Jakarta – Indonesia's largest political party picked a retired general indicted for human rights abuses in East Timor as its presidential candidate Wednesday, drawing condemnation from critics who called him a war criminal. The Golkar Party of ex-dictator Suharto selected Gen.

Banda Aceh – Separatist rebels have ambushed and killed three Indonesian soldiers in Aceh province, a report said Tuesday.

The deaths on Saturday came amid an upsurge in reported violence that also left 22 suspected Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels dead and two others wounded on Saturday and Sunday, according to the military.

Sonny Inbaraj, Dili – East Timorese activists have thrown their support behind their government's refusal to ratify an agreement giving Australia the lion's share of disputed oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea as talks begin here this week to demarcate the two countries' maritime boundaries.

Jakarta – The United Opposition Front (Barisan Oposisi Bersatu, BOB) says that the Saviors of the Nation Forum (Forum Penyelamat Bangsa) which has been conceived by [National Mandate Party chairperson] Amien Rais and [Justice and Prosperity chairperson] Hidayat Nurwahid is quasi-unity, a pretence and just pragmatic.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – More than 1,000 former employees at state aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) staged an unruly protest on Monday at the West Java High Court in Bandung, damaging the court buildings.

Golkar's leader Akbar Tanjung promised to battle Indonesia's endemic corruption and revive the economy as members of the party founded by former dictator Suharto met to choose a presidential candidate after its apparent parliamentary election win.

Surabaya/Jakarta – The country's largest Muslim organization, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has not yet named its preferred presidential candidates despite frequent visits by Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid to several influential NU clerics.

Dean Yates, Jakarta – Indonesian militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has not even been charged yet in a fresh terrorism investigation, but already public opinion is shifting behind the jailed preacher amid anger at perceived US meddling.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Fresh from a six-week recess, House of Representatives legislators started on Monday their new sitting period, with nearly 60 bills lined up for deliberation.

Tanya Nolan: East Timor and Australia will this afternoon start nearly a week of talks, on the increasingly tense issue of a permanent maritime boundary.

And in the lead-up to the meeting in Dili, East Timor has turned up the pressure by threatening not to ratify an agreement for a seabed oil and gas project, worth $8 billion. From Canberra, Graeme Dobell reports.

Sydney – Australia was on Monday accused of bullying impoverished East Timor about the division of revenue from a multi-billion dollar oil and gas field as talks to establish boundaries began in Dili.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Denpasar – East Timor Attorney General Longinus Montero said on Sunday the trial of former Indonesian Military chief Gen (ret) Wiranto for his alleged role in crimes against humanity and war crimes in the former Indonesian province might not materialize due to lack of evidence.

Erwin Z, Jakarta – A total of 278 Indonesian citizens currently residing in the An-Nur mosque, Dili, East Timor, have requested that the Indonesian Representatives' Office (KUKRI) in the country to pay attention to them as they have been isolated by the East Timorese authorities.

Dili – Tiny East Timor has launched another swingeing attack on Australia as the two countries begin formal talks to settle their sea border and the ownership of billions of dollars in offshore oil and gas revenues.

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said the issue is "a matter of life and death" for his country, which was Asia's poorest nation upon independence in May 2002.

Nur Raihan, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Emergency Military Commander, Major General Endang Suwarya says that Free Aceh Movement (GAM) forces have been rescued to 40 per cent. Nevertheless, with one month left before the end of the first extension of martial law in Aceh, the military has a presence in every part of the province.

Mark Colvin: Australia and East Timor appear to be on a potential collision course over the future of a seabed boundary between the two countries.

Officials from both countries are in Dili today for the start of new talks to resolve what's shaping up as a major thorn in bilateral relations.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government will soon re-evaluate whether it is necessary to maintain martial law in the war-torn province of Aceh, a senior cabinet minister said Monday.

Jakarta – The Indonesian military has rescued 124 people taken hostage by separatist rebels in Aceh province since the start of a military offensive last year but 260 civilians are still detained, a report said Monday.

Banda Aceh – Indonesia's military has reduced separatist rebel strength in Aceh by 60 percent, the province's martial law commander said Monday as the army claimed the deaths of 22 suspected rebels.

"What's clear, it's estimated that their strength has been greatly reduced... to around 40 percent," Major General Endang Suwarya said told a Jakarta radio station.

Jakarta – Several donor countries and institutions agreed on Monday to hold routine meeting discussing the improvement of Indonesia's investment climate.

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Indonesian police have named Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir a terror suspect and are focusing on possible links to the Bali blasts and his alleged leadership of an al Qaeda-linked militant group, officials said on Friday.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The national legislature will resume sitting on Monday until early July, involving many members who are unlikely to be reelected for another five-year term.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Former Indonesian general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has edged ahead in the race to become the country's next president by teaming up with a running mate from the Golkar Party of former president Soeharto.

Jakarta – The executive director of Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial), Munir, says that the drawing in or courting active military officers to enter politics will only destroy the nation's system of defense.

David Fickling, Sydney – East Timor risks becoming "another Haiti" because of an attempt by Australia to exploit offshore oil and gas reserves between the two countries, according to its president, Xanana Gusmao.

