East Timor's existence is under threat because of Australia's claims over the poor nation's natural resources, President Xanana Gusmao claims.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – "I see a great degree of promiscuity in Indonesian politics. Anyone can get married to anybody." That is how Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a former adviser to Indonesia's third president, B J Habibie, describes the drive by candidates in the July presidential election to form "unholy alliances of secular and religious parties".

Robert Go, Jakarta – The race for Indonesia's top job heated up yesterday with former president Abdurrahman Wahid, barred from the July 5 election for health reasons, declaring he would still run after talks with leading Muslim clerics.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Poll watchdogs have urged presidential candidates to allocate a big chunk of their budgets to deploy witnesses to polling stations, and during ballot counting, to prevent vote-rigging in the July 5 election.

Daniel Dasey – A Sydney man accused by East Timor's Prime Minister of being a subversive has denied any wrongdoing, saying he is the subject of a political vendetta.

Journalist and PhD student Julian King, who has lived in East Timor for four years, was arrested in Dili on Thursday and was being held in the city's police station yesterday afternoon.

Woro Swasti, Jakarta – Next Wednesday, May 12, thousands of students from 23 campuses across Greater Jakarta plan to hold simultaneous actions rejecting presidential candidates from the military. The actions will start at their respective campuses at 11am after which they will move off to the national parliament (DPR) on Jalan Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.

Khairul, Banda Aceh – The head of the Pidie regional military command (Kodim), Infantry Lieutenant Rochim Siregar, has been forcing all village heads to come to the Kodim headquarters with the aim of making them sign a document supporting an extension of martial law in Aceh. It they fail to attend without a clear reason, action is taken against them.

Two big pictures of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her new running mate Hasyim Muzadi fell to the ground as she approached the podium last week to announce their partnership.

Omen or not, analysts say Muzadi is unlikely to be of much help to the embattled Megawati in Indonesia's first direct presidential election on July 5.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia could experience more security problems and political instability ahead of its first direct presidential election on July 5, a top Cabinet minister said yesterday.

Businessmen, however, maintained an upbeat perspective and said the trouble brewing in spots faraway from Jakarta would not dampen investors' interest here just yet.

Matthew Moore, Makassar – The first member of Indonesia's notorious paramilitary police force Brimob to face trial for human rights abuses has appeared in court accused of allowing the killing of a Papuan student and the torture of dozens of others.

Matthew Moore/Karuni Rompies, Makassar – The first member of Indonesia's notorious paramilitary police force (Brimob) ever to face trial for human rights abuses has appeared in court accused of allowing the killing of a Papuan student and the torture of dozens of others.

Jakarta – The US-based Human Rights Watch on Saturday urged East Timor's parliament to exclude serious human rights crimes from a general amnesty law now under consideration that proposes to pardon culprits in the country's 1999 bloodbath.

East Timor Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said that an Australian activist and freelance journalist ordered expelled from the country a day earlier had participated in the looting of his home in 2002.

Rochelle Mutton – The worm-ridden body of a 12-year-old girl, who was suffocated by hundreds of the parasites, has alerted authorities to the spectre of worm infestations in East Timor.

Like thousands of other East Timorese children, the girl could have escaped death with the help of a 10-cent tablet.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – The Kupang District Court sentenced nine civilian defendants on Friday to one year in prison each for their involvement in last year's attack on a court building and prosecutor's office on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Deborah Snow – The then head of the Defence Department, Paul Barratt, was angry and perplexed in late December 1998. He had just learned of Prime Minister John Howard's letter to the Indonesian President, B.J.Habibie, suggesting he grant autonomy to East Timor in advance of an eventual act of self-determination.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) has concluded that the dissolved Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) performed its duty of restructuring the majority of troubled banks, but refused to judge its performance.

P.C. Naommy, Jakarta – A team assigned to assess the feasibility of the controversial Ladia Galaska highway urged the government on Friday to halt the project entirely or make major changes in the planning.

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Amsterdam – Two former generals both have a strong chance of becoming the nation's new leader, even if they have blood on their hands. The rise of these generals-turned-party-leaders, however, rests on the shaky assumption that military leaders are more capable of providing stability than civilian leaders.

The newly ordained bishop of Dili, Alberto Ricardo da Silva, has promised to work for reconciliation between East Timorese living in and outside of the country.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) has threatened to delist 35 firms, including bluechip state-owned telecommunications company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), from the stock market if they fail to submit their 2003 audited financial reports by mid-June.

ID Nugroho, Surabaya – Child trafficking and violence against children remain a cause for concern in East Java, particularly in Surabaya and Malang, the two biggest cities in the province.

Abdul Khalik and Andi Hajramurni, Jakarta/Makassar – One high-ranking and eight low-ranking police officers will stand trial while over 30 others will face the police disciplinary committee for their involvement in Saturday's attack on university students in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – A purge has taken place in the top ranks of the Indonesian police force after a bloody clash last week between students and security forces in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Hundreds of local residents have cut down mangrove forests in 2,800 hectares of coastal land in Sungai Burung, Seputih subdistrict, Central Lampung regency, which belonged to aquaculture firm PT Central Pertiwi Bahari (CPB).

At least 833 residents occupied the land and constructed their own shrimp ponds there.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, facing an uphill battle for a second term in July's election, yesterday criticised politicians who had promised free education.

