Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – A recent survey that found 9 percent of Indonesian Muslims justify the Bali bombings as a form of "jihad to defend Islam" confirms the ambivalence of some Muslims toward terrorism, a Muslim scholar says.

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – Mick Slater, the commander of Australia's peacekeeping force in Dili, has revealed that he could not arrest East Timor's most wanted fugitive, Alfredo Reinado, during a secret meeting in the mountains last week because he was outnumbered.

Jakarta – Indonesian television broadcast the photo of a fugitive convicted of embezzling millions of dollars in state funds as part of a new campaign against corruption.

The broadcast Tuesday was the first installment of a weekly TV program exposing people convicted of corruption, which remains endemic at all levels of government.

Reports on violence in East Timor have tended, in the past, to be followed by inaction.

Jakarta – Stopping and clearing up a massive mud flow at an Indonesian gas well will cost at least $180 million and the final bill may well rise higher, the company operating the well said Thursday.

Jakarta – Experts recommended Wednesday that the mud gushing from a gas well in Sidoarjo, East Java, be dumped along the coast to form a mudland where mangrove trees and other plants could be cultivated.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – Legal and human rights groups are giving President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono low marks for law enforcement, citing the unsolved murder of noted human rights activist Munir and the administration's failure to prosecute former president Soeharto on graft charges.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Four years on, the special autonomy that costs more than Rp 5 trillion (about US$555 million) annually, has brought about little progress in Indonesia's eastern-most territory, analysts say.

P. Parameswaran, Washington – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is under US pressure to get to the bottom of the murder of a leading human rights lawyer – a case which suggested a cover up and links to the powerful national intelligence agency.

Shawn W Crispin – With Thailand under military-appointed rule, the Philippines fresh off a stint of martial law and an unresolved vote-rigging scandal and the rest of Southeast Asia under hard and soft authoritarian yokes, Indonesia has clearly emerged as the region's healthiest, most vibrant functioning democracy.

James Balowski, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is coming under increasing pressure to release a report implicating security forces in the murder two years ago of Munir, Indonesia's most prominent human rights activist.

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – Former East Timorese prime minister Mari Alkatiri failed to stop weapons being distributed to civilians and should face a criminal investigation, a UN inquiry has found.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – "Money politics" are having a negative affect on the behavior of voters and politicians, threatening democracy in Indonesia, say analysts and politicians.

John M. Glionna, Sukadamai – These days, the forlorn widow never leaves her tiny shack in this bustling island village. She sits in the doorway, an emotional shut-in who rubs her painfully bloated legs and feet as she peers out longingly at a world that shuns her.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The House of Representatives approved the 2007 budget Tuesday, with the government envisaging a wider deficit of Rp 40.5 trillion (US$4.3 billion) to help accelerate growth to 6.3 percent next year.

Damien Kingsbury – The relationship between Australia and Indonesia is the most testing of Australia's foreign relations, and one which has consistently been mishandled.

If the latest opinion poll by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) is any indication, then the combined votes of all the Islamist parties in Indonesia will plunge to 9 percent in the 2009 elections, from more than 20 percent in 2004.

Jakarta – UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the East Timorese today to accept the conclusions of an inquiry by the world body into deadly violence that rocked Dili earlier this year.

Lirio da Fonseca, Dili – East Timor's prime minister stood by the chief of the armed forces on Wednesday, after a UN inquiry called for his prosecution over the arming of civilians during a wave of violence in the tiny nation in May.

Mark Dodd – A UN inquiry into the causes of deadly violence in East Timor earlier this year has accused President Xanana Gusmao of inflaming tensions which brought the country to the brink of civil war.

The long-awaited UN report has also recommended former prime minister Mari Alkatiri face a criminal investigation over alleged weapons offences.

Ary Hermawan and Ruslan Sangadji, Jakarta – The State Intelligence Agency (BIN) warned of more attacks during Idul Fitri celebrations in religiously-divided Central Sulawesi after a Christian pastor was shot dead in the provincial capital of Palu.

Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – The government Monday began dumping into the sea mud gushing from a gas exploration well in Sidoarjo, East Java, amid protests against the move by local farmers and environmentalists. The disposal, a trial using the Porong river after previous trials failed, was carried out with untreated mud.

Jakarta – Civil servants in an Indonesian province have been offered two days off work if they help douse land-clearing fires which have blanketed vast areas with choking haze, officials said.

Another life was eliminated on Monday by those who have an interest in the violence in Central Sulawesi prevailing. The death of the man adds to the list of those who have lost their lives in the sectarian-torn region and no one knows when the list will end.

Anissa S. Febrina, Jakarta – It was a hot afternoon last Wednesday in North Jakarta's Kapuk Sawah, a day that would surely test those who were fasting. Just when it seemed things could not get any worse, they did.

