The Australian Parliament is expected to ratify the Timor Sea Treaty this week, ensuring a 20-billion dollar contract for natural gas can go ahead. East Timor ratified the Treaty in December and has been nervously waiting for its bigger neighbour to do the same before a crucial March 11 deadline.

Jakarta – Dozens of alleged members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) killed a police officer during an attack on a police station in East Jakarta on Tuesday night.

City Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara confirmed the attack on Wednesday, saying the police and military police were investigating.

Pip Hinman – Australia-based Scottish academic Lesley McCulloch and US nurse Joy-Lee Sadler were arrested in Indonesian-occupied south Aceh on September 11. They were beaten, harassed and jailed for five months and four months respectively on charges of "violating" their visas.

James Balowski, Jakarta – On February 24, hundreds of demonstrators from the People's Democratic Party (PRD) took action against US plans to attack Iraq.

The demonstration began at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in central Jakarta then moved to the presidential palace via the British embassy, the UN headquarters and the US embassy.

Nigel Wilson – Last-minute negotiations are taking place on arrangements between Australia and East Timor that could result in legislation implementing the Timor Sea Treaty being introduced into Parliament either today or tomorrow.

Robert Go – When Singapore Technologies Telemedia (STT) paid 5.62 trillion rupiah (S$1.2 billion) for Indonesia's second-biggest telephone company last December, the story should have ended there.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Leaders of two political parties have thrown their weight behind a controversial bill giving the Indonesian Military (TNI) greater power in deploying personnel to conflict-torn areas.

Jakarta – Student Executive Bodies (BEMs) from universities in Greater Jakarta canceled planned demonstrations on Saturday against President Megawati Soekarnoputri's administration, saying they were worried about the possibility of repressive police measures.

Reverend David Pargeter – In 1990 a large regional military power, Iraq, invaded a small neighbour, Kuwait, after accusing it of stealing oil from an oilfield straddling their common border. Both major political parties in Australia supported military intervention to drive Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Max Lane – The article by Jose Ramos Horta defending the "aggressive strategy" of the US administration of George W Bush towards Iraq is not a surprise. Horta's approach to diplomacy throughout the struggle for East Timor's independence was always based on offering assurances to Washington that an independent East Timor would be friendly towards US interests.

Highly debatable are both the rationale used by the team of more than 30 economists to support their recommendation for abruptly ending Indonesia's reform program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the policy measures they outline for achieving annual economic growth of 6 percent to 7 percent in the post-IMF program period.

Banda Aceh – Indonesia's first Islamic courts for criminal cases were opened in the staunchly Muslim Aceh province on Tuesday as part of efforts to calm separatist passions in the area.

Aceh separatist rebels have accused Indonesian security forces of condoning a militia attack on the office of a peace monitoring team in hopes of wrecking a ceasefire in the province.

Banda Aceh – A mob yesterday attacked the office of an international peace monitoring team in Aceh, injuring one Indonesian soldier and one rebel representative, police said.

Apriadi Gunawan, Parapat, North Sumatra – Ninety local and foreign environmentalists warned against the possible extinction of a total of 226 flora and fauna species in Sumatra because of intensive deforestation and development, and rampant poaching.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The majority of Jakarta's 151 traditional markets are firetraps and could suffer the same ill fate as the Tanah Abang textile centre, much of which went up in flames last month, city officials said.

Jakarta – Nearly 4,000 angry Acehnese surrounded an office staffed by peace monitors including three Thai soldiers in the restive Indonesian province on Monday, threatening the group until police whisked them to safety.

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – Army chief of staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu fired a lethal shot on February 20 when he addressed a media conference, suggesting that the military's security role be reinstated due to the threats of separatism and other security disturbances in the country.

Jakarta – The East Timor government on Monday sought to distance itself from indictments issued against a former Indonesian armed forces chief over violence that ravaged the tiny territory in 1999.

Gita Fajar P. Mega, Jakarta – The People's Lawyers Union (Serikat Pengacara Rakyat, SPR) which is handling a class action case over price increases to fuel against President Megawati Sukarnoputri, will send a pre-litigation letter to Megawati and Indonesian police chief General Da'I Bachtiar following three attacks on their offices by unidentified assailants.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Got what it takes to be Indonesia's President? A new television programme allows presidential wannabes to find out, and also to see how popular they are on top of that.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has criticised a new law, requiring at least 30 per cent of parliamentary candidates in elections be female, as demeaning to women, a report said on Sunday.

Semarang – Based on intelligence data, there are presently 10,000 ex-political prisoners from the categories A, B and C across Central Java/Yogyakarta, who have established political parties. They have also joined together in non-government institutes and foundations with aims and motives which it is suspected could create problems for the country.

Dili – Sitting by the road on the Dili waterfront, Jose Belo Pereira ekes out a living selling coconuts to passers-by. His two-dollar-a-day profit is not exactly what he hoped for under independence.

Larry Schwartz – The boys have been asking their father why they must leave family and friends in suburban Melbourne and go to another country.

