Australia's support for an end to the UN mission in East Timor reflected a desire to improve relations with Indonesia and extend its influence in the former Portuguese territory, a US thinktank says.

An analysis of Australia's support for an end to the United Nations operation which expires on June 30, was carried out by Stratfor, the private sector intelligence group.

The brouhaha of politics often belie the soundness of ties between two nations. Millions in this country disapprove of America's foreign policy, particularly in issues related to Iraq and Afghanistan. However, they should not cloud what has been a long-standing, amiable relationship among regular Indonesians and Americans.

James Balowski, Jakarta – In the boldest statement on the subject to date, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has signalled that the US is ready to restore full military training ties with the Indonesian military (TNI).

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – The central government requested the Jakarta administration resume control of the newly corporatized hospitals in the city as it fears their new status will adversely affect services to the poor.

Jakarta – On the eve of the government's announcement it was raising fuel prices, a poll found President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's popularity had dropped to 66 percent, with voters criticizing Susilo's efforts to improve the economy.

Semarang – State forestry company Perhutani I in Central Java lost an estimated Rp 31.72 billion (US$3.5 million) because of illegal logging last year, the company's boss says.

The amount was less compared to 2003, when the company suffered Rp 61.66 billion loss, company head Sofyan Hanafi said in Semarang on Monday.

Richel Dursin, Jakarta – A government plan to cut down more trees in one of the largest national parks in Indonesia to help rebuild tsunami-ravaged Aceh has drawn opposition from environmentalists and officials in the country's Forestry Ministry, who claim that the plan could worsen illegal logging in the country.

[Excerpt from Senator Leahy on Bush's judicial nominees: You Can't "Make The Judiciary An Arm Of The Republican Party".]

Amy Goodman: Senator Leahy, I wanted to get to two other issues before I know you have to go.

Senator Patrick Leahy: Sure.

Jakarta – Nationwide protests on Tuesday greeted the government's decision to raise fuel prices, but a heavy police presence helped prevent the demonstrations from turning violent.

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – Six months after human rights campaigner Munir was murdered, a fact-finding team assigned to help the police investigate the case may have a suspect.

The head of the team, Brig. Gen. Marsudi Hanafi, said on Tuesday the team was looking at an employee of Garuda airline.

Indonesia's president has warned traders and transport officials against price hikes during a tour of several towns around Jakarta as protests and strikes continued for a second day after the government raised fuel costs.

Hundreds of students have held street rallies across Indonesia to protest swingeing government increases on fuel prices by an average of nearly 30 percent.

Protests took place in at least six Indonesian cities and towns, radio and television reports showed, as anger mounted over the government's decision to raise fuel costs.

Jakarta – "Huuuu...! That's what you get when you skip classes all the time," spectators at the Anticorruption Court in Jakarta once mocked a prosecutor who was warned by the presiding judge to deliver clear and intelligent questions to the defendant, Abdullah Puteh, who has been suspended as Aceh governor while being tried for graft.

Jakarta – After weeks of uncertainty, the government has announced a hike in domestic fuel prices by an average of 29 percent, which would come into effect on March 1, despite objections from the House of Representatives and the public.

We should commend President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's determination to make the unpopular-but-necessary decision to forge ahead and increase fuel prices. The increases will enable the government to allocate a larger share of resources to poverty alleviation and improve public services and other basic infrastructure in the country.

Washington – Just two days after the United States moved to improve military ties with Indonesia, the State Department said on Monday the Jakarta government had a poor human rights record last year.

Most of the abuses took place in areas of separatist violence, the department said in its annual report on human rights conditions worldwide.

Jakarta – The United States' decision to resume training members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) after a 14-year suspension of cooperation shows Washington's recognition of the government's efforts to reform the TNI, officials said on Monday.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia will tap America for nuts-and-bolts operational skills for its troops, not just lessons in military strategy for the top brass, now that the US has decided to resume training members of the Indonesian military.

The United States and Australia today called for ending the United Nations peacekeeping mission in East Timor when its mandate expires in May, going against recommendations by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Victims of the garbage collapse at Leuwigajah dump created havoc on Monday after missing out on an opportunity to talk face-to-face with Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

The end of the meeting was described as warm and full of understanding. One day before the end of the talks, the Prime Minister of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) gave a speech. His voice was calm and measured. He spoke on behalf of Teungku Hasan di Tiro, the "honorable head of state," now based in Sweden.

On 26 February 2005, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "determined that Indonesia has satisfied legislative conditions for restarting International Military and Educational Training (IMET)", a small but symbolically important part of the military relationship between the two countries. The decision is a major blow for Indonesia's fragile transition to democracy.

In one of her very first moves in office, new US State Secretary Condoleeza Rice made the decision to resume full International Military Education and Training (IMET) for Indonesia. The decision to restart the IMET came after the State Department's certification that Indonesia has "satisfied" the legislative conditions for the IMET.

[Note that this article was written a while before publication so may be a little out of date]

Sandra O'Malley and Rob Taylor – The Federal Government is neglecting regional security by backing the US in opposing an extension of the UN peacekeeping mission in East Timor, Labor warned today.

