Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Sawmill owners operating in West Lampung can easily get permits saying wood taken from the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park is legal, an activist says.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Consistent law enforcement remained elusive in 2005, which a legal aid foundation said was the fault of the Supreme Court.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Debate over the need to request a delay on the payment of government debts, both interest and principal, from overseas creditors is unlikely to ease anytime soon, with some senior lawmakers pledging to push ahead for the facility at all costs.

Tom Benedetti, Vancouver – The attention that the tsunami brought to the previously overlooked conflict in the Indonesian province of Aceh is contributing to an end to three decades of insecurity and terror there.

Stevie Emilia, Jakarta – When the world's biggest timber smuggling operation from Papua to China was exposed last year, it marked a turning point in the fight against illegal logging in the country.

The first phase of the Aceh peace agreement ended pretty much on schedule before the turn of the year. The Indonesian Military (TNI) withdrew the last of its non-local troops. The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) handed over all its remaining fire arms and formally disbanded its military wing.

Abdi Mari, Palu – Authorities searched Sunday for the suspected Islamic militants who set off a bomb at a Christian market in central Indonesia, killing seven people and underscoring the ongoing battle against terror in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Canberra – It may have become a big deal later, but East Timor did not figure prominently in the deliberations of the Whitlam government in its final year.

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – A dark cloud appears to be dogging PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) following news reports exposing its payments to soldiers guarding the world's largest gold and copper mining firm in Papua, and its alleged poor pollution record.

Abdi Mari, Palu – A bomb tore through a meat market crowded with people shopping for New Year's celebrations Saturday in an Indonesian province plagued by sectarian violence, officials said. At least eight people were killed and 45 wounded – many of them Christians.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – With ailing Garuda Indonesia unlikely to get back in the black anytime soon, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, in response to the airline's privatization plan, sees little pride in the state owning a national flag carrier that keeps suffering losses.

Jakarta – NGO activists consider think that the security of foreign companies such as Freeport McMoran must be provided as a compensation for tax payments to the state.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) announced on Friday its latest reshuffle affecting three-star generals, including former Aceh commander Lt. Gen. Endang Suwarya as TNI's chief of general affairs.

This time last year, we ended 2004 on an extremely subdued note. The powerful earthquake and massive tsunami that killed over 160,000 people and rendered another half a million homeless in Aceh and Nias island towards the end of last year stunned the whole nation, and the whole world for that matter.

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu/Jakarta – Conservative Muslim groups have openly campaigned against transvestism and the use of condoms.

They rallied against on Friday a New Year's Eve contest for the most attractive transvestite in Pekanbaru, Riau and the installation of an automatic condom dispenser in Palu, Central Sulawesi.

Jakarta – Indonesia's defense minister called Friday for an investigation into allegations that a US gold-mining giant paid US$20 million to military commanders guarding its mine on Papua island.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – In a move that many saw as unnecessary, Jakarta Police declared on Thursday Lia Eden and 32 of her followers suspects for defamation of religion a day after members of the cult were forcibly evacuated from their headquarters on Jl. Mahoni in Senen, Central Jakarta.

Muridan S. Widjojo, Jakarta – The meeting between Vice President Jusuf Kalla, flanked by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS, Minister of Home Affairs Mohammad Ma'ruf and Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, and the official leaders of the province of Papua on Nov.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono has told local and international companies not to make direct payments to the military officers guarding their operations as the practice is illegal.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Jakartans' out of sight, out of mind attitude to domestic and industrial waste has caused the city's 13 rivers to become so polluted that if the city administration does not clean them up it will have to give up on its dream of riverine transportation.

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – The Tangerang municipal administration destroyed on Thursday thousands of bottles of name-brand alcoholic drinks, pornographic pirated VCDs and six gambling machines confiscated in a string of raids this month.

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – For over 30 years, Wati has never enjoyed "free" public services. Each time she renews her ID card, her driver's license, or applied for marriage and land certificates, as well as birth certificates for her three sons, she always is forced to pay hundreds of thousands of rupiah in bribes to obtain her documents.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) complained on Thursday over a lack of support from other state institutions in its ambitious anticorruption drive.

Mark Dodd – Notorious former East Timorese militia leader Eurico Guterres is to return home with a personal guarantee for his safety by the country's President, despite a UN war crimes panel indicting him for murders committed in 1999.

Jakarta – Dozens of local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have sent a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, urging him to instruct the police to further investigate the murder of the country's top human rights activist Munir.

Jakarta – In spite of mounting criticism of his administration following the fuel price increases, the latest survey shows that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's popularity remains high, with over half of the population deeming that he is doing a good job.

However, they are unhappy with the government's economic performance.

Jakarta – An EU-led team monitoring a peace deal in tsunami-ravaged Aceh province will extend its mission by at least three more months to oversee crucial elections, Indonesia's vice president said Friday.

