Banda Aceh – At least five suspected members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) were killed in the country's restive province of Aceh on Tuesday, the Indonesian Military (TNI) said.

The rebels were killed in separate gunfights in the districts of Bireuen, Pidie, and North Aceh, TNI spokesman Ahmad Yani Basuki said in Lhokseumawe on Wednesday.

Bali – Five Indonesian men were jailed on Wednesday for terms running from three to six years for helping to hide one of the top suspects for last year's Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Terrorism will top the agenda during US President George W. Bush's visit to Indonesia.

As the most populous Muslim country in the world, observers said that his visit next week is also aimed at cultivating Indonesia's moderate Islamic ground at a time when US standing here and the Arab world is at an all-time low.

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Noted religious leader Hasyim Muzadi blamed poor intelligence and political interests on Monday for the renewed violence in Poso, Central Sulawesi that has claimed at least nine lives since Sunday.

Max Lane – Australia Professor William Liddle's article of October 6 in this newspaper appears to analyze the Megawati Soekarnoputri government's policies in a kind of reality vacuum.

Papua province's governor Jaap Salossa says the resource-rich territory will never secede because its people benefit by being part of Indonesia.

The governor on Tuesday said the Papuan people's "enjoyment of the fruits of development" for more than 40 years has made the province an integral part of the Indonesian republic.

Jonathan Steele – Australia, which led an international peace force to help East Timor become independent last year, has become the greatest barrier to the country's hopes of breaking free from reliance on foreign aid, according to stark budget figures released yesterday.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Last week's celebration of the 58th anniversary of the Indonesian armed forces (TNI) was one of pomp and military muscle.

The newly acquired Russian Sukhoi jets screamed overhead as red beret troops engaged in special manoeuvres.

Jakarta – The jailed head of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) urged Jakarta officials on Tuesday to shut down bars, discos and nightclubs during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan or face possible raids.

Tony Stephens, Kuta – More than 90 per cent of Balinese communities suffered a fall in income and school drop-out rates were up to 60 per cent after the Kuta bombings, according to a report released yesterday.

Dan Eaton, Jakarta – With the air of a trained librarian, the shopkeeper runs his finger along a shelf stacked with brightly coloured packages. Skipping over "Macho Man", his hand comes to rest on a bold red and white sachet, "Kuku Bima".

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – For Sumaryono, 24, and his mother, Iis Iswati, 45, hospital treatment is a luxury only for the rich.

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Indonesian Army has turned down Australia's invitation for some of its Special Forces (Kopassus) officers to talk about antiterrorism training in Perth.

Sydney – Australia's opposition slammed the government's plans to revive military links with Indonesia's special forces Tuesday, after the cancellation of a visit by its chief over alleged human rights abuses.

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – Hundreds of fishermen living on the banks of the Muara Angke River in Pluit, North Jakarta, rejected on Monday an offer from the North Jakarta administration to compensate them with money as it plans to evict the fishermen from their makeshift houses on Tuesday.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Masked gunmen who slaughtered eight Christians in Central Sulawesi over the weekend may have timed the killings to coincide with the Bali bombing commemoration then due to begin just hours later.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – At least five of 14 regencies in East Nusa Tenggara have refused to give land for resettlement areas for thousands of East Timorese refugees still languishing in camps across the province.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The Australian Government has refused to allow the commander of Indonesia's Kopassus special forces to accompany his officers for anti-terrorism talks in Perth in a move that threatens the Government's plan to resume training Kopassus troops.

Indonesia's top security official, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has listed terrorism and seperatist wars in the provinces of Aceh and Papua as the major security threats facing his country. And Mr Yudhoyono, who is Co-ordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, says fighting separatist wars particularily in Aceh, is draining his country's struggling economy.

Indonesia's chief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for a new defence pact with Australia, saying it was needed to promote the fight against terrorism.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) claimed on Sunday that it had killed another leader of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh province.

Military operations spokesman Lt. Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki said government troops killed Nurdin, whose nom du guerre was Saddam Hussein, during a firefight at Langkahan in North Aceh district on Saturday.

Jakarta – The consumer confidence index – which measures the people's perspective on the economic situation – declined in August, Bank Indonesia said over the weekend in its latest report.

Peter Cave: Well, the death of al-Ghozi may have been a small victory, but the continuing fight against regional terrorism has suffered a setback, it seems, with Australia and Indonesia at loggerheads over plans for closer defence cooperation.

Jakarta – A former pro-Indonesia militia member in East Timor has been jailed for 10 B1/2 years for crimes against humanity including one count of murder, East Timor's serious crimes unit said on Monday.

Singapore – Indonesia can do more to curb Islamic schools that served as a training ground for extremists who carried out some of the deadliest attacks since the September 11, 2001 strikes, a senior politician said on Monday.

Jakarta – A Muslim militant was jailed for 20 years by an Indonesian court on Monday for a 2000 bomb attack on the Philippine ambassador's residence which killed two people and badly wounded the Manila envoy.