"Those statements are not only against reality but also misleading," she said, speaking at a ceremony to mark National Education Day.

Jayapura – About 500 Papuans in the Coalition of Civilians for Human Rights protested at the province's legislative council here on Wednesday to oppose the May 1, 1963 integration of their territory into Indonesia.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The central bank announced on Wednesday a decline in the banking sector's non-performing loans (NPLs) in March, but warned of a rise in months to come.

Bank Indonesia deputy governor Maman Sumantri said in March, the NPL level (gross) stood at 7.8 percent compared to February's 8.2 percent.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri teamed up with the head of Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation in an attempt to re-energise her flagging campaign for a second term.

Megawati announced that Hasyim Muzadi, head of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) which claims 40 million followers, would be her vice-presidential running-mate for the July 5 election.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Religious-inspired violence is old news in Indonesia. Muslim extremists were behind the Bali bombings of October 2002 and, allegedly, the Marriott Hotel blast last August. The secessionist movement in resource-rich Aceh cloaks itself in strict Islamic clothing.

Budi Hartadi, Surabaya – A wave of demonstrations hit the East Java city of Surabaya on Thursday May 6.

Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh – The Indonesian Military (TNI) acknowledged on Wednesday that troops in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam were guilty of hundreds of violations, including rape and selling ammunition to rebels in the province.

Dili – The East Timorese parliament narrowly approved Wednesday a controversial general amnesty for all crimes committed up to March 31, including the so-called "serious crimes" carried out by anti-independence militias and Indonesian troops in 1999. The bill, presented by Justice Minister Domingos Sarmento, passed in generality by 24 votes to 18 with 14 abstentions.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Despite praise from the international community, the April 5 legislative election is unlikely to bring about significant political and social changes, a seminar concluded.

Dean Yates, Jakarta – The United States is pleased Indonesian police have re-arrested militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir but Washington should not have to apologise for the controversy over its view of him, the US envoy to Jakarta said.

The impact of Indonesia's election has been widely debated, but little attention has been paid to the movements for change in the country. Green Left Weekly's Vanessa Hearman spoke to Gigih Guntoro, the general secretary of the Indonesian National Students' League for Democracy (LMND), during his recent tour of Australia, about what is happening.

Jakarta – Twelve years after a law was passed forcing drivers to wear seat belts, police in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Wednesday began enforcing it.

"We are, starting today, enforcing the law that requires drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seat belts," said a national police spokesman, Zainuri Lubis.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri has decided to team up with the leader of the country's largest Muslim organisation in a bid to boost her support base for the July presidential election.

The Golkar party of former dictator Suharto officially won Indonesia's parliamentary election but now faces a tougher battle for the presidency in July.

Golkar took 21.58 percent of the vote in the April 5 election compared to 18.53 for President Megawati Sukarnoputri's ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the national election commission announced.

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – Foreign arrivals in the country hit a six-year high of 1.03 million in the first quarter of this year despite the introduction of a stricter immigration policy and security concerns due to the general election.

Budi Hartadi, Surabaya – Scores of activists from the Indonesian National Student Movement (Gerakan Mahasiswa Nasional Indonesia, GMNI) in Surabaya, East Java, held a demonstration [on May 5] rejecting presidential candidates with a military background. They also called on the people to be on their guard against ex-military officers becoming involved in politics.

Fredolin Adhysa Pelupessy, Jakarta – On Wednesday May 5, demonstrators from a number of Islamic mass organisations went to the national parliament to demand the dismissal of Indonesian police chief Da'i Bachtiar.

Kurniawan Hari and Nani Farida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh – House of Representatives members have thrown their weight behind the Aceh Prosecutor's Office tackling several corruption cases allegedly involving administration officials, including Governor Abdullah Puteh.

"In principle, prosecution should be conducted by the prosecutor's office.

Jason Koutsoukis, Canberra – Prime Minister John Howard may face further pressure to call a royal commission on Australia's intelligence services following new claims that the Defence Department for six weeks ignored warnings that a spy was operating in the army with impunity.

Alisa P, Banda Aceh – According Acehnese People's Democratic Resistance Front (FPDRA) chairperson, Thamrin Ananda, the plan by the interim coordinating minister for politics and security, Hari Subarno, to reduce the status of martial law in Aceh to a state of civil emergency following a meeting with the armed forces chief in Cilangkap, is a mealy a form of political bribery in the l

Bogor – More than 230 mostly female staff laid off from the PT Sahabat Unggul Internasional textile factory staged a protest at the Bogor City Council on Tuesday about their dismissal.

The workers said management had dismissed them after a dispute about about employee insurance payments and allowances on April 23.

Slamet Susanto and Rusman, Yogyakarta/Samarinda – Hundreds of students staged protests in Yogyakarta and Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on Tuesday to demand the government pay more attention to education in the country.

Jakarta – Thousands of students across the country hit the streets on Tuesday to condemn a brutal police attack against university students over the weekend in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar.

Makassar, Kompas – On Tuesday May 5, massive demonstrations and rallies by thousands of students from almost all schools of higher education in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar brought activities in the city to a stand still for the entire day.

Robert Go, JaKarta – Mr Fektur claims he earns 20 million rupiah (about S$3,900) a month – a sum that firmly puts him in Indonesia's middle class.

All that the 24-year-old needs is a computer hooked up to the Internet for three to four hours a day so that he can collect information from chatrooms.