Warren Fernandez, Jakarta – Brace yourselves – the next 18 months are going to be tense and turbulent as Indonesia heads down a bumpy road to the 2004 polls.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Indonesia's national police headquarters was rocked by a bomb blast early yesterday.

While the explosion injured no one and caused only minor damage, it sent shockwaves through the country's campaign to convince the world that it has implemented effective security measures in the wake of the Bali bombings.

Yuli Tri Suwarni and Agus Maryono, Bandung/Cilacap – State-owned forestry company PT Perhutani has increasingly come under fire for its failure to stop the rampant deforestation blamed for last week's deadly landslides that killed more than 30 people in West Java.

Berni K. Moestafa, Jakarta – Debuts by new Indonesian artists may soon become a thing of the past.

Digital piracy, through the duplication of CDs and VCDs, is rapidly taking over the market and pushing the local recording industry to the brink of extinction.

Karen Michelmore, Darwin – Players in the multi-billion dollar Timor Gas treaty are hopeful of an outcome within weeks, as negotiations drag on.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin today said she was confident the federal government would soon ratify a treaty with East Timor on sharing royalties from the project.

Sri Jegarajah, Jakarta – The United States embassy in Jakarta has denied a New York Times report alleging Indonesian soldiers killed two US teachers last August, saying such a conclusion was premature because investigations were still continuing.

Jill Jolliffe, Hatolia – The United Nations is in a quandary after insecure border villagers demanded that it extend a controversial military operation that has resulted in mass arrests.

Jafar G. Bua, Palu – The arrest of student activists has not lessened the number of demonstrations. In an action today, Monday, around 1000 activists from the Central Sulawesi Poor People's Forum (Forum Rakyat Miskin Sulawesi Tengah, FRMST) demanded that President Megawati Sukarnoputri resign and proceeded to burn posters of Megawati.

A bomb which exploded at Indonesia's national police headquarters has heightened fears of new attacks in the country, the police chief said.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – The 2003 city budget, which amounts to Rp 10.98 trillion, will better serve the city administration and council, instead of the general public, critics have said.

This year's budget, which was approved by the council's 11 factions on Friday, increased by about 10 percent from last year's budget, which was Rp 9.7 trillion.

Nani Farida, Aceh – The almost two-month-old cessation of hostilities agreement between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is under threat by violations committed by both sides.

Both GAM and the military have been found guilty of numerous violations and neither side has taken action against those responsible for the breaches, leading to a loss of mutual confidence.

Jafar G. Bua, Palu – The Central Sulawesi Poor People's Forum (Forum Rakyat Miskin Sulawesi Tengah, FRMST) protested the arrest of 13 pro-democracy activist during a recent incident when the offices of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) were damaged.

Washington – Indonesian soldiers were the ones who carried out a deadly ambush that killed two American teachers returning from a picnic last summer, senior Bush administration officials told the New York Times.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – After a series of debates and delays, the steering committee of the House of Representatives agreed on Thursday to bring a no-confidence motion against Speaker Akbar Tandjung back to the House Plenary meeting on February 27.

Kiki Syahnakri, Jakarta – All the parties involved in the recent signing of the peace deal between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) deserve sincere appreciation, especially given the protracted conflict in Aceh and the vast loss of life and material damage there.

Jakarta – Papua New Guinea (PNG) has reportedly expelled members of the separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) from its territory after setting a January 19 deadline to do so, Antara has reported.

Investigators in Indonesia have begun the first formal probe into mass killings that took place more than three decades ago. The massacres occurred in late 1965 and early 1966 in a period of political upheaval that accompanied the rise to power of former dictator Suharto.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The country's forestry-related industry should cut its installed capacity by more than 70 percent in order to protect the country's forests from continued overexploitation, the Ministry of Forestry has said.

The Indonesian military has threatened to use force against Aceh separatist rebels if they fail to disarm starting February 9 as required by a December peace agreement.

Jill Jolliffe, Dili – The United Nations' police chief in East Timor is refusing to resign despite criticism from Fretilin government officials over his handling of riots in December.

"I'm not a quitter, and the UN wants me to stay, so I'm staying," Commissioner Peter Miller said.

The widow of one of two American teachers shot dead in Indonesia's rugged Papua province last year has been lobbying the United States administration and congressmen to halt the recently resumed training of Indonesian military officers.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – A human rights watchdog on Tuesday denounced the government for poorly handling the ad hoc tribunal for human rights violations in East Timor, saying that the trials were a complete failure.

Jakarta – The government threatened on Wednesday to end diplomatic ties with the Republic of Vanuatu if the country continued to support the Free Papua Organization (OPM) in its struggle to separate from Indonesia, Antara reported.

Kurniawan Hari and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Each faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) agreed to adopt an "open-list" election system for the 2004 elections, paving the way for voters to directly choose individual legislative candidates to represent their aspirations at the House.

Jakarta – Speaking again before supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) at her private residence in Kebagusan, South Jakarta on Tuesday, President Megawati Soekarnoputri expressed her disappointment over recent antigovernment demonstrations in which protesters stomped on her pictures.

