Nani Farida and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – While the provincial government has predicted Aceh's elections will run successfully, many Acehnese are pessimistic they will be democratic or deliver a desired outcome.

Semarang – Four university students of Papuan origin, detained by Central Java police for having raised the separatist "morning star" flag on December 3, 2003, have been set free.

Their release had to do with the expiry of their detention term, namely 60 days. But they were still required to report to the police periodically.

A political dissident in East Timor says he is preparing to challenge the government when the United Nations mission to the country ends on May 20.

Radio Australia – The United Nations has announced it may maintain a presence in East Timor beyond the end of its peacekeeping mandate on May 20. The announcement comes amid concerns that East Timor's troubled border with Indonesia still poses a major threat to future political stability.

Presenter/Interviewer: James Panichi

Jakarta/Lhokseumawe/Banda Aceh – Two hostages were freed in Tungkah Gajah village in East Aceh regency on Thursday, exactly seven months after they were kidnapped by members of separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has questioned a proposal to grant the presidency the right to veto the entry into effect of legislation passed by the House of Representatives, arguing that the government fully participated in the deliberation of bills before their approval by the House.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) disqualified on Thursday 126 of 1,682 regional legislative candidates from 24 political parties contesting the April 5 legislative election.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais joined on Thursday those expressing concern over a possible delay to the elections following the ballot box tender fiasco.

Tangerang – Some 200 activists of 10 non-govermental organisations staged a rally on Thursday at the Tangerang municipal council, demanding the dismissal of the Tangerang General Elections Committee (KPUD) chairman.

NGO Komunike chairman Imron Hamami said the KPUD chairman Adi Warman had been uncooperative in implementing change and dishonest in the use of the KPUD budget.

Indramayu – Hundreds of local supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) burned party flags and tore down other party paraphernalia from the street in a protest against local leaders on Thursday.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Any move to ban people belonging to the New Order regime from the elections violates the principle of democracy itself, political observer Arief Budiman says.

Anton Doni, Jakarta – The dilemma of idealistic intellectuals ahead of the first election after Soeharto quit the presidency in 1998 was whether or not to get their hands dirty by becoming politicians.

Ruslan Sangadji, Poso – Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla has urged the public to report any diversion in the distribution of welfare funds for refugees in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

Jayapura – Anticipating security disturbances in the lead up to the 2004 general elections, the TNI (armed forces) will increase surveillance in areas which are considered to be susceptible to disturbances by the Free Papua Organisation or the Papua National Liberation Army (OPM/TPN). There will not be any increase in troop numbers but routine patrols will be increased.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia's Supreme Court yesterday postponed until next week its review of an appeal by the country's Speaker of Parliament and potential presidential candidate Akbar Tandjung, prompting protests from student groups and anti-corruption activists.

Jakarta – Dozens of demonstrators staged a protest at City Hall on Thursday, demanding Governor Sutiyoso take stern measures against an oil driller they said was polluting the waters of the Thousands Islands.

Jakarta – Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno stated that so far the government did not have any plans to raise the status of civil order in Papua formerly Irian Jaya to civil emergency. There was not enough reason to impose such a status in that province.

Jakarta – The State Budget for the Indonesian National Military Forces (TNI) has been increased by 15 per cent from 11.536 trillion rupiah in 2003 to 13.266 trillion this year.

Chief of the Armed Forces Information Centre, Sjafrie Sjamsuddin, stated in a press release that the increase in TNI's routine budget would be allocated to improve soldiers welfare.

Jenny H. Backstrom, Kuta – It is still the rainy season in Bali. But other forms of clouds, confusion and uncertainty, currently cover the island. The hot topic causing this confusion is the much-debated new visa-on-arrival policy, to be effective February 1.

An Indonesian court has jailed an Islamic militant for life for helping to make one of the bombs which ripped through two Bali nightclubs and killed 202 people.

"We hereby sentence the defendant, Zaenal Abidin alias Sarjiyo, alias Zaini ... to life in prison," Judge Ari Supraptman announced at a court in the resort island.

John Aglionby – The bird flu ravaging Asia has thrown up many surprises in the last week and many experts are expecting more in the next few days. Perhaps the hardest to explain is that of the contrasting fortunes of the governments in Bangkok and Jakarta, which both withheld information for months about the extent and duration of the crisis.

The policies of some Western nations in the Middle East and elsewhere are partly to blame for the rise of terrorism in Indonesia and other countries, a top anti-terror official said here.

The main cause of terrorism in Indonesia was religious radicalism that manipulates religion for its own ends, said Asyaad Mbai, the security ministry's coutner-terror chief.

Rusman, Samarinda – The East Kalimantan General Elections Commission (KPUD) ruled on Wednesday that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) could not run for seats in the provincial council during the upcoming elections.

