Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has slammed the Army chief's statement that he would deploy troops if the 2004 elections turn into bloody chaos, saying such a remark was politically unethical and could pose a serious threat to the nation's newly born democracy.

Kanis Dursin, Jakarta – Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirayuda unleashed the first-ever scathing criticism by any Indonesian official on the invasion and occupation of Iraq in early December, almost nine months after allied forces, led by the world's lone superpower, the United States, dropped their first bombs at selected targets across Iraq in March.

Andrew Hewett – Governments from around the world gathered in East Timor recently to hear news of a looming economic crisis facing the world's newest nation.

This crisis is triggered by declining foreign aid and uncertainty about future revenue flows to East Timor from the oil and gas fields of the Timor Sea.

Jakarta – Christmas celebrations across the country proceeded peacefully on Wednesday and Thursday amid the heightened presence of police.

Jakarta/Lhokseumawe/Medan – Indonesian media have failed to help resolve the Aceh conflict, as their coverage of the impact of martial law in the war-torn province has been inconsistent, a watchdog says.

The Information Flow Study Institute (ISAI) said the media here has no clear agenda on the Aceh issue, let alone helping to find a settlement to the war.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – Army chief Ryamizard Ryacudu has again said that at least 60,000 foreign agents have entered Indonesia. According to Ryacudu, these foreign agents are linked with a modern war plan to weaken the role of the TNI (armed forces) and to play people off against each other.

The candidacy of three daughters of founding President Sukarno in the upcoming 2004 general elections has opened up new potential for a test of the loyalty of nationalist voters and possible scenarios concerning the ability of President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to retain power.

Jakarta – In Jakarta on Thursday December 25, army chief of staff General Ryamizard Ryacudu, explained that army intelligence has obtained indications that the 2004 elections will be tainted by disturbances. He gave the example of the 60,000 foreign agents from large foreign countries which are in Indonesia at the moment.

Samarinda – The orangutans (Pongo pygmaues) in East Kalimantan province are now on the brink of extinction, because rampant and expanding illegal logging in the province.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – High-profile minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a dark horse likely to steal the spotlight from incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri as she strives for re-election next year.

Jakarta – The Indonesian authorities said yesterday that the FBI had cleared the army of being involved in the killing of two Americans in Papua last year. However, the American Embassy declined to confirm the claim by military police chief A.B. Sulaiman.

Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri has questioned the motives behind the assumptions which have been made about the organisation of the 2004 general elections which claim they will be susceptible to turmoil and disturbances.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesian soldiers will be mobilised to take control of the situation should next year's elections "turn bloody", the army's top officer has warned.

The remarks by the Army Chief of Staff, General Ryamizard Ryacudu, has rekindled talk about the military seeking to reassert itself in domestic politics.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Government critics, students, and non-governmental organization activists on Tuesday launched a nationwide drive aimed at urging the people not to elect "dirty rotten politicians" in the 2004 elections.

Jakarta – Indonesia's General Elections Commission (KPU) Chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin expressed hope that people in the provinces of Maluku, North Sulawesi and Papua would not boycott the 2004 general elections.

"We hope the elections would run well and people in Maluku, North Sulawesi and Papua could accept the reality," he said on Wednesday.

Thousands of Indonesian police went on alert as Christians in the world's largest Muslim-populated nation prepared to celebrate Christmas under the shadow of a continuing terror threat.

Almost 166,000 officers, or two-thirds of the entire force, will be deployed nationwide to safeguard the Christmas and New Year festivities – more than 22,000 of them in the capital alone.

Samarinda – Dozens of disabled persons in East Kalimantan staged a protest on Tuesday, demanding the government to end discrimination against them in the work place.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The Coalition Against Forests for Mining and representatives of about 5,000 Kao and Malifut tribespeople of Halmahera island in North Maluku are demanding Australian company PT Nusa Halmahera Minerals (NHM) to immediately stop its open-pit mining in the protected forest of Toguraci.

Jakarta – Indonesia's economic growth rate in 2004 will increase to between 4.2 and 4.4 per cent despite the possibility of heightened tensions at home during the general and presidential elections, an economic research organization said.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The commitment of political parties that will contest next year's elections to transparency is in doubt as they remain reluctant to disclose the source of their initial campaign funds to the General Elections Commission (KPU), a week after the deadline.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The National Police announced on Tuesday another financial scandal at Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) involving Rp 200 billion (US$23.5 million) from the workers insurance fund, PT Jamsostek.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) criticized the House of Representatives for producing legislation that served the interests of capital owners more than the general public.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Many officers from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police, as well as politicians and government officials are involved in the rare animal trade in the country, allowing the illicit practice to flourish, activists claim.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The tryout of the new extended three-in-one traffic policy to support the Jakarta busway project is set to start on Wednesday despite strong objections from Jakartans, who say the new policy is unlikely to work any better than the old policy.