Workers, students and street vendors living in the crowded kampong witnessed a terrible scene: their homes, burning.

But context of recent violence needs greater attention

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today praised the work of the UN's Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the violence in Timor-Leste last April and May.

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – An unidentified gunman shot dead a Christian pastor on Monday in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province, officials and church groups said, sparking fears of a return to sectarian fighting that once gripped the region.

Benget Simbolon Tnb., Jakarta – Despite fairly free elections at a regional level, democracy in Indonesia is still at the procedural stage, promoting the "practices of a shadow state and informal economy" which could discourage foreign investors, a researcher says.

Bhimanto Suwastoyo, Jakarta – The death toll in Indonesia from bird flu rose to 55 after officials confirmed that a 27-year-old woman who died last week was infected with the virus.

The death is the third to be confirmed in two days in Indonesia, which is grappling with the world's highest number of deaths from avian influenza.

Jakarta – Indonesia began dumping mud surging from a gas exploration site in central Indonesia into the sea on Monday, hoping to minimize destruction from the disaster that has submerged entire villages and displaced thousands.

Jakarta – State Minister for Administrative Reforms Taufik Effendi said Saturday that the number of civil servants would be reduced by at least one million in order to improve efficiency.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The future of political Islam remains bleak in Indonesia, with fewer than one in 10 Muslims saying they would still vote for Islamic parties in the next election, a survey revealed Sunday.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – All political factions involved in the deliberation of the controversial pornography bill have agreed to draw up provisions that would act as a strong deterrent against the distribution of pornographic materials that exploit children.

Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – Scalpers are a common and exasperating sight at train stations here.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesians gathered here Sunday to join a worldwide campaign against poverty meant to remind world leaders of their promises to achieve the 2000 Millennium Development Goals.

Anissa S. Febrina, Jakarta – If spirits wander the city determined to set things right, the ghost of former president Soekarno might continue to haunt the grounds of Central Jakarta's Senayan complex.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono came off well in a House of Representatives discussion of his first two years in power, with even traditional critics praising his work.

His supporters said that during his first two years of administration, Yudhoyono had managed to resolve problems that had beaten previous leaders.

Jakarta/Timika – Relatives of seven Papuans on trial for the 2002 killings of two Americans and one Indonesian demanded a fair trial in Papua on Friday as the defendants continued to boycott the session in a Jakarta court.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – After being denied government assistance, dozens of Papuans went on a rampage Friday, burning government offices and clashing with police officers.

Slamet Susanto, Bantul – With Idul Fitri less than two weeks away and no money on hand, Yogyakarta earthquake victim Girah only has one option: pawning his old bicycle.

The 46-year-old resident of Kasongan hamlet, Bantul handed his bicycle over to the Bantul state pawnshop for Rp 150,000 (US$16.60), which he will use for Idul Fitri preparations.

Hamish McDonald – Four years after the first Bali bombings, a new picture has emerged of the Islamic jihadist organisation that carried them out, thanks to the insights of a former Australian intelligence analyst.

There is a serious problem in Indonesia that needs to be addressed: People tend to be hypocritical and distrustful of everything.

Goenawan Mohamad, Ubud, Bali – Pramoedya Ananta Toer is no longer with us, but such is his stature that his absence constitutes an assignment. Today we have the memory of a hero and piles of his prose works to deal with – not knowing for sure whether the subject of our discourse should be the former or the latter.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The failure to unravel the 2004 murder of human rights activist Munir highlights the need for speedy reform of the intelligence services, defense analysts said Thursday.

"The Munir case should be linked to the agenda of security reform," said defense analyst Edy Prihartono of the National Alliance for Intelligence Democratization (Sandi).

Niniek Karmini, Pekanbaru – Southeast Asian nations Friday urged Indonesia to ratify a regional treaty to fight annual brush fires that have sent choking smoke across parts of Malaysia and Singapore, saying only then would it get financial help.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Children here and overseas are frequently physically and emotionally abused at home and at school with many people around the world thinking the abuse is "normal", a UN study revealed on Thursday.

Tony Hotland and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The unresolved murder of noted human rights campaigner Munir continues to get international attention, while his widow, Suciwati, is preparing to address the United Nations Human Rights Commission about the case.

Benito Lopulalan, Kuta – Indonesians and foreigners on Bali have marked the fourth anniversary of deadly bombings by Islamic extremists with a series of emotional ceremonies and rituals on the resort island.

Reporter: Anne Barker

Peter Cave: The Brussels based International Crisis Group has warned that a United Nations report on the political and security crisis in East Timor will be explosive and may touch off another round of serious violence. The UN report is due out within days, and is expected to name those responsible for the recent turmoil.

Twelve Australians jailed in Indonesia – including convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby – could soon be eligible to return home with a landmark deal believed to have been struck between the two nations.