David Greising, Tanjung Priok Port – Indonesia-Customs officer Tiko Murtiadji is no economist, but as he watches a truck-size X-ray machine inspect a cargo load of car tires here, he knows evidence of the global economic slowdown is standing just outside his window.

It is very hard to believe that Tommy Soeharto could so easily knock down the Attorney General's Office (AGO) twice in two separate court battles. Easy wins, but worth more than US$400 million. It is like daylight robbery. Did it happen because Tommy is so honest and his lawyers are so genius at convincing the judges of his honesty?

Medan, North Sumatra – The Indonesian government must not deport Rohingya asylum-seekers stranded in Aceh Province, a Muslim organization said on Friday.

"The foreign affairs minister should not deport the predominantly Rohingya Muslim refugees and should not categorize them as 'economic migrants,'" said Djoko Wiyono, head of the Ukhuwah Jama'ah Muslimin, or Hizbullah.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A House member on Wednesday sought help from the Army to prevent local political parties in Aceh Province affiliated with former members of the now defunct separatist Free Aceh Movement, or GAM, from winning the majority of seats in the provincial legislative council, or DPRD.

Jakarta – Sales of new cars, vans and trucks declined in January on the slowdown in economic growth which dampened local purchasing power.

According to data from PT Toyota Astra Motor and the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) auto sales dipped 24 percent to 32,167 units compared to 42,489 in the same period of last year.

Panca Nugraha, Mataram – The West Nusa Tenggara Social, Demography and Vital Statistics Agency recorded 227,633 cases of child neglect in 2008, 24,705 of which involved children below the age of five.

Jakarta – The police has named a total of 66 suspects allegedly involved in violence that led to the death of North Sumatra Provincial Legislative Council Speaker Abdul Aziz Angkat last week. All suspects had been detained at Medan Police Headquarters.

Jakarta – Despite an apology from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Golkar Party is still up in arms over Democratic Party (PD) deputy chairman Ahmad Mubarok's remark that Golkar would get no more than 2.5 percent of the total vote in the upcoming legislative elections.

Amir Tejo, Surabaya – Around 3000 victims of the Sidoardjo mudflow took to the street in Surabaya, East Java Province on Tuesday to demand that PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, owned by the family of Aburizal Bakrie, the coordinating minister for people's welfare, honor its promise to pay the remaining 80 percent of damage compensation it owed to local residents.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Legislative candidates said Wednesday they would be careful in sending out SMS campaigns to voters because it could provoke a backlash.

Although the legislative candidates welcomed the ministerial decrees allowing then to campaign through cell phones, they expressed worry that excessive messages could bore or anger voters.

Peter Gelling, Jakarta – Wani, an Indonesian domestic servant, tells Human Rights Watch in a new report that when she was 13 years old, her female employer would pin her up against a wall and slap her repeatedly, calling her "stupid," or "the devil."

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – Politician and campaigner for pluralism Zannuba Arrifah Chafsoh Rahman Wahid, better known as Yenny Wahid, was summoned for questioning at the Jakarta Police headquarters Tuesday in connection with a report of defamation filed mid last year by Muslim hardliner Munarman.

Jakarta – Indonesia should overhaul legal protections for child domestic workers to tackle widespread abuse and exploitation throughout the country, a rights group said on Wednesday.

Arientha Primanita – A daughter of former President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was brought in for questioning by Jakarta Police on Tuesday in relation to a defamation claim filed by Munarman, commander of fundamentalist group the Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI.

Lawmaker Trimedya Pandjaitan said Wednesday that low attendance of lawmakers in meetings held to discuss the corruption bill had made it impossible for the House of Representatives to pass the bill in April as scheduled.

Jakarta – Indonesian consumer confidence rose slightly in January, helped by expectations of easing inflation in Southeast Asia's biggest economy after a series of cuts in subsidised fuel prices, two surveys showed.

Jakarta – Most generic medicines consumed here fall short of international standards, with drug companies complicit in the scam, experts said Tuesday.

"The generic drugs are often of far lower quality than patented ones," Anugerah Corporation chairman W. Biantoro Wanandi told The Jakarta Post after an event to launch his book on community health.

Jakarta – The national elections body complained Tuesday about problems with determining the number of eligible voters in several areas across the country.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Debate about the need for the Golkar Party to name a presidential candidate before the April legislative elections has sharpened an already damaging internal rift within the 2004 poll-winning party, analysts said on Tuesday.

Erwida Maulia, Cikeas, West Java – In an attempt to contain the damage to his ties with the Golkar Party, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has reprimanded an executive from his Democratic Party for issuing a statement reportedly offending the party of Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

One year after the near-fatal shooting of East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta, the country's foreign minister has admitted it still needs help.

He made the comments during discussions with his counterparts from Australia and Portugal, who also acknowledged that more needed to be done.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – New Supreme Court chief justice Harifin A. Tumpa admits there are problems within the country's judiciary, but denies allegations that the institution he leads is infested with corruption.

Jakarta – An Indonesian court rejected Wednesday a civil corruption case against the youngest son of ex-dictator Suharto involving the alleged misuse of 400 million dollars in state funds.

Jakarta – The Infrastructure Fund – which would provide alternative financing for development projects – may be up and running as early as March.

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will contribute around Rp 2 trillion (US$170 million) to help fund the country's infrastructural development, which would be placed with the new Infrastructure Fund.