East Timor wants peacekeepers to remain past a May withdrawal deadline, a position shared by the UN.

[The following is an abridged translation of a selection of articles from Detik.com which were posted on its web site on March 1 after the Indonesian government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice-President Jusuf Kalla (SBY-Kalla) announced the decision cut fuel (BBM) subsides.]

Makassar students burn tires over fuel price increases

On 18 February, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the establishment of an independent commission of three experts to review the progress made by judicial processes in Indonesia and East Timor towards accountability for serious violations of human rights committed in East Timor in 1999.

Sian Powell, Jakarta – Indonesia has welcomed the Bush administration's decision to resume a training program for the Indonesian military that has been suspended since 1992.

United Nations – The United States said Monday it opposes Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation for a one-year extension of the UN peacekeeping mission in East Timor, saying there is no longer a threat to peace between the tiny country and its powerful neighbor Indonesia.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – The internal strife in the United Development Party (PPP) appears to be worsening after members gathered for informal talks over the weekend demanded that the party bring forward its congress to the end of the year from the scheduled 2007, citing the need for reform and regeneration in the party.

Tim Shorrock – The Bush administration and the Pentagon are leveraging warmer post-tsunami relations with Indonesia to convince Congress to lift its restrictions on full military ties with the world's largest Muslim nation.

[The following is an abridged translations of a selection of articles from Detik.com which were posted on its web site on February 28, the day before the Indonesian government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice -President Jusuf Kalla (SBY-JK) took the highly unpopular decision cut fuel (BBM) subsides.]

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta – The construction of high-rise buildings and the overexploitation of groundwater has caused the capital to sink by up to 100 centimeters over the past 12 years, according to an expert.

Australia will rebuild Indonesian immigration offices in the tsunami-shattered province of Aceh to improve ties between the countries and bolster the fight against people-smuggling, Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said.

Murray Hiebert, Washington – The US has taken a key step that lets it restore, at least for this year, a military assistance program with the Indonesia military that had been curbed for 13 years because of American concerns about human-rights violations.

The United States, eager to build up its alliances in Southeast Asia, has decided to resume training members of the Indonesian armed forces suspended since 1992, officials announced.

The US State department says Indonesia has met conditions set by Congress for re-establishing a training relationship with the Indonesian military, the TNI. The Bush administration previously tried to revive close ties with Indonesia's military, but faltered after two American school teachers were murdered in Papua province in 2002.

Jim Lobe, Washington – The State Department's decision to renew military training for Indonesia – a major step toward full normalisation of military ties between the United States and the giant archipelago – has been greeted with scepticism by human rights groups and some lawmakers critical of Jakarta's record.

Regencies and cities, which lack resources – or the capacity to capitalize on them – should not despair when it comes to attracting private investment, because investors consider policy variables to be very important factors that influence their decisions to set up business in a regency or town.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Denpasar/Jakarta – Aware that his popularity rating is likely to plunge over planned fuel price increases, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Sunday his administration would never issue a policy that favored the rich at the expense of the poor.

Melly Febrida, Jakarta – Armed forces (TNI) chief Endriartono Sutarto has guaranteed that recent peace negotiations which are being organised between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will not influence the operation to restore security in Aceh.

Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara) – The daily newspaper Radar Timor, owned by former governor of East Timor, Abilio Jose Osario Soares, was officially closed down on Friday due to financial problems.

Ellen Bork – Bush administration officials want to upgrade ties with Indonesia's military. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has told Congress that the Indonesian military is cooperating in an investigation of the 2002 murders of two Americans and an Indonesian in Papua.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry has decided to drop its plan to raise its logging quota this year after discovering that unscrupulous timber companies were deliberately misreporting their demand.

Jakarta – In a corner of a kiosk in suburban Jakarta, a young man brags about how he managed to escape being imprisoned after paying Rp 1 million (US$107) to a police officer who had arrested him for possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Andreas Harsono – One early morning in January, when Hotli Simandjuntak drew water from a well outside a house in Banda Aceh, he was complaining about some messages he had received from his Global TV editors in Jakarta. "They grumbled about having no official quotes on the beating of Farid Faqih. How important is Farid in Jakarta?

Reporter: Graeme Dobell

Hamish Robertson: A renewed effort is being made to end the diplomatic war of words between Australia and East Timor over oil and gas deposits in the Timor Sea and the precise location of the boundary between the two countries.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) on Sunday welcomed a US decision to resume training members of the Indonesian military after a 14-year hiatus, a military spokesman said.

"The TNI welcomes any form of cooperation which can concretely enhance professionalism in the military field," TNI deputy spokesman, Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki, told AFP.

The East Timor Action Network (ETAN) today condemned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's decision to resume full International Military Education and Training (IMET) for Indonesia. Yesterday, the State Department announced that Secretary Rice had "determined that Indonesia has satisfied legislative conditions for restarting" IMET.

Budi Sugiharto, Surabaya – A declaration of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya has been marred by a fist fight. Six youths, supporters of PDI-P chairperson former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, forcibly broke up the event. PDI-P Reform Movement leader Sukowaluyo Mintohardjo was spat on in the face.