Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, Mataram – At least 10,000 protesters stormed the prosecutor's office in Lombok on Monday in another move to interfere with justice, showing support for West Nusa Tenggara Governor Lalu Serinata and demanding the release of nine jailed graft suspects.

Theresia Sufa and Eva C. Komandjaja, Bogor/Jakarta – Alarmed by escalating tension between a dump site operator and residents of Bojong in Bogor, West Java, an influential local councillor warned that another riot could occur if the dump was reopened.

Jeffrey A. Winters – In an effort to downplay his more recent hawkish profile as the No 2 man at the Defense Department, Paul Wolfowitz, nominated by George Bush to be president of the World Bank, has pointed to his tenure as ambassador to Indonesia as evidence that he is well suited to lead the worlds largest institution focused on development.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Dwi Atmanta, Denpasar – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri defended her achievements over the past five years, saying she was not to blame for the party's disappointing showings in the 2004 legislative and presidential elections.

Leony Aurora, Jakarta – As part of its efforts to stem the steady decline in the country's oil output, the government is preparing incentive packages to lure investors to operate in marginal and aging oil fields, says a top official.

Jeffrey A. Winters – In an effort to downplay his more recent hawkish profile as the #2 man at the Defense Department, Paul Wolfowitz, nominated by George Bush to be president of the World Bank, has pointed to his tenure as ambassador to Indonesia as evidence that he is well suited to lead the world's largest institution focused on development.

Once upon a time in the not so distant past, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) bore the country's political hopes and dreams. Its leader, Megawati Soekarnoputri, was an icon of idealism, rising up in the face of dogma and oppression.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – After hearing a report about group masturbation among elementary school students, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government would soon take extreme steps to stamp out pornography.

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – Although the grief was over, the feeling of loss was still palpable during the seventh anniversary of Kontras last week, almost six months after Munir's murder.

The anniversary was special, because it was the first anniversary without Munir, the founder of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

A huge earthquake off northwest Indonesia killed at least 400 people, and possibly several thousand, and triggered tsunami warnings which caused panic across the Indian Ocean. The epicenter of the quake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale was just 200 miles from that of the December 26 quake which sent giant waves crashing into 12 nations, killing over 273,000 people.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – In line with the recent Constitutional Court decision, the General Elections Commission (KPU) called on the central government on Monday to delay the direct regional elections in order to give minor parties more preparation time.

Brad Simpson, Washington, D.C. – There is a bitter irony to the Bush Administration's announcement in late February that it will restore military training for the Indonesian armed forces, which came just days before the State Department's annual human rights report charged that in 2004 "security force members murdered, tortured, raped, beat, and arbitrarily detained civilians."

Yuli Tri Suwarni and Eva C. Komandjaja, Bandung/Jakarta – International support for Munir's wife, Suciwati, in her struggle to bring the killers of her husband to justice cannot be counted on to push along the domestic probe into the case, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda has said.

Damar Harsanto and Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – In Central Jakarta where multinational companies, government offices as well as most embassies are located, the Central Jakarta municipality appears to be failing to solve the glaring poverty the exists in the heart of the city, even though the municipality is given priorities in development.

Brisbane – International mining investment in Indonesia is on the line after an escalation in pollution allegations against Newmont Mining Corporation.

Dwi Atmanta and M. Taufiqurrahman, Denpasar – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) begins on Monday its six-day national congress, which will likely be highlighted by efforts from the incumbent leader, Megawati Soekarnoputri, to win reelection amid opposition from a reform-minded group.

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Pekalongan – Reiterating his admission that the government's war on corruption was failing to make major progress, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked Muslim clerics on Sunday to help in the fight against the endemic disease.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Indonesia, ranked among the world's most corrupt countries, is ready to start rebuilding its tsunami-devastated northernmost province of Aceh.

Jakarta – Life is not so sweet for a small cottage industry producing caramelized snacks in Kemanggisan Pulo, West Jakarta, since the fuel price hikes.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Three months after the tsunami hit Aceh on Dec. 26, many Acehnese dread the departure of foreign aid workers, as they are not yet confident of making it on their own.

Jakarta – Indonesian House of Parliament Technical Delegation for Inter-parliamentarian Bilateral Cooperation warned the government to take serious preventive actions towards the separatist tendencies in the Province of Papua.

Mark Dodd – It caused outrage among East Timorese and Australian troops sent to protect them, raised tensions among UN peacekeepers to a deadly new level and caused senior UN staff to resign in disgust.

The deployment of Jordanian peacekeepers to East Timor was probably one of the most contentious UN decisions to follow the bloody independence ballot.

Jayapura – Major-General Nurdin Zainal, commander of the Trikora/XVII division, has announced that Kostrad, the Army Strategic Command will set up a base in Timika District, Papua in the very near future.