Suherdjoko, Semarang – Heavy flooding over the past two days has paralyzed parts of the northern Java north coast, popularly known as Pantura, disrupting both land and air traffic.

Nelson da Cruz – A year after rebel attacks left East Timor's president fighting for his life, the nation is on a "knife-edge" amid threats to stability from grinding poverty and a culture of impunity, analysts say.

The West Java branch of the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party has been ordered to lose that loving feeling.

Fitri Wulandari and Yayat Supriatna, Jakarta – Indonesia's export growth is expected to slow sharply this year amid the global downturn, the trade minister warned on Tuesday, delivering a further blow to Southeast Asia's biggest economy during an election year.

Jakarta – Soaring loan defaults in some economic sectors has raised questions over the severity of the impact of the global economic crisis on Indonesia.

Yuli Tri Suwarni and Agus Maryono, Bandung/Purwokerto – The General Elections Commission (KPU) said there is the potential that many votes will rendered invalid if voters mark ballot papers more than once.

Jakarta – Increased coal use could pose severe environmental threats for the nation, activists warned Monday.

"Using coal is not a sustainable solution, because it can severely damage the environment. The government must not use it in the long run," Darwina Sri Widjajanti, executive director of the Sustainable Development Foundation (YPB), told The Jakarta Post.

Jakarta – Hopes abound within the Golkar Party leadership for a deal with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono not to change the winning team in the July presidential election.

Golkar chief advisor Aburizal Bakrie told reporters during his visit to Yogyakarta the party hoped to see its chairman Jusuf Kalla contesting the election as Yudhoyono's running mate once again.

Sunanda Creagh, Jakarta – Security in oil-rich East Timor has greatly improved in the year since an attack on President Jose Ramos-Horta, but significant reform is needed to create long-term stability, a think tank said on Monday.

East Timor, which was invaded by Indonesia in 1975, has suffered from outbursts of violence and unrest since gaining full independence in 2002.

Dili/Brussels – A year after Timor-Leste's president Jose Ramos-Horta was shot, security is markedly improved but at the cost of an army that is unreformed and increasingly unaccountable.

Jakarta/Bandung – Vice President Jusuf Kalla has rejected growing calls for his Golkar Party to discuss presidential candidates during its national meeting this week.

His statement comes as party stalwart Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X continues to seek the party's support for his presidential bid.

The National Police said Monday it had identified a group of elite based in Jakarta who was responsible for planning and financing the violent rally in Medan last week that led to the death of North Sumatra legislative council chairman Aziz Angkat.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Bowing to the fact that love will be in the air next weekend, members of the country's leading Islamic-based political party, the Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS, will distribute chocolates and flowers on Valentine's Day in hopes of wooing young voters, whom the party is having trouble attracting as supporters and members.

Ambon – One year after the establishment of the Great Indonesia Movement Party, or Gerindra, the party is already claiming 10 million members and has high hopes for adding another five million before the month's end, the party said over the weekend.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has declined to announce his running mate for the upcoming presidential election, sparking speculation that he wants to keep his options open rather than limiting himself to Vice President and Golkar Chairman Jusuf Kalla.

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) will on Tuesday begin distributing ballots for the legislative election, despite protests from political parties.

Jakarta – Many political parties contesting the April 9 elections have wasted the power of the Internet to reach out to a wider range of voters, a study shows.

Jakarta – Overwhelmed and unpersuaded by the clutter of campaign ads, many city residents are still undecided about who they will choose in the upcoming general elections.

Rosvianti, a volunteer for a children's rights NGO in Kalimalang, East Jakarta, said she got confused after seeing so many posters promoting different candidates.

Lucy Williamson – Indonesians will tell you there are bribes to be paid for almost everything in life – getting your identity card in reasonable time, passing your driving test, avoiding a parking ticket, even getting into the police force.

Heru Andriyanto – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must immediately issue a government regulation to ensure that a court to handle corruption cases exists, antigraft campaigners said on Sunday.

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – Millions of women have continued to retain their widow or divorce status, choosing to support their families as single parents, despite challenges they face within society.

Jakarta – Seasonal flooding in Indonesia has inundated hundreds of houses, forced the closure of a regional airport and triggered landslides that killed at least two people, officials said Monday.

Dozens of flights to Semarang in central Java were canceled Monday after the main runway was submerged, said provincial spokesman Achyani.

Jakarta – A former top official of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and key witness in the Munir Said Thalib murder case, Vice Adm. Bijah Subjanto, has died in China, succumbing to prostate cancer.

Tempointeraktif.com news portal reported that Bijah died in a hospital in the city of Guangzhou on Friday afternoon after receiving treatment there for the past month.

Peter Gelling, Solo – At a small, back-street bookstore here, the young employees, wearing matching green skullcaps and sporting wispy chin beards, stock books with titles like "Waiting for the Destruction of Israel" and "Principles of Jihad."

Rizal Harahap, Medan – North Sumatra Police have rejected allegations that police officers had conspired with protesters demanding the establishment of Tapanuli province during a violent rally on Feb. 3.

Critics say the conspiracy may have contributed to the death of the province's legislative council speaker Abdul Aziz Angkat.

Erwida Maulia and Rizal Harahap, Jakarta/Medan – Heads are rolling in the wake of the death on Tuesday of North Sumatra legislative council speaker Abdul Aziz Angkat after a protest that turned violent.