Adianto P. Simamora and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The government said on Friday it would work on improving the country's counterterror capabilities, including upgrading the existing antiterror desk and enacting tougher antiterror laws akin to Malaysia's Internal Security Act (ISA) following several deadly bomb attacks here over the past few years.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – With the fuel price increases, the tsunami disaster in December and reports of bird flu and polio, affordable, quality health care is out of reach for more and more people, resulting in the reemergence of diseases that have disappeared completely in other countries.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – A spate of recent church closures and attacks on the compound of a sect has highlighted a debate raging within the Indonesian Muslim community over religious freedom and tolerance.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Several Aceh separatists were shot as GAM began a second round of weapons decommissioning on Friday as part of a peace deal to end three decades of fighting in the province.

Sudirman Nasir, Melbourne – It is crucial that Acehnese, men and women, be directly involved in all stages of rehabilitation programs in the province. Women's participation is also critical since it has become apparent that the civil war and the tsunami disaster have affected women more severely than men.

Banda Aceh – A rebel in Indonesia's Aceh province has been shot and wounded by a soldier during a disarmament ceremony aimed at ending decades of violence in the tsunami-hit conflict zone.

Jakarta – Indonesia may strengthen its anti-terrorism law following suicide bombings at three crowded Bali restaurants that police say indicate an al-Qaida-linked militant group is adopting new tactics that are harder to predict, officials said Friday.

Jongker Rumteh, Manado – The trial of a local subsidiary of US-based Newmont Mining Corp resumed at the Manado District Court on Friday, with its American president director insisting the company had nothing to do with a baby's death after the tearful mother showed the court a photo of the girl.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Malang – Since its inception two months ago, the Commission of Truth and Friendship has reported no progress in its mission to identify those responsible for past human rights violations in what was then East Timor.

Cynthia Banham – An East Timorese human rights group that criticised the Federal Government over its negotiations with the fledgling nation on maritime boundaries has been stripped of it funding.

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – People in the rather slummy neighborhood units were a little envious seeing Miswan opening an impressive, official-looking envelope. They thought the security guard in a housing complex near their area might have received another Rp 300,000 worth of fuel compensation assistance from the government.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Top human rights groups slammed the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday for failing to protect human rights during its first year in office.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – For his work at a shoe company in Tangerang, Banten province, Parluhutan Simbolon is paid Rp 1.3 million (US$103) a month, a wage he once considered decent.

But since the government raised fuel prices on Oct. 1, it has been a struggle to make ends meet as the prices of basic goods have also increased.

Dili – The first newspaper to be published in East Timor's two official languages – Tetum and Portuguese – has ceased publication after failing to achieve sufficiently high circulation.

The weekly "Lia Foun" disappeared from newsstands Friday in Dili after being launched in May leaving only one weekly title, the Portuguese-language "Jornal Nacional Semanario".

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Defense and intelligence analysts are ruing poor team work among intelligence units and unpopular government policies for a string of terrorist attacks that have rocked the country over the last three years.

Greg Barton – Three years after the horror of the first Bali bombing and four years after the shock of the September 11 attacks, most Australians are mystified about why doubts about Jemaah Islamiah persist in Indonesia.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Two drivers calmly gave themselves up to the police when they were apprehended in Bandarlampung recently with trucks laden with meranti and kruing timber.

Wahjoe Boediwardhana, Malang – Further reports emerged nationwide on Wednesday of the inaccuracy of data used to determine who is eligible to receive cash assistance from the government to offset higher fuel prices.

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – The fuel price hikes have severely affected industries in East Java with more than a 40 percent of firms in the province in danger of collapsing by the end of the year, a research institute says.

Sydney – It's been 30 years since five Australia-based newsmen were gunned down in the East Timorese border town of Balibo. It's been 30 years since their bodies were dragged into a room, doused in petrol and set alight.

Bandung – Hundreds of workers from the West Java Nusantara Workers Union staged a noisy protest at Bandung's City Hall and provincial council building on Wednesday, demanding a 100 percent rise in minimum wages.

The protesters said the current minimum wage was no longer enough to cope with workers' escalating living and transportation costs.

Emmy Kuswandari, Jakarta – The minister of defense, Juwono Sudarsono, says that the civilian authorities are not yet strong enough to ensure political stability and national security. The presence of the TNI (Indonesian military) therefore is still needed, particularly in handling terrorism.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Indonesian Military Chief (TNI) Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Wednesday that the plans to reactivate the much-criticized military's territorial function to help in the fight against terrorism would not extend to allowing soldiers to make arrests.

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – After a year in power, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems unable to improve his political communication skills so as to sustain his popularity, some experts say.

John Pilger – "The propagandist's purpose," wrote Aldous Huxley, "is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human."