Banda Aceh (Reuters) – Women in Indonesia's devastated Aceh province who lost their homes in the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami face sexual attacks in relief camps, Oxfam said, as it warned of long-term social dislocation.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – A 23-member delegation from the Papua provincial legislative council is protesting the installment of the controversial West Irian Jaya council.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Despite the recent Constitutional Court ruling, observers are doubtful about whether the direct elections for governors, regents and mayors will be free from central government intervention.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) risks failing miserably in future elections, and faced the prospect of losing the bulk of its loyal supporters, unless the party's next leadership initiates sweeping internal reform, an observer said.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The reconstruction of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and the surrounding tsunami-stricken areas will be able to start in the immediate future now that the government has completed the final draft of its blueprint for rehabilitation in the province.

Jakarta – Munir's wife, Suciwati, has won the support of international human rights groups in her struggle to bring those responsible for her husband's assassination to justice, and is pushing for the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights (UNHCHR) to monitor the investigations into the case.

Channel 7 and SBS have announced that they will not be screening the latest television commercials about the Timor Sea dispute written and funded by Australian businessperson Ian Melrose.

A political activist facing a possible six-year jail sentence for burning a portrait of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono walked out of his trial in Bali on Thursday (24/3/05) in protest against the charges.

On March 24-28, Sydney will host one of the most significant gatherings of left-wing leaders from Asia and the Pacific in some years. The Third Asia-Pacific Solidarity Conference is being attended by activists from the Philippines to Indonesia, from New Zealand to Vietnam.

Ioannis Gatsiounis, Kuala Lumpur – The last news to come from Malaysia and Indonesia was that the two countries were working hard diplomatically to resolve a border row in the Sulawesi Sea in which both sides sent warships to the contested area to stake their claims. There's good reason to believe they'll find a way.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said on Wednesday he was proposing Rp 5 trillion (US$538 billion) in additional funds from the state budget to improve the capability of the Navy and Air Force.

He, however, could not say what kind of equipment that the two forces needed, pending further meetings with the two chiefs of staff.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – A Banda Aceh military court on Wednesday sentenced Capt. T. Syuib Mahmud to three months jail for assaulting activist Farid Faqih, who is currently in custody for allegedly stealing donated items destined for tsunami victims in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

Indonesia says it will provide evidence to Canberra that Australian-funded aid groups are helping separatists in Aceh and Papua.

Ade Irawan, Jakarta – High cost has become a pressing issue in the operation of schools in Indonesia. In fact, various regulations, like the National Education Law (No.20 of 2003), stipulate that the central government and local administrations are jointly responsible for covering the cost of primary school and junior high school education, or their equivalents.

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the arrest of Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, in relation to the death of human rights activist Munir.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Labor exporters have accused Malaysian employers of fishing for cheap illegal workers from Indonesia, with Malaysian government authorities only issuing recruitment permits for a very limited number of foreign workers.

Jambi – Some 80 employees of financially strapped Berkah Husada Hospital been protesting this week over unpaid salaries for the past four months.

The demands came after all the hospital's employees were suspended indefinitely due to poor revenues.

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court's decision to allow minor political parties to nominate their own candidates in upcoming direct regional elections was a positive contribution towards the development of the nation's democracy, an expert has said.

Dili – Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta strongly criticized the Vatican's representative in East Timor Thursday for what he said was "unwanted interference" in Dili's plans to demote religion classes to an optional subject in the country's public schools.

Canberra – Australia's treatment of East Timor over oil and gas revenues has been compared to the actions of the late disgraced businessman Christopher Skase.

Melbourne businessman Ian Melrose has funded television advertisements, which will air over the Easter weekend, criticising Australia's position on talks with East Timor over sea boundaries.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Denpasar – Indonesia and Malaysia began negotiations on Tuesday behind closed doors in Bali to seek a peaceful solution to the Ambalat border dispute.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono says the US government and legislators now have a better understanding of the Indonesian Military (TNI) after his delegation's week-long visit to the country.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – The reaction continued on Tuesday to the news that a woman led a mixed-gender Friday prayer service in New York last week, with Muslim scholars calling for more public discussion of the role of women in Islam.

The House of Representatives finally came to its senses on Monday and reached a wise compromise that provides more leeway for deliberation of the contentious issue of fuel subsidies within the broader context of proposed revisions to the 2005 state budget.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Jakarta residents may have to put aside their dream to be able to drink piped water directly from the tap, as was previously promised by the City-owned tap water corporation and its two foreign partners, Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ) and PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja).

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta – Small political parties will now be allowed to propose candidates to run in the upcoming direct elections of provincial governors, regents and mayors, according to a ruling issued by the Constitutional Court on Tuesday.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Just days after the government extended the deadline for all foreigners to leave Aceh by March 26, an immigration official said on Tuesday some 1,175 foreigners have to leave the province to get their visas-on-arrival renewed.