Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said he would intervene to grant 379 East Timorese asylum seekers permanent residency in Australia. He said he had made the decision to intervene before the Labor Party began suggestions he had been bribed to grant visas.

East Timor's court system could take months to clear a backlog of cases relating to the bloodshed before and after the United Nations-backed ballot for independence in 1999.

The landslide vote to break away from 24 years of Indonesian rule unleashed a wave of killing and destruction by gangs of pro-Jakarta militia which were backed by elements of the Indonesian military.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – Indonesia's traditional donors grouped under the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) have welcomed the country's macroeconomic improvements, but warn that slow progress in structural reform could impede economic growth.

Police in Indonesia's Aceh province said they were hunting civilian activists suspected of supporting separatist rebels.

"We will use the [criminal code] article on subversion, which carries up to the death sentence, against them," said Sayed Husaini, police spokesman in the province where a major military assault on the rebels is in its third week.

Kevin McQuillan and agencies – Indonesian authorities in Aceh have rejected requests from about 10 overseas journalists to cover the war.

The Marshall law Administrator, Major General Endang Suwarya, says he does not need "foreign observers" in the province.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said on Monday it would investigate over 20 cases of alleged rights violations in Aceh during the first two weeks of military operations in the province.

Jakarta, Kompas – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has found strong indications of human rights violations – including the murder of civilians since the emergency military operation in Aceh came into force.

R. William Liddle – How likely is it that Indonesia will once again be ruled by the Indonesian Military (TNI)?

Darren Goodsir, Denpasar – Waving his arms and yelling at his lawyers to respond to his religious chants, Imam Samudra – the alleged brains behind the Bali bombings – strolled into court on the first day of his trial yesterday, displaying his now-familiar bravado.

Public demand for action to uncover the mystery behind the 1998 May riots that led to the downfall of the Suharto regime apparently still has a long way to go before it achieves success.

Sari P. Setiogi, Jakarta – The government is not postponing the new visa policy but is merely implementing a six-month transition period instead, spokesman Ade E. Dahlan for the Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights said on Monday.

[The following article will be published in the forthcoming issue of the Tapol Bulletin.]

Dili – East Timor is training police not troops to guard its border with giant neighbour Indonesia because it wants a demilitarised frontier zone, President Xanana Gusmao said Monday.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Religious leaders demanded on Saturday that the government avoid civilian fatalities in its war against the separatists in Aceh and boost humanitarian activities in the troubled province.

They emphasized that the main purpose of the integrated operations was "winning the hearts and minds of the Acehnese", and not a military takeover.

Lisa Clausen, Dili – Domingos Ximenes pulls off his T shirt to reveal a body that tells the story of two decades of war and suffering. On his left arm is a map of East Timor in the grip of a fist; on his right arm and across his chest tumble rough tattoos of a sacred bird, a Bible and crucifix, and a spear.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Pressure for the establishment of an international tribunal to try Indonesian Military personnel accused of gross human rights violations in East Timor will never end following the poor result of a series of trials by the country's ad hoc human rights tribunal, an activist says.

Kupang – The military in West Timor strongly deplored the East Timor government's inaction over the recent raising of the Aceh Free Movement (GAM) flag in Dili, saying it could affect the two countries' bilateral ties.

The GAM flag was raised in Dili, the capital of East Timor, when the East Timorese people celebrated the small country's first anniversary on May 20.

Jakarta, Sripo – The Indonesian Centre for Reform and Social Emancipation (INCREASE) has put forward a referendum as the solution to resolving the conflict in Aceh. According to the pro-democracy non-government organisation, a referendum is the most democratic mechanism and form of participation to involve all elements of Acehnese society to determine their future.

Indonesian armed forces chief General Endriartono Sutarto says the military assault in the province of Aceh is making faster progress than expected.

He says the offensive is on the right track and the progress exceeds Jakarta's expectations in every aspect.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Police nationwide are on full alert for fleeing members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) who may attempt to take refuge in other provinces.

Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province said they have abducted 13 local civilian leaders for carrying out the military's orders.

The Indonesia-headquartered Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) claims that members of the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) – which holds its interim meeting in Jakarta this week – are risking Indonesia's forests by not paying enough attention to the sale of forest assets to state-owned Bank Mandiri.

Indonesia summoned the Swedish ambassador to express disappointment at his country's response to a demand for action against exiled Acehnese rebel leaders.

There can no longer be any doubt that the proceedings in Indonesia's ad hoc human rights court for East Timor are a sham following the extraordinary decision by the prosecution to request the acquital of the highest-ranking defendant Major General Adam Damiri.

Anger was rising in Indonesia against Sweden over the Scandanavian country's refusal to act on Jakarta's demand that it stop one of its citizens from leading an Aceh separatist group.

