Jakarta – The Golkar Party has officially reprimanded all members who have defied the party's official decision to support Megawati Soekarnoputri in the presidential election runoff on September 20.

Richel Langit, Jakarta – Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tanjung is not contesting the September 20 election, nor is he a member of either political party whose candidates advanced to the second round of the presidential election.

Maryadi, Jakarta – Hundreds of people from the Committee Against the Criminalisation of the Press (Komite Anti Kriminalisasi Terhadap Pers, Kakap) held a demonstration at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout on Sunday September 5 at 3pm.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Hundreds of villagers in East Lampung blocked off a section of the Sumatra East Coast Highway that is under repair in protest of a company they accuse of failing to honor its promise to provide electricity for their villages.

Together with journalists of other printed media, The Jakarta Post's Sri Wahyuni was recently invited to join an investigative team formed by the Yogyakarta-based Silvagama Foundation.

Jakarta – Thick haze from forest fires and farmland burnings blanketed the Indonesian province of Jambi, delayed flights to and from the eastern Sumatra region, officials said on Tuesday.

Semarang – Some 25 former residents of East Timor descended upon the Central Java provincial administration on Monday, demanding that the Indonesian government pay the compensation promised to them after they fled East Timor in 1999.

The East Timorese relocated to Indonesia, mostly to areas in Central Java, after East Timor claimed independence in 1999.

Munir, one of Indonesia's most respected and courageous – yet also most humble – human rights activists, passed away Tuesday (7/9/04), apparently due to cirrhosis of the liver, while on a flight from Jakarta to the Netherlands, where he had planned to pursue a masters degree in law. He was 38.

Lisbon – East Timor's religious leader, Catholic Bishop Basilio do Nascimento, is optimistic over efforts, backed by Portugal, to re-introduce the use of Portuguese in his newly independent country.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Supporters of terror suspect Abu Bakar Ba'asyir fought a running battle with police officers and hurled shoes and other debris inside a courtroom, shortly after a judge dismissed on Monday the lawsuit against the arrest of the elderly cleric.

Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Pekanbaru/Jambi/Samarinda – A senior official at the Office of the State Minister of the Environment said on Sunday that at least two-thirds of the over 1,000 forest fires that recently hit Kalimantan and Sumatra sprung up in areas owned by plantation companies.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The House of Representatives is expected to endorse the bill on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Tuesday, but a human rights campaigner doubts the effectiveness of the commission to fulfill its tasks.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The government and the House of Representatives seems set not to learn from the debacles that have arisen under the existing bankruptcy legislation, as proposed amendments of the law still contain many loopholes that could allow creditors to easily bankrupt solvent companies.

Jakarta – A non-governmental organization (NGO) expressed its concern about the presence of 19 alleged militias in Aceh, which all fall under the supervision of the local military command.

In a statement signed by coordinator Bonar Tigor Naipospos, the Friends of Aceh said the militias could trigger conflict among civilians in the war-torn province.

Jakarta – International and national pressure has intensified against settling disputes over media reports using criminal charges, saying the trend will sacrifice press freedom and curb the public's right to information.

Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh, still the subject of an ongoing corruption investigation, is now facing accusations of supporting the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – New shopping malls and lavish condominium buildings are sprouting up across the capital city and hypermarkets such as Carrefour are expanding fast, at the expense of smaller supermarkets and traditional grocers.

Cellphones sell like hot cakes and new motorcycles and cars abound. But these trends belie reality.

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Nearly 1,250 of 1,784 state schools in Tangerang regency are in need of renovation, but the regency administration has only allocated enough money, about Rp 60 billion (US$6.45 million), to renovate 75 of the schools.

Muhammad Uzair and Suherdjoko, Palembang/Semarang – In observance of Jilbab (Muslim headscarf) International Solidarity Day on Saturday, hundreds of Indonesian Muslim women staged separate protests in two cities against alleged discrimination against them.

[The Invisible Palace: The True Story of a Journalist's Murder in Java, Jose Manuel Tesoro, Equinox Press, August 2004, Rp 139,000.]

Bruce Emond, Jakarta – Some of us, most of us, perhaps, prefer to let painful matters slide, unconcerned about finding solace in the now hackneyed term of "closure".

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – A soldier from the Siliwangi Military Command posted in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam recently complained about his length of duty in the province.

"I have been posted in Aceh for nearly 13 months. There is still no sign of us returning home. I always long for my family," he said.

Phar Kim Beng – With the price of oil hovering around US$40 per barrel, it is easy to assume that the oil-producing countries are laughing all the way to the bank. After all, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)has affirmed that all its members can make do with $30 per barrel.

Jonathan Head, East Timor – Five years ago the people of East Timor had their first opportunity to choose their own future and a staggering 98% of registered voters turned out to cast their ballots in favour of independence.

What do people have a right to expect five years after winning a Titanic struggle for independence?

Jakarta – State officials, particularly those in the regions, should be wary of people posing as Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officials demanding money, the KPK warned on Friday.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – With the government's term nearing its end, the National Awakening Party (PKB) is giving the thumbs-down to law enforcers' efforts to eradicate corruption during the past five years.

