Jakarta – The government threatened on Wednesday to end diplomatic ties with the Republic of Vanuatu if the country continued to support the Free Papua Organization (OPM) in its struggle to separate from Indonesia, Antara reported.

About 200 students have urged monitors overseeing a peace pact between the Indