M. Taufiqurrahman and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – "If you can't beat them, join them" seems to be Solahuddin Wahid's motto.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Noted Muslim scholars played down on Tuesday fears of rising radicalism among Indonesian Muslims, saying the phenomenon would not last long and would only affect a small number of people.

M. Munab Islah Ahyani, Bandung – Army chief General Ryamizard Ryacudu says that there is a modern war conspiracy which has and is being carried out by aggressor nations in order to destroy and take control of Indonesia. Stages I and II of this modern war are already underway within the country.

Robert Go, Jakarta – A battery of 520 questions from psychiatrists checking for psychosis, neurosis, retardation or personality complexes; up to 30 minutes on the treadmill to determine cardio-fitness; and spirometry tests to assess lung capacity.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Plans by the US Federal Reserve to increase its interest rate could cause a devastating impact on the Indonesian economy particularly in the form of massive capital flight, economists warned.

Canberra – Australia will leave around 100 peacekeeping troops in East Timor if the United Nations extends its mission in the world's newest country for another year as expected, the government said on Wednesday.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Rejecting accusations of partiality, the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) has again placed the Democratic Party's cofounder Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the presidential election front-runner in its latest poll.

Jakarta – The unprecedented presidential election in July looks certain to see six pairs of contenders, with the incumbent Megawati Soekarnoputri and her deputy-cum-challenger Hamzah Haz being the last to register.

Abdul Khalik/Nana Rukmana, Jakarta/Cirebon – Scholars warned on Tuesday that the candidacy of several top figures from Nahdatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah's endorsement of Amien Rais would have an adverse impact on the role of those organizations as pillars of civil society.

M.Ilaham, Jakarta – Thousands of Acehnese who are residing in Jakarta held a series of demonstrations at the offices of the coordinating minister of politics and security, the presidential palace and the national parliament on Tuesday May 11.

M. Ilaham, Jakarta – The chairperson of the Association of Acehnese Families (Ikatan Keluarga Rakyat Aceh, IKARA), Faisal Syarifuddi, says that during the one year that martial law has been in place in Aceh it has brought great suffering to the Acehnese people, particularly innocent civilians.

Jakarta – Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda and several members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday shrugged off the United Nations-backed East Timorese court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for former Indonesian Military chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto after charging him with crimes against humanity.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – A National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) team found indications on Tuesdays of human rights violations in an incident in which dozens of police officers stormed the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, early this month.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Six years after the onset of the reform movement that was triggered by the death of four Trisakti University students in Jakarta in May 1998 at the hands of security personnel, the nation has yet to see substantial changes in political, economic and social life, activists say.

Four Corners investigates the increasingly rancorous fight between Australia and East Timor over the multi-billion dollar oil and gas bonanza that lies beneath the waters dividing them.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The inflow of smuggled goods to the country surged during the first quarter of this year, according to an internal report from the Directorate General of Customs and Excise.

Indonesian's ex-military chief Wiranto has formally announced his presidential candidacy whilst dismissing an arrest warrant issued against him by an East Timor judge as "character assassination." "There are several pieces of information that are behind these charges, there clearly is an involvement of political activities in this country," Wiranto told reporters.

Andrew Burrell, Manila – A United Nations-backed tribunal yesterday issued an arrest warrant for Indonesia's former military chief Wiranto, in a move that could become a wildcard issue in next month's presidential election campaign.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Rusman, Jayapura/Samarinda Illegal logging continues unchecked in East Kalimantan province and Papua, Indonesia's westernmost province, sparking fears among government officials and environmentalists that pristine forests in the two provinces will soon disappear.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) on Monday opened the debates of the bill on the truth and reconciliation commission with the Military/Police faction rejecting it outright before deliberations began.

Spokesman for the Military/Police faction Maj. Gen. Djasri Marin said the faction wanted the removal of the word "truth" from the bill's title.

John Aglionby, Jakarta – A UN tribunal issued an arrest warrant yesterday against Indonesia's former military commander General Wiranto for crimes against humanity allegedly committed in East Timor five years ago.

East Timor's Prosecutor General has filed a court motion for a "revision" of the case against Indonesian presidential candidate Wiranto, a day after a UN-backed court issued a warrant for his arrest.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The Jakarta stock market fell precipitously for the eighth straight trading day on Monday as regional stock markets also plunged on growing fears that the US Federal Reserve would increase its interest rate in June.

Jakarta – Fierce rebel fighting has left four suspected rebels and a soldier dead in separate clashes in Indonesia's Aceh province, an army spokesman said Tuesday.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – A police disciplinary committee dismissed here on Monday three high-ranking officers in South Sulawesi from their posts for their roles in a recent brutal attack on the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI), Makassar.

Indonesian presidential candidate, former armed forces chief Wiranto continues to attract controversy. United Nations prosecutors in East Timor have issued an arrest warrant against General Wiranto for alleged crimes against humanity.

Jakarta/Surabaya – United Development Party (PPP) leader Hamzah Haz has added his name to the list of presidential candidates when he announced on Monday he would join the race, picking Cabinet minister Gen. (ret.) Agum Gumelar as his running mate.