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – The country's economic growth is projected to remain at a moderate level of around 4 percent next year as uncertainty during the seven-month voting and campaigning periods will cause investment to remain weak.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The government has eased its restrictions against foreigners in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam by allowing five international organizations to resume their humanitarian activities in the war-ravaged province.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu called on the people on Monday not to promote a civilian-military dichotomy, arguing that such a division was part of a foreign scenario to destroy the country.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Heightened illegal logging activities and poor law enforcement worsened forest destruction across the country in 2003, a noted non-governmental organization said in its year-end review on Monday.

Jakarta - There has been almost no meaningful progress in the functioning or political performance of the executive, legislative and judicial institutions in 2003, either at the national or local level.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Around 150,000 police officers, about two-thirds of the total force, will be deployed in Indonesia to thwart possible terrorist strikes against churches during the Christmas season.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The bill on water resources, which has been widely criticized for regarding water as a commodity, does not guarantee the rights of ethnic minority groups and poor people to access to clean and affordable water, experts say.

Jakarta – Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Wednesday the Swedish government will send a team of prosecutors and police officers to Indonesia to interview a number of separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) figures.

"They haven't set the exact date," Wirayuda said after a meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the State Palace.

Indonesian troops have killed six separatist rebels and captured nine including three young women in Aceh province, the military and police said.

Banda Aceh – Indonesia's military said yesterday it had killed 128 Aceh separatist rebels in the month since martial law over the province was controversially extended.

The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members were killed between November 20 and December 21, said provincial military spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki.

Jakarta – A researcher said here on Monday that a revolution could break out if conflicts occur between anti-democracy and reform forces in next year's general elections.

Jakarta - Human rights violations perpetrated in 2003 cannot be separated from military control, particularly the army. The government of President Megawati Sukarnoputri has not worked as hard as its predecessors, like [former presidents] B.J. Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid to control the TNI [Indonesian armed forces].

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) dismissed on Monday a demand from a number of new political parties to delay the December 29 deadline for the submission of the names of legislative candidates.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – According to a new survey, next year's elections are likely to produce unscrupulous politicians who have no commitment to fighting corruption and enforcing the law, and more and more people are becoming disillusioned with the so-called reform movement.

Jakarta – The TNI-AD (the army) sincerely hopes that the 2004 elections will proceed safely, smoothly and orderly. TNI-AD has no wish for the festival of democracy, which will be crucial in determining the course of the nation for at least the next five years, to turn bloody as a result of conflict between the children of the nation for the sake of the ambitions of certain groups.

Jayapura – The relocation of 13 inmates – convicted of involvement in the 2000 riot in Papua, in which at least 26 people were killed – from their prison in Wamena town, to a prison in East Java has been delayed due to security reasons.

Banda Aceh – Four suspected separatist guerrillas and one civilian became the latest casualties of fighting between rebels and government forces in the Indonesian province of Aceh, the military said yesterday.

Troops clashed with rebels in Pasi Raja, South Aceh, Friday and shot dead two rebels, Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Yani Basuki said.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – A group of 13 political parties, mostly Muslim-based, have agreed to form a coalition immediately after the legislative election on April 5 next year, one party leader confirmed.

An Indonesian court imposed an 18-year jail sentence on a man who supplied Islamic militants with the explosives used in a McDonald's restaurant bombing.

Arman, alias Galaxi, was found guilty on Monday of assisting the bombing at Makassar in South Sulawesi on December 5, 2002 and of illegal possession of firearms.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) said that it would transfer all remaining unsold assets to new companies operating under the Office of State Minister of State Enterprises.

Previously, it was planned that the assets would be taken over by a holding company under the Ministry of Finance, after IBRA's termination on Feburary 27, 2004.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – The Army, which is the most dominant service within the ranks of the Indonesian Military (TNI), has been praised for keeping its distance from politics and better respecting human rights.

Jakarta – Indonesia made progress in promoting respect for religious freedom, but in a number of cases the government failed to punish extremists responsible for murder and other crimes.

Jacqueline Mackenzie, Jakarta – Gadis Arivia is the Executive Director of Yayasan Jurnal Perempuan (YJP, Women's Journal Foundation), which initiated the Suara Ibu Peduli (Voice of Concerned Mothers), among the crucial movements capitalizing on the early days of the economic crisis to raise people's political awareness.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – With the elections fast approaching, Indonesians of Chinese origin have set conditions for legislative and presidential candidates to win their support, namely the ending of all discriminatory policies and regulations.

Palembang – Indonesia will fail to attract any foreign direct investment (FDI) next year if chaos occurs in the general elections, prominent businessman Sofyan Wanandi said.

Foreign investors would then think that saving their money in banks was better than investing it, he told a seminar on creating harmonious industrial relations.

Dili – President Xanana Gusmco challenged East Timor's parliament Monday to make 2004 "the year of stability" for the newly independent nation.