aceh separatist rebels accused Indonesian authorities of tracking their slain military commander by inserting a microchip into an invitation letter for peace talks.

Yogita Tahil Ramani, Jakarta – Long working hours and working without a day's rest may soon be a thing of the past for Indonesia's housemaids, if campaigns demanding greater respect for their legal rights gain more ground.

Primastuti Handayani, Jakarta – Critics condemned the Jakarta administration for continuing its controversial door-to-door ID card raids Wednesday, saying the policy violated human rights, and was also ineffective and ridiculous.

Deddy Sinaga, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons & Victims of Violence (Kontras) says the death of Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie, the commander of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) killed in an exchange of gunfire with the Indonesian Military (TNI) this week, shows that the Indonesian government continues to prefer repressive measures for handling problems in Aceh.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Despite the outcry from city residents, the public order agency continued on Wednesday its controversial door-to-door identity card (KTP) raids in Penjaringan district, North Jakarta, arbitrarily arresting some 98 people, mostly low-income workers.

Jakarta – Only 49 of 500 Indonesian legislators showed up on time for a plenary meeting to debate the setting up of an inquiry team to investigate Golkar chairman Akbar Tanjung, clearly demon-strating their reluctance to investigate his alleged role in a financial scandal involving 40 billion rupiah (S$7.1 million).

Riyadi Suparno, Jakarta – The Salim Group is lurking behind the scenes, ready to grab its former jewel in the crown, Bank Central Asia. That's the warning given by various quarters to the government in the sale of its controlling shares in the bank.

Jakarta – Amid mounting concern over the negative impact of its fuel price hike policy, the government said the poor should not be affected as it had allocated to them sufficient compensation funds of Rp 2.85 trillion (US$274 million) this year.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday celebrated her 55th birthday with hundreds of orphans and homeless children in a modest gathering at her party headquarters in an apparent bid to offset criticism over her husband's lavish birthday bash in the resort island of Bali recently.

Jakarta – Some 500 activists of the Surakarta-based Islam Defenders Front (FPIS) staged a rally in front of the US Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta on Tuesday morning, protesting the US policy on fighting terrorism.

Max Lane – There has been almost total support in Aceh for the three-day general strike called by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) for January 16-18 to protest against the decision of the Indonesian government to re-establish an Aceh Military Command.

Jakarta – Protests have continued in several cities across the archipelago against the soaring price of staple foods and other commodities, spurred by the recent 22 percent increase in fuel prices.

Max Lane – There have been student demonstrations, involving hundreds of students, in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Makassar, Denpasar and Jogjakarta against the fuel price increases announced by the Indonesian government on January 16.

Annastashya Emmanuelle and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Pressures mounted on Tuesday against the planned reinstatement of the military command in restive Aceh, but both the government and the House of Representatives turned a deaf ear to the outcry.

Jakarta – The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) said on Tuesday that it would import some one million tons of rice this year, higher than an earlier target of 500,000 to 700,000 tons, to meet domestic demand.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – The city administration revealed on Tuesday that only 32 companies, among 25,000 private firms here, have officially filed objections over the new minimum wage – amounting to Rp 596,266 (US$60) – due to financial problems.

No more companies were expected to file such an objection as the deadline to make the complaint was on Monday.

Thalif Deen, United Nations – Malaysian diplomat Nagalingam Parameswaran has expressed disappointment that the United Nations has "closed the chapter" on his allegations that the institution was racist, and that his duties as chief-of-staff at the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) had become "a white mission, an Eastern mission with a Western face".

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has alerted the Security Council to the potential threat posed to East Timor by Indonesia-based anti-independence militias and underlined the importance of resolving border disputes between Dili and Jakarta.

Jon Land – As East Timor's Constituent Assembly draws closer to finalising the nation's constitution there is increasing debate over whether fresh elections should be held for the proposed Legislative Assembly. Chief Minister Mari Alkatiri is adamantly opposed to such a move, stating that "opting for new elections is openly to want to provoke crises".

Agus Maryono, Purwokerto – The soaring prices of basic commodities caused by fuel price increases have forced people to try to reduce their expenses. Villagers in several parts of Central Java have gone back to using firewood for cooking in place of kerosene.