Simon Montlake – As recently as 1999, Indonesia idled in the AIDS slow lane. At the time, health officials attempted to curb the spread of the disease by concentrating on the nation's premier high-risk group – sex workers and their clients.

Jakarta – A group of journalists associations revealed on Thursday a series of violent incidents and restrictions imposed on journalists covering the military operation in Aceh which began on May 19.

The press association, grouped under the Coalition Against Violence Toward Journalists, said restrictions to press freedom and abuses came from both warring parties in Aceh.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – People living in Jakarta will be jailed for up to three months without trial and fined during a massive city administration crackdown on illegal residents starting June 12.

Robert Go, Banda Aceh – Ten-year-old Embrianda Hassan stayed up later than usual on Tuesday last week.

Kafil Yamin, Jakarta – As the Indonesian television journalist faced the cameras from atop a military truck, the sound of gunfire interrupted his report, providing immediacy and reality to his real-time broadcast from Aceh province.

Jane Perlez, Singapore – Paul D. Wolfowitz, the United States deputy secretary of defense, warned the Indonesian Army today that its war against separatist rebels in the northern province of Aceh could not be won militarily.

[Excerpt from report by Indonesian Detikcom web site on 30 May.]

Dili – Timor Leste's Prime Minister yesterday called for the establishment of an international tribunal in a neutral country to try Indonesian military officers for the bloodshed that swept the territory when it voted to break from Jakarta in 1999.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – The National Awakening Party (PKB) concluded its three-day national meeting late on Thursday by naming its chief patron, Abdurrahman Wahid, its presidential candidate.

Jayapura – Indonesian military using flame throwers are burning houses, killing people and destroying livestock and gardens in the Kurawage district in West Papua, according to the human rights group Elsham.

Fifteen Papuans had been killed and several hundred others who fled into the forest were now starving, group spokesmen said yesterday.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Pressure is mounting on the Indonesian media to support the military offensive against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), with the government insisting that national integrity should come before press freedom.

Banda Aceh – An Acehnese joke: Why does an Acehnese with dental problems leave Aceh to get treatment? Punchline: Because he's not accustomed to opening his mouth on his home ground.

Jill Jolliffe, Dili – A Chinese-Malaysian businessman who won a case of illegal arrest against East Timorese police has been re-arrested and jailed within 24 hours of the court decision.

Robert Go, Banda Aceh – Soldiers and policemen strut about in battle gear, machine guns slung from their shoulders and holstered pistols at their waists. They can be seen manning posts, drinking coffee at street stalls, or browsing through stacks of video compact discs in front of supermarkets.

James Politi, Washington – The US on Friday raised the political pressure on Indonesia, urging the Pacific nation to allow independent monitors into Aceh, the restive island province where Jakarta recently launched a massive military crackdown on separatists.

New York, May 29 – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is alarmed by a recent series of sniper attacks in which unknown gunmen have targeted journalists in Aceh, a conflict-riven province on the northwestern tip of the Indonesian archipelago.

Singapore – The United States said on Friday it had warned Indonesia "at the highest levels" that a failure by Jakarta to cooperate in solving the murder of two American teachers would seriously affect bilateral ties.

An Indonesian group linked to the al-Qaeda network held a high-level meeting last month in Indonesia, possibly to identify new terrorist targets, The Australian newspaper reported.

David Fogarty, Singapore – Deputy US Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz called on Indonesia on Friday to ensure transparency in its military offensive in Aceh province and said independent monitoring should be allowed.

Phar Kim Beng, Hong Kong – Aceh, like East Timor, has seen its share of separatist problems for the greater part of the past 30 years. Located in northern Sumatra, gas-and-oil-rich Aceh has also become the scene of one of the most neglected conflicts in Southeast Asia, certainly less conspicuous than the running battles between Manila and Mindanao.

Banda Aceh – Indonesia's military reported increased rebel casualties in Aceh province yesterday but admitted that troops were having a tough time confronting highly mobile guerillas who blended into the population.

Dean Yates, Banda Aceh – Their allegations of Indonesian military brutality cannot be verified, but the pain etched on their faces is real. So are the tears, the quivering voices and the vacant stares.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Despite several shortcomings, the government said on Wednesday the ongoing military operation to crush the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the province had been nothing but a success and was moving faster then expected.

Jakarta – Chief of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Gen Endriartono Sutarto said human rights group the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) should look into itself following the assault and vandalism by a youth organization.

Lhokseumawe – Fatimah stopped a car carrying several journalists and begged them to load her belongings into the car. "Please take my stuff to the Meunasah [mosque]; I will follow you by bicycle," pleaded a trembling Fatimah.