Reporter: Nick McKenzie

Peter Cave: The Defence Force is being accused by one of its own of misusing national security and secrecy laws to stop the publication of a book, because it was deemed overly critical of the Federal Government.

Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – The plan to reactivate the territorial commands (Koter) down to the village level continues to spark polemic. Even the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Hidayat Nurwahid, has asked the government to consider the objections that have surfaced among the public.

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – The peace process in Indonesia's Aceh province could soon be irreversible, the head of a European Union-led team monitoring implementation of a truce between the government and rebels said on Wednesday.

Jakarta – The chief peace monitor in Indonesia's Aceh urged exiled separatist rebel leaders on Wednesday to return as soon as possible to help strengthen the peace process in the province.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The government has delayed indefinitely the establishment of the much-awaited Papuan People's Assembly (MRP), blaming a dispute among local religious leaders and local authorities over the composition of the assembly.

Max Lane – An eight-month election process for village councils has finished in East Timor. Although the village councils have no power and are primarily vehicles through which local people can articulate their opinions, the elections were contested by almost all parties.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Prosecutors will have to work harder to prove that key suspect Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was among the murderers of human rights advocator Munir Said Thalib.

Throughout the trial which has gone on for the past two months, prosecutors were unable to present strong material evidence and witnesses to testify against the defendant.

James Balowski, Jakarta – On October 1, under pressure from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced massive cuts to fuel subsidies. The average cost of domestic fuel rose by almost 125% as a result, and the price of kerosene, which Indonesia's poor use for cooking, rose by 185%.

The family of a Scots journalist brutally murdered in a war zone are demanding that Tony Blair helps them get justice – 30 years after his death.

Today – as you would almost certainly know – is the third anniversary of the first Bali bombing and our major report tonight provides an alarming twist to the ongoing terror campaign being waged in Indonesia.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Debate is stirring among government officials following President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's request that the Indonesian Military (TNI) actively help crack down on terrorists last week.

Hasrul, Kendari – Kendari district court on Tuesday sentenced 23 former city councillors to one year and six months in jail, adding to the long list of councillors around the country who have been incarcerated for graft.

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – Former president Soeharto's half-brother Probosutedjo admitted on Tuesday to giving his lawyer Rp 6 billion (US$600,000) to bribe the Supreme Court chief and other court officials dealing with his appeal against his graft conviction.

Graham Matthews – In the days following the October 1 Bali bombings, Australians have been subject to a barrage of hypocritical and racist "anti-terrorist" hysteria whipped up by politicians and the corporate media.

Clinton Fernandes – The destruction of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), 40 years ago following the seizure of power by pro-US military officers headed by General Suharto was a decisive event in the history of South-East Asia in the second half of the 20th century.

Clinton Fernandes – The destruction of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), 40 years ago following the seizure of power by pro-US military officers headed by General Suharto was a decisive event in the history of South-East Asia in the second half of the 20th century.

Adi Warsidi, Banda Aceh – Around 1,000 people from a number of Acehnese social organisations participated in a seminar to discuss a draft law on the organisation of a government in Aceh. The event was held at the Dayan Dawood Building on the Syah Kuala University (Unsyiah) campus in Banda Aceh on October 11.

John Aglionby – Indonesian police today announced the first arrest in connection with the October 1 Bali suicide bombings in which 23 people, including the attackers, were killed.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Murdered Indonesian human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib and Myanmar pro-democracy advocate Min Ko Naing were on Monday named 2005 "Civil Courage Prize" winners.

The prize will be posthumously awarded to Munir during a ceremony at The Harold Pratt House in New York city on Tuesday.

Banda Aceh – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) opposes the current discourse on the reactivation of the territorial commands (Koter) by the TNI (Indonesian military) as a response to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's instruction to the TNI to assist in combating terrorism.

Nala Edwin, Jakarta – The public is being encouraged to study and be on guard against the TNI's (Indonesian military) efforts to revive the territorial commands (Koter) as a means to preserve the power of the current administration. The TNI has even been asked not to become involved in politics again.

Adi Warsidi, Jakarta – As many as 116 Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members being detained in Sumatra and Java have yet to be granted amnesty. This is despite the fact that on August 31 the government stated it would grant amnesty to all GAM members as part of the implementation of the peace agreement.

Rusman, Samarinda – The sound of chain saws was very load. Mustarmin, 37, and his four colleagues immediately scampered away from a big tree as it crashed into small trees around it. After a few moments, the loggers returned to work, finding other big trees to fell.

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – It appears that an investigation into alleged graft in the production of bird flu vaccine last year will not start anytime soon due to bureaucratic hurdles.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture is examining vaccine stocks after discovering the massive graft case which could affect the quality of the vaccines produced.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Prices of most basic commodities in traditional markets across the capital have soared by up to 30 percent following the fuel price hike. However, since there are adequate supplies of goods, the Jakarta administration has no plans to intervene.