Suherdjoko, Semarang – Kerosene has become very scarce in the past two months in Semarang, the capital of Central Java, and neighboring areas due to a lack of supply, causing its price to soar.

Maryadi, Jakarta – Around 70 people who claimed they were from Ngawi, Magetan, from the East Java city of Madiun, demonstrated at the Constitutional Court building on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta on Monday April 19.

Woro Swasti, Jakarta – On Monday April 19, the United Opposition Front (Barisan Oposisi Bersatu, BOB), which was established by 14 student organisations, held a demonstration rejecting the results of vote counting in the recent legislative elections.

Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – Local prosecutors have brought a criminal charge against a group of activists who staged a rally on Wednesday to urge a serious investigation into corruption scandals in Cirebon, West Java.

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – The Jakarta Police recorded 208 bodies found on streets and other public places in Greater Jakarta during the first quarter of this year and about half of those remain unidentified.

Alisa P, Jakarta – Speaking at the offices of the Dakwah Muhammaddyah, Munir SH, the executive director of Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) said that National Mandate Party (PAN) chairperson Amin Rais must be responsible for the reformasi stalling. Especially since Rais is attempting to team up with the military as his partner in the coming presidential elections.

Alisa, Jakarta – Dita Indah Sari from the United Opposition Front (Barisan Oposisi Bersatu, BOB) has strongly criticised the current crop of presidential candidates who are creating illusions, such as [former Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security] Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), [National Mandate Party chairperson] Amin Rais and [Justice and Prosperity Party chairperson, P

M. Ilham, Jakarta – The United Opposition Front (Barisan Oposisi Bersatu, BOB) and the Indonesian Trade Union Action Committee (Komite Aksi Serikat Buruh Indonesia, KASBI) are calling for a national strike on May 1 to coincide with May Day. According to Anwar M.

The Golkar party of former dictator Suharto maintained its lead in Indonesia's general election but a rival demanded party leader Akbar Tanjung resign ahead of a convention to choose the party's presidential candidate.

Tom Allard – The liberation of East Timor has frequently been cited by the Prime Minister, John Howard, as one of his proudest achievements in eight years of government. True enough, a nation was born and no Australian lives were lost in restoring order and quashing militia remnants in the ravaged former Indonesian province.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – A group of professionals, religious leaders, students, organizations and senior military officers announced on Friday a movement to gather support for presidential hopeful Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – The favorite pairing for the next president and vice president is Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, cofounder of the Democratic Party and Jusuf Kalla of the Golkar Party, a survey which findings were revealed on Friday said.

Andreas Harsono, Jakarta – A retired army general, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is likely to be President Megawati Sukarnoputri's most serious challenger in Indonesia's presidential election in July, judging by an opinion poll and the views of political analysts.

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – The emergence of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Democratic Party as the two parties that have garnered the most votes for the Jakarta City Council has come as something of a surprise.

Banda Aceh – The military shot dead two separatist rebels and a government soldier died in a hostage crisis in restive Aceh province, the military and witnesses said on Saturday.

Hamish Robertson: Here at home, the controversy over allegations of bias and intimidation in Australia's intelligence services has deepened this morning.

A new report has been released, backing claims by top military intelligence officer, Lieutenant Colonel Lance Collins, who says he's been victimised by a "pro-Jakarta lobby" in the intelligence community.

Jose Ramos-Horta – I have been fighting for the independence of my country since the early 1970s. I lost three brothers and a sister, as well as countless friends and relatives, to the violence visited upon my people during 25 years of brutal Indonesian occupation.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The recent presidential decree which centralizes the issuance of permits for investment under the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) reflects not only a lack of creativity on the part of the government in streamlining the bureaucracy, but is also detrimental to the spirit of the long-sought regional autonomy.

Robert Go, Seminyak – Bearing an ornately carved "dragon blowpipe" and a wooden cigarette box, souvenir seller Dewa Nyoman steps more lightly on his beach route now that Indonesia's general election has passed without trouble.

Jakarta – East Timor's last Indonesian-appointed governor Friday denounced a Supreme Court ruling convicting him for the 1999 bloodshed there, saying he was a scapegoat for army generals who escaped punishment.

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – Since its launch on January 15, city residents have warmed to the busway as shown by the increasing number of passengers over the last three months.

M. Ilham, Jakarta – According to the government the elections in West Papua were a success, however for the people of Papua this cannot be said to be true, moreover as many as 70,000 Papuan people were not registered to vote. Identification cards are not longer used at polling stations [voters must have a separate voter registration card].

Surabaya – About 1,800 workers from household appliance company PT Kyung Dong Indonesia (KDI) in Sidoarjo staged a protest on Thursday at the East Java gubernatorial office on Jl. Pahlawan, Surabaya.

They demanded Governor Imam Utomo to prevent the closure of the company.

Mark Forbes, Canberra – The barrister whose report was used to deflect allegations of intelligence failings made by a senior military analyst says his views do not invalidate those allegations.

Banda Aceh – At least six people, including four separatist rebels, were killed in the latest violence in the restive province of Aceh, the military said Friday.