Before the tsunami, Banda Aceh was a ghost town at night except for patrols of feared paramilitary police. In the mornings, corpses scarred by torture would turn up in the paddy fields down the coast where the brutal guerilla war between GAM (Free Aceh Movement) insurgents and security forces was fought in the jungle.

Jakarta – Twenty-two women's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Indonesia and foreign countries have urged the Indonesian government to give security protection to Munir's family.

Slobodan Lekic, Jakarta – Indonesia's military acknowledged for the first time Thursday that its commanders in Papua had received "support" from a US gold-mining giant – responding to allegations that Freeport-McMoRan Co. gave the army millions of dollars to protect its facilities in the remote province.

Tiarma Siboro and Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Former Trikora Military Commander in Papua Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon has confirmed direct payments from US gold miner Freeport-McMoRan to Indonesian military and police personnel guarding the firm's mine.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – A group of human rights activists has asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to order the police to continue the investigation into the murder of noted human rights defender Munir in a bid to reveal the masterminds.

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu – Some 250 residents observed the 7th anniversary of the Poso conflict on Wednesday by staging a protest outside the Central Sulawesi Police Headquarters.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has requested that the government immediately halt illegal logging in Southeast Aceh and Aceh Singkil which has been disguised as wood requirements for rehabilitation and reconstruction following the tsunami disaster.

Rita A. Widiadana, Kuta – Only a few days before the deadly bombing of Oct. 1, 2005, the tourism industry in Bali and other places in Indonesia was starting to enjoy robust business after three years of being in the doldrums.

John Aglionby, Jakarta – Indonesia is today scheduled to complete the withdrawal of its 21,000 non-local soldiers from Aceh as part of a peace agreement to end a 29-year separatist insurgency in the tsunami-ravaged province.

Lisabona Rahman and Paul F. Agusta, Contributors, Jakarta – Indonesian cinema saw an eventful year in 2005, with more than 50 titles either released or produced, making it the most prolific year in Indonesia's film history in almost a decade.

Jakarta – An object of resentment as it often seen as a source of sound and air pollution in the capital, the three-wheeled diesel-fueled bajaj will soon be modernized.

An official of Jakarta's Association of Public Transportation Owners (Organda DKI), Jauhari Perangin-angin, said on Tuesday that 3,000 bajaj belonging to 100 individuals would be modified.

Jakarta – The Reform Star Party (PBR) has ended its internal rift during a meeting mediated by Aksa Mahmud, a deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) who is also a Golkar Party member.

Aksa was reportedly ordered by Vice President and Golkar leader Jusuf Kalla to help overcome the PBR dispute.

A'an Suryana and Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Ignoring mounting criticism, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has approved a plan for the Indonesian Military to deploy troops to help speed up post-tsunami recovery programs in Aceh.

A'an Suryana and Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) announced the dissolution of its military wing here on Tuesday in another move to achieve long-lasting peace in the tsunami-ravaged province.

Dorothy Kosich – It was only a matter of time until the New York Times "investigative" series on gold mining would highlight the track record of Freeport McMoRan's Grasberg operations in Indonesia.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Jayapura Military Court on Tuesday sentenced a soldier to six years in jail for killing a civilian in Papua. The soldier was also dishonorably discharged from the Army.

East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao and former pro-Jakarta militia leader Eurico Guterres agreed Tuesday to work toward reconciliation in the first meeting of the two former arch-foes.

"None has won, none has lost, because we both lost our fighters, so reconciliation is the best way for us," Guterres told reporters after the meeting.

Nani Afrida, special to The Seattle Times – It has been one year since the tsunami devastated Aceh. What Aceh looked and felt like when the tsunami struck, and the panic of the people around me are still fresh in my mind.

Greg Poulgrain – Supporters of Papuan Governor Jacob Salossa have raised allegations of foul play over his sudden death last week. They are concerned that no autopsy was performed on the man who led Indonesia's easternmost province for five years.

Jane Perlez and Raymond Bonner, Jakarta – The closest most people will ever get to remote Papua, or the operations of Freeport-McMoRan, is a computer tour using Google Earth to swoop down over the rain forests and glacier-capped mountains where the American company mines the world's largest gold reserve.

Banda Aceh – Indonesia's Aceh rebels formally disbanded their armed wing on Tuesday in a major step toward ending one of Asia's longest separatist conflicts.

Peace efforts gained momentum after Aceh province was devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, killing more than 131,000 people in the province and leaving half a million others homeless.

Banda Aceh – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono denied earlier reports saying he planned to send more than 15,000 troops to Aceh, saying the soldiers would number less than 1,000 and would be used for reconstruction efforts, not combat.

Banda Aceh – General Endriartono Sutarto, Commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI), has said that the TNI operational command based in Lhokseumawe would be closed down following the withdrawal of non-organic TNI troops in Aceh.