Kuta – Indonesia vowed yesterday to hunt down five Bali bombers who are still at large one year after the attack as more than 2,000 mourners held an emotional service to commemorate those killed.

"Make no mistake that those outstanding suspects will be hunted down," top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the crowd. "History will condemn them for ever."

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – Hundreds of fishermen living on the banks of Angke River in North Jakarta have decided to stay put despite an eviction notice from the North Jakarta administration, and are questioning the city administration's policy of allowing two luxury housing complexes to be built on a nearby water catchment area.

The greatest obstacle to upholding the law in Indonesia is located in the capacity and resoluteness of law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of legislation, rather than the need to compliment or clarify existing legal instruments.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The cool response from the public with regard to the recruitment process for Commission for Corruption Eradication (KPK) executives indicates people's distrust in the government's move against corruption, observers have said.

Alan Sipress, Dili – "Turn around!" the police cadet barked. "Get on your knees! Cross your legs!" The suspect dropped to the hot asphalt and obligingly stretched his arms behind him. The cadet grabbed a wrist. But as he produced a set of handcuffs, he fumbled with the mechanism.

Jakarta – Six Christians have been killed, and more are feared dead, in attacks by unidentified armed men on three villages in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province, police said on Sunday.

Jakarta – The Aceh Ad Hoc Team from the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has asked the government to immediately reduce the security status in Aceh from a military emergency to one of civil order. If the military emergency continues the political aspirations of the Acehnese people will be able to be expressed during the 2004 general elections.

Banda Aceh – The wheels of government in many sub-districts and villages in the province of Aceh are still not functioning properly. Of the 227 sub-districts in the province, only 151 are functioning while 76 others have been declared to not be functioning properly.

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Radio Netherlands, Brussels – The public hearing on Aceh and Papua held by the European Parliament in Brussels on October 1 was a rare but important occasion. It also showed support for Indonesia. But Jakarta declined the invitation, leaving the international community out in the cold.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – While many people are worried about the economic outlook for next year because of the legislative elections and the ending of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program, many economists are filled with optimism.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – The simplest statistic about the economic impact of the terrorist bombings in Bali a year ago this Sunday is that two McDonald's have closed. That's not just an indicator of decimated tourist arrivals.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – An expert witness testified in the Central Jakarta District Court on Thursday that there was nothing libelous in over 50 articles run by Tempo weekly about the country's largest textile company, the PT Texmaco Jaya Group.

Jakarta – Former president Soeharto has made a brief third visit to his youngest son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra in an island prison, his aide said on Friday.

Soeharto, accompanied by two other sons Sigit Haryoyudanto and Bambang Trihatmojo, flew by helicopter to Nusakambangan island off south Java on Thursday.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – As talks with city administration officials on violent evictions have become futile, three human rights commissions called on Thursday for a moratorium on all eviction plans in the next 180 days, pending an evaluation of the city's policy on eviction.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – An Aceh woman activist denied on Thursday the treason charge leveled against her, saying she had campaigned for a referendum as part of efforts to settle the prolonged conflict in the province.

"A referendum is demanded by the Acehnese to end the conflict," Cut Nurasyikin told the Banda Aceh District Court.

Banda Aceh – A court martial in Aceh province on Friday cleared 12 soldiers of beating villagers during a hunt for separatist rebels in the province.

The twelve were on trial for assaulting about 50 residents at two villages in North Aceh's Dewantara area in late August after they failed to give information on the whereabouts of Free AcehMovement (GAM) rebels.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – All 50 eligible political parties beat the midnight deadline for registration with the General Elections Commissions (KPU) on Thursday, paving the way for their participation in the 2004 general elections.

Netty Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Jayapura District Court sentenced on Thursday Edison Waromi and Herman Wanggai to two years in prison for treason.

The district court also sentenced Yordan Ick to 10 months in prison for having known of the planned treason but failing to report it to the authorities. The three were the first Papuans to be jailed for treason.

Kurniawan Hari and Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Politicians in the Papua provincial legislature have threatened to boycott the 2004 general elections if the central government insists on establishing West Irian Jaya as a separate electoral district from its mother province, Papua.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Suspended workers of state-owned aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) threatened on Thursday to break into the company's compound if the management refused to allow them to return to work within a week.

Dulhadi, Jakarta – A class action suit which was launched by the People's Lawyers Union (Serikat Pengacara Rakyat, SPR) against President Megawati Sukarnoputri, TNI [armed forces] chief General Endriartono Sutarto and the chairperson of the People's Representative Assembly (DPR), Akbar Tandjung, over the military emergency in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD), was rejected by a panel of

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The government's lack of legitimacy and political will has allowed corruption to flourish, say activist students, the vanguard of the country's reform movement.

They also suggested that the country, which has been mired in protracted multidimensional crises, badly needs a powerful government with strong commitment to combating corruption.

Denpasar – President Megawati Soekarnoputri said Thursday that she does not want to be accused of abusing human rights in her fight against corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) at home.

Jakarta – The assessment by number of groups is that the 2004 general elections represent a critical period, where it is hoped that a political transition towards democracy will occur.