Jakarta – The presidential election runoff will mark the end of the political career of the outgoing Vice President Hamzah Haz, who announced on Friday that he would retire from politics after September 20, the date of vote.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Three days before the Central Jakarta District Court hands down its verdict on a case against Tempo chief editor Bambang Harymurti, who is on trial for defamation against businessman Tomy Winata, activists are scrambling to their feet in an attempt to rescue the country's press freedom.

Banda Aceh – Indonesian troops shot dead three suspected separatists in the restive province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, while 11 other suspected rebels surrendered in six separate areas of the province, the military said on Saturday.

Indonesian security forces carried out gross human rights abuses including murder, torture and arbitrary arrests during two incidents in remote eastern Papua province, a rights body says.

Indonesian officials reacted with outrage after a man jailed for life for his key role in the deadly Bali bombing was treated to coffee in a Jakarta Starbucks by police, who say the outing was a "proper procedure".

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Soldiers involved in non-military crimes will be subject to trials in district courts in the near future, if the House of Representatives and the government agree on the amendment to Law No. 31/1997 on military tribunals.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – At least 421 separatist rebels have been killed since Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam was placed under a state of civil emergency three months ago, an official has said.

Sr. Comr. Sayed Hoesainy of Aceh's civil emergency administration said on Tuesday that the rebels were killed during military operations since May 19.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Frustrated by their inability to complete case files on the main suspects in the scam involving state bank BNI 46 and the resulting low recovery of state losses, police have decided to allow the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to take over the probe. National Police Chief Gen.

Banda Aceh – An armed gang fired on a passenger bus late on Monday in Keude Jurong subdistrict, some 450 kilometers east of Banda Aceh municipality, leaving five passengers injured, three seriously.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) announced on Thursday that it had found initial evidence suggesting that security personnel had committed crimes against humanity in two separate incidents in Papua a few years ago.

Nana Rukmana, Majalengka – The price of vegetable paid to growers has been declining in Majalengka regency, West Java province, over the past few months, sparking concern among thousands of farmers in the mountainous area.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – An internal rift within the Golkar Party has led several party leaders to split ranks from the party's pro-President Megawati Soekarnoputri Nationhood Coalition to instead back presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

A labor dispute in Timor-Leste (East Timor) is putting the World Bank's "dream [of] a world free of poverty" to the test.

The dispute challenges the Bank to apply to itself the standards the institution claims to promote, including a commitment to rule of law, poverty elimination, fundamental labor rights and sustainable development.

Jakarta (Agencies) – A number of executives from the Golkar Party defiantly set up a faction to support the candidacy of the Democratic Party's presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate Jusuf Kalla.

Jakarta – Indonesian presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono yesterday told a pre-poll corruption check that he was worth 4.57 billion rupiah (S$848,000), a sum likely to be dwarfed by rival Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Jakarta – A rift in Indonesia's powerful Golkar party deepened yesterday, threatening to pull the rug from under President Megawati Sukarnoputri's carefully assembled coalition just weeks before she seeks a second term.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Can President Megawati Soekarnoputri, and the country's governors, regents and legislators really claim to represent the people? This question is being raised increasingly amid general public loss of confidence in both the legislative and executive organs of government at both the central and local levels.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – House of Representatives legislators slammed the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Tuesday for alleged irregularities in its budget spending for the legislative and presidential polls.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – In an apparent move to prove their will to fight corruption, presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and vice presidential candidate Hasyim Muzadi visited the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Tuesday.

Dennis Shanahan – A gas revenue deal worth $5 billion for the infant nation of East Timor is expected to go ahead despite the election campaign clashing with scheduled negotiations next month.

The last federal cabinet meeting before the Coalition goes into election "caretaker" mode cleared the way yesterday for a deal on gas revenues from the Timor Sea.

Jakarta – The Banda Aceh District Court ordered the release of 10 councillors being detained on graft charges, prosecutors and their lawyers said on Monday, while hundreds of protesters staged protests in several regions to demand legal action against corrupt lawmakers.

In the early hours of Sunday, one of the most feared, yet respected sons of the nation left us. Gen. (ret) Leonardus Benjamin "Benny" Moerdani, 71, deserves the praise that has been heaped on him from many quarters. It is not an exaggeration to say that he was probably one of the best soldiers this nation ever had. It is difficult to deny the fact.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – "Of course the risks are high. But if not us, who else is willing to take the risk?" So asked Hilmi Panigoro, chief executive of PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk (Medco), earlier this year in an interview with local media.

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – The ongoing deliberation of the Indonesian Military (TNI) bill at the House of Representatives (DPR) in the final days of the House members' terms in office has not only drawn widespread attention, but also strong criticism from related institutions and the public in general.

Jakarta – The United States yesterday announced US$468 million (S$802 million) in aid to Indonesia, earmarking part of it for improving Islamic schools, which have been blamed for encouraging fundamentalism.