Raymond Bonner – Bush administration officials have determined that Indonesian soldiers carried out a deadly ambush that killed two American teachers returning from a picnic in a remote area of Indonesia last August, senior administration officials say.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) disclosed on Tuesday widespread corruption in the country's judicial system, involving a wide range of players, from justices of the Supreme Court to parking attendants at a district court.

Vannessa Hearman, Melbourne – Fivo Freitas is 28 years old, he sought asylum in Australia after leaving East Timor in 1999. Now he is preparing for his application for asylum-seeker status to be rejected once again by the Refugee Review Tribunal.

Max Lane, Jakarta – On January 22, more than 300 journalists and other observers crammed into a room in the Struggle Museum to hear representatives of several political and social movement organisations announce the formation of a new opposition coalition, called the Koalisi Nasional (National Coalition – KN).

About 200 students have urged monitors overseeing a peace pact between the Indonesian government and Aceh separatist rebels to investigate the shooting of two brothers.

Unidentified gunmen shot the two brothers who were riding a motorcycle in Aceh Besar district on Saturday, killing one of them and critically wounding the other.

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his deep concern over the ongoing meeting of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) figures in Aceh, saying it constituted military consolidation aimed at strengthening the separatist movement.

Lisbon – The Bishop of Dili called Wednesday for the creation of an independent body to oversee the exploitation of Timor Sea oil reserves, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

"The oil is under the Timor Sea, it belongs to everybody and everybody has the right to know what is at stake. That is democracy and transparency," Bishop Ximenes Belo told the agency.

The head of Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation has rejected a breakfast invitation from the US Congress, blaming the possible war against Iraq and new US immigration rules.

"God willing I won't go," Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the moderate Nahdlatul Ulama said, as quoted by the official news agency Antara today.

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – A retired stockbroker who once assisted Indah Kiat Paper and Pulp – considered the darling of the paper and pulp industry at one time before being swallowed up in a sea of debt – to go public says the best way to see the upside in any downside is for a company to go public.

Max Lane – In the Jakarta Post, on January 27, Juwono Sudarsono is quoted as stating that there was too much political party involvement in the wave of recent student demonstrations.

Ainur R. Sophiaan, Surabaya – Five witnesses testified in court here on Monday that they had never seen any of seven soldiers charged with murdering Papuan separatist leader Theys Hiyo Eluay two years ago.

Denpasar – The chief of Indonesia's National Terrorism Desk, Police Inspector General Ansaad Bay, expressed his belief yesterday that Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was behind all the bombing incidents in the country, including those in Bali.

"JI has been behind them all," he said after attending a coordination meeting with officials concerned with anti-terrorism efforts.

Leo Wahyudi S – The antidrug campaign seems to be getting more intensive support from the police as drug abuse problems become more serious. There are now an estimated four million drug addicts nationwide and some Rp 800 billion is spent daily just on drugs. The Jakarta Post talked to several city residents about the issue and their response to the police attempts.

Indonesian state human rights investigators have begun a wide-ranging probe of violations committed during the long dictatorship of former president Suharto.

Jakarta – Indonesia is considering issuing a decree to allow mining firms to operate in areas protected by the country's forestry law, Mines and Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Tuesday.

Purnomo said the 1999 law, which bans open pit mining in areas covered under the regulation, had hampered investment.

Arpiadi Gunawan, Medan – Thousands of residents including activists from various non-governmental organizations, clergymen and ulemas again staged a protest on Monday against the reopening of a suspended pulp plant in Toba Samosir regency, North Sumatra.

The United States is expected to bypass Congressional restrictions on funding the Indonesian military or TNI as early as this week. During the East Timor crisis, Congress passed the Leahy provisions which stopped funding to the TNI until it demonstrated clear improvements in human rights and accountability.

David Fickling – The spectacle of someone large and powerful picking on a weak and desperate neighbour passes as bullying in the average playground. International politics, however, has a better name for it: diplomacy.

A former rock star has led three-thousand Indonesian protesters in a rally outside the British embassy to condemn a possible war on Iraq.

Women wearing white headscarves hoisted signs in downtown Jakarta proclaiming their opposition to American and British plans to invade Iraq.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – North Sumatra Police must go all out to stop drug trafficking from the war-torn province of Aceh following last week's arrest of three Acehnese women here with 1.5 tons of marijuana, antidrug campaigners say.

Jim Lobe, Washington – The administration of US President George W Bush has moved a major step closer to normalizing military ties with the Indonesian military (TNI), which it hopes will be a key ally in its war against terrorism in Southeast Asia.

There are warnings today about a negative fallout in the region from the Howard Government's decision to deploy forces to the gulf before any United Nations decision on war against Iraq.

Transcript:

Jakarta – Drug trafficking and abuse in Jakarta are increasing at an alarming rate due to big supplies and easy access to it in the market, an expert said.

Reports from Jakarta say large numbers of rare and protected animals are being smuggled out of Indonesia with the complicity of officials.

The Kompas newspaper, citing its own investigation, claims people from countries such as Japan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Malaysia and Iran visit Indonesia regularly to buy wildlife at two main animal markets in Jakarta.