Kium Kit Lim says: "They ask me, "Why must we go to East Timor? Why can't we stay here?" I say it's because we came here late. The little one says, "I'm an Aussie. You go back. I'll stay here."

Dili – Timor Leste prosecutors charged more than 50 people, including a former police chief and a militia boss, with crimes against humanity yesterday over violence surrounding a 1999 vote for independence from Indonesia.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Denpasar – East Timor President Xanana Gusmao voiced disappointment over the court's issuance of dozens of indictments of senior Indonesian officials for serious crimes committed in the territory in 1999, fearing that it could undermine ongoing reconciliation between the two countries.

Jakarta – The persistence of the Indonesian Military (TNI)'s leaders in defending a bill that could allow the institution to regain its power reflects their failure to comply with the reform movement, analysts have concluded.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – A controversial plantation bill has come under fire from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and farmer associations, which say that if passed the bill would harm both the people and the environment.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The government's launch of Invest in Indonesia Year 2003 will lead to a dead end because no concrete action has been taken to support the program and political uncertainty will increase ahead of next year's elections, experts said.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – They crept up around Christmas. Signs on bridges told of their arrival. Long strips of road were painted red as a warning. Bus lanes had arrived in Jakarta.

In the busiest city in the world's fourth most populous country, traffic jams are so much part of life the wealthy install fridges and DVD players in their cars and sip drinks as they wait.

Jakarta – A ceasefire in Aceh's bloody separatist war is already looking shaky and major issues must be settled to salvage what could be the last chance for peace, an international research group said yesterday.

Ardimas Sasdi, Jakarta – A recent admission by a respected Cabinet member that the ruling Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) was the most corrupt of all political parties merely confirmed the depths of corruption here.

Martin Griffiths – On Sundays at the beach in Lampu near Banda Aceh, young couples stroll across the sand holding hands, laughing and flirting. Children frolic in the surf and sit on its foamy edge building sand castles. Families picnic. Games of football and volleyball seemingly break out spontaneously across the mile-long stretch of sand.

Berni K. Moestafa, Jakarta – Indonesian religious leaders rejected on Thursday a statement by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad describing a possible war on Iraq as a war against Islam, but called for a counterforce to balance the world's only superpower.

Dili – East Timor prosecutors charged more than 50 people on Friday, including a former police chief and a militia boss, with crimes against humanity over violence surrounding a 1999 vote for independence from Indonesia.

Mark Baker, Singapore – East Timor has warned that hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues vital for the country's development could be lost because of the Australian Government's refusal to ratify a treaty on joint development of oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea.

The drought may be finally breaking in Australia, but in East Timor continuing drought is causing severe problems. A number of children have already died and the current weather conditions are hampering the recovery effort in several parts of the country.

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Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Despite strong criticism from various sides, the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto insisted that the military had no plans to review a bill that would give the TNI commander authority to deploy the armed forces in an emergency without the necessity of seeking approval from the president.

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was handed over to prosecutors in Indonesia on Friday to face trial for treason, police said.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – A local newspaper officially reported to police the maltreatment of its photographer by police during a violent demonstration in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday, as dozens of fellow journalists marched to denounce the incident.

In Indonesia, a radical Muslim group has announced its reviving its paramilitary wing. The Laskhar FPI of the Islamic Defenders Front is known for its raids on nightclubs and alcohol vendors as part of a crackdown on what it describes as dens of sin and immorality. The group disbanded last November but has now re-opened for registration for both old and new members.

John Martinkus, Jayapura – The border between the Indonesian province of Papua and Papua New Guinea has become a no-go area for Indonesian police and human rights workers, according to human rights and independence groups.

Mark Dodd, Dili – In the laboratory of Cafi Cooperative Timor (CCT), senior adviser Alistair Laird, a "cupping" expert, is applying a final quality-control test to assess the fragrance, aroma and taste of a range of samples of East Timor's finest organic certified arabica coffee beans.

The failure of Indonesia's rights tribunal to bow to international demands for the prosecution of the alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses in East Timor has prompted the indictment of several high-ranking officers, including former military chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto, observers said.

Nug Katjasungkana, Contributor, Dili – On Tuesday, the Dili-based Office of the Prosecutor General of Timor Leste issued an indictment of former military commander Gen. (ret) Wiranto and six other officers who served in East Timor, as well as former governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares, of crimes against humanity.

Martin Flanagan – Human rights advocate John Rumbiak fled Papua a year ago. Local police had warned him that his investigation into the assassination of Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay in November 2001 had put his life in danger.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – A coalition of minor labor unions are determined to intensify their resistance to the bill on labor protection endorsed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday, claiming that the new law favored the interests of employers and investors.

A group mediating a peace pact between the Indonesian government and separatists in Aceh province, plans to deploy 15 personnel to promote the peace accord there.

The personnel will shortly be deployed in eight districts to promote the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.

Jakarta – Aceh province will inaugurate its first Islamic sharia court on March 4 as part of the broad autonomy granted to curb separatist sentiment, AFP reported.