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – Anti-military demonstrations dogged [former armed forces chief] Wiranto and Gus Solah [National Human Rights Commission member Solahuddin Wahid] as they left the National Election Commission (KPU) after registering as Golkar Party presidential and vice-presidential candidates on Tuesday May 11.

Muchus Budi R., Solo – Democratic Party presidential candidate and retired general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono alias SBY says he is saddened by the wave of demonstrations opposing presidential candidates with a military background. In his assessment, these opponents are holding the actions within the framework of democracy however in fact they are betraying democracy itself.

Muchus Budi R., Solo – Democratic Party presidential candidate, [former coordinating minister for politics and security] Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has admitted that he doesn't know who entered the data on the Democratic Party's web site which gives the impression that one of the party's programs is to abolish the army's territorial command structure from Koramil (sub-district m

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – A United Nations-funded court in East Timor has issued an arrest warrant for the Indonesian presidential candidate Wiranto, beginning a process that could see the former military commander arrested if he leaves the country.

Sydney – An Australian journalist has been arrested in East Timor, accused of subversion and threatened with expulsion, an international press freedom organization said Tuesday.

The claim by the group Reporters Without Borders came just a week after the Paris-based group lauded the fledgling nation for having one of Asia's freest presses.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – The political ambitions of some leaders of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) may create friction within the nation's largest Muslim organization, but the conflict would not affect members at the grass roots, observers say.

"Conflicts are an ordinary phenomena of NU's culture," scholar Muslim Abdurrahman told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Kotaagung, Lampung – Some 30,270 hectares of forest out of a total of 360,000 hectares in the South Bukit Barisan National Park (TNBBS) have been devastated by illegal logging.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Poll watchdogs have urged presidential candidates to allocate a big chunk of their budgets to deploy witnesses to polling stations, and during ballot counting, to prevent vote-rigging in the July 5 election.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – "I see a great degree of promiscuity in Indonesian politics. Anyone can get married to anybody." That is how Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a former adviser to Indonesia's third president, B J Habibie, describes the drive by candidates in the July presidential election to form "unholy alliances of secular and religious parties".

Jakarta – The Golkar Party at its central executive board meeting has declared an associate chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Solahuddin Wahid, as vice presidential candidate to accompany the party's front-runner Wiranto.

East Timor's existence is under threat because of Australia's claims over the poor nation's natural resources, President Xanana Gusmao claims.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The race for Indonesia's top job heated up yesterday with former president Abdurrahman Wahid, barred from the July 5 election for health reasons, declaring he would still run after talks with leading Muslim clerics.

Mark Colvin: It's unlikely that Indonesian authorities will act on the arrest warrant against General Wiranto. They've already failed to act on similar warrants in hundreds of other cases.

The Deputy Prosecutor for Serious Crimes in Dili, Nicholas Koumjian, outlined the case against Wiranto to Anne Barker.

Although the sound of grenades that exploded in Aceh did not reach Jakarta, it does not mean that the capital does not suffer from the consequences of the conflict there. Indeed, it was reported that the conflict in Aceh undermined the position of Sudi Silalahi as Secretary to the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs.

Dian Intannia, Jakarta – If before they were being criticised, now scores of demonstrators have gone to the Indonesian police headquarters to support them. The demonstrators are of the view that the condemnations against police are a rotten conspiracy to sow discord in the nation.

Mark Colvin: Indonesia's former military commander in chief, General Wiranto, is a man of shifting fortunes. Just a few weeks ago, he tasted his first ballot box victory, storming to the presidential nomination for the Golkar Party, formerly led by President Suharto.

Leony Aurora, Jakarta – "Do you know how it feels to work hard but not see any results?" asked midwife Ni Luh Sutini of Cakung public health center, East Jakarta, located near the Cakung industrial area. A tone of sadness rang through the morning air.

Woro Swasti, Jakarta – Next Wednesday, May 12, thousands of students from 23 campuses across Greater Jakarta plan to hold simultaneous actions rejecting presidential candidates from the military. The actions will start at their respective campuses at 11am after which they will move off to the national parliament (DPR) on Jalan Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.

Khairul, Banda Aceh – The head of the Pidie regional military command (Kodim), Infantry Lieutenant Rochim Siregar, has been forcing all village heads to come to the Kodim headquarters with the aim of making them sign a document supporting an extension of martial law in Aceh. It they fail to attend without a clear reason, action is taken against them.

Two big pictures of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her new running mate Hasyim Muzadi fell to the ground as she approached the podium last week to announce their partnership.

Omen or not, analysts say Muzadi is unlikely to be of much help to the embattled Megawati in Indonesia's first direct presidential election on July 5.

Daniel Dasey – A Sydney man accused by East Timor's Prime Minister of being a subversive has denied any wrongdoing, saying he is the subject of a political vendetta.

Journalist and PhD student Julian King, who has lived in East Timor for four years, was arrested in Dili on Thursday and was being held in the city's police station yesterday afternoon.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – The Kupang District Court sentenced nine civilian defendants on Friday to one year in prison each for their involvement in last year's attack on a court building and prosecutor's office on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia could experience more security problems and political instability ahead of its first direct presidential election on July 5, a top Cabinet minister said yesterday.

Businessmen, however, maintained an upbeat perspective and said the trouble brewing in spots faraway from Jakarta would not dampen investors' interest here just yet.