Frans Surdiasis, Jakarta – The latter half of 2003 saw the re-emergence of the daughter of former president Soeharto, this time on the political stage.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – The International Labor Organization (ILO) called on Wednesday for the National Police to refrain directly intervening in negotiations and disputes between workers and employers.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – A blueprint just released by the central Bank Indonesia (BI) spells out in some detail how banking-sector reforms will be implemented over the next 10 years. The document, termed simply "The Indonesian Banking Landscape", describes how higher standards of capital and good corporate governance will be imposed on a sector badly lacking in supervision.

The military chief in Indonesian West Timor has promised that members of an opposition group in neighbouring East Timor, an independent state, will be barred from crossing the border into West Timor.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Twenty-four fish farmers in Cilincing subdistrict, North Jakarta, demanded on Wednesday that the city administration provide Rp 340 million (US$40,476) in compensation for polluting their fish farms by dumping waste in a nearby swampland that is the site of Cilincing dump.

Brussels – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan assured East Timor Thursday that the UN would likely maintain a presence in the country after the end in May of its current security and aid mission.

More than 200 people from Kajang village in Bulukumba regency protested at the South Sulawesi legislative council on Wednesday to demand the expulsion of PT London Sumatera (Lonsum) from their area.

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday it had put on ice its role in attempting to mediate the release of civilians being held hostage by Free Aceh Movement separatists.

Jakarta – A small group of people claiming to be victims and their relatives of a bloody 1989 clash in the village of Talangsari went to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Wednesday to reject a plan to reopen the case.

Indonesian government is currently discussing a bill on safeguarding vital objects throughout the country. The discussion is to highlight reconsideration and criteria of vital objects that will be necessarily safeguarded.

Indonesian President will soon sign the bill that will be legislated into presidential decree.

News about the possibility that the central government might impose a civil emergency in Papua province has caused strong reactions in several quarters. The source of the news was Effendy Choirie, of the National Awakening Party (PKB), who chaired a closed meeting of Commission I of the House of Representatives.

Currently more than 2.2 tons a year of hazardous and toxic (B3) wastes are exported to developing countries, including Indonesia. Indonesia as a country of archipelago is regarded as one of countries that apply lenient standards of environmental management particularly of B3 wastes.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The Constitutional Commission (KK) is considering granting the president authority to veto bills that he or she deems to be unfavorable to the nation.

Commission deputy chairman Albert Hasibuan said such a power would promote the checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches.

Jakarta – Plans to provide Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency officials with legal immunity once it is closed have been fiercely criticized, as it violates the basic principle of equality before the law.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The management of state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) and its 6,600 dismissed workers have failed to resolve their labor dispute under a bipartite negotiation, and has relegated the final decision to the Central Committee for the Settlement of Labor Dispute (P4P).

Jakarta – A soldier shot and killed two civilians before turning his gun on himself, and eight other people have also been killed in separate incidents in the strife-torn province of Aceh.

An army spokesman said Chief Private Kun Hendrianto had killed two people when he fired at random in a street in Takengon, the capital of Central Aceh district, on Sunday night.

Matthew Moore – Despite up to 10 million Indonesian chickens dying from bird flu since August, Indonesia's Health Ministry said yesterday it has had no reports of any-one contracting the deadly disease.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Despite progress over the past three years, the implementation of regional autonomy in some parts of the country has fallen short of what had originally been hoped for, The Asia Foundation revealed.

The foundation noticed improved popular participation in the decision-making process, which encouraged the local democratization process.

Jakarta - At around 11.45am on Tuesday January 27, two groups of demonstrators from the Central Leadership Committee of the People's Democratic Party (KPP-PRD) and student demonstrators from the Administration Branch of the Mandala Indonesia Higher School of Education (STIAMI) held demonstrations at the offices of the National Elections Commission (KPU).

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – After conducting a second verification, the General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Tuesday that between 5 and 10 percent of some 8,000 legislative nominees were not eligible for the April polls.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has established a Rp 100 billion (US$11.3 million) budget for the upcoming elections campaign, with half of that budget earmarked for a media campaign.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – A number of non-governmental organizations condemned on Tuesday the General Elections Commission (KPU)'s recent decision to ban election monitors from entering polling stations.

James Balowski, Jakarta – In the presence of some 200 members and supporters, on January 16 the People's Democratic Party (PRD) "launched" its new central leadership board and 2004 general elections resolution. The resolution is titled "Not an election, but unifying the people to take power!".

Jill Jolliffe, Bobonaro – As the world's youngest nation battles to repress rebel groups, the harshness of the crackdown risks provoking the very instability the government seeks to prevent, critics charge.

Kupang – Wirasakti military commander Col. Moeswarno Moesanif accused an East Timor opposition group on Tuesday of infiltrating the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara to invite former militiamen to create chaos in the new country.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) A.M. Fatwa testified on Tuesday in an ad hoc rights tribunal that he had been a victim of torture by military personnel in the wake of the bloody 1984 Tanjung Priok massacre.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Former president Soeharto's youngest son, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, failed once again to testify at a trial in the Central Jakarta District Court. And once again the imperturbable judges gave him more time to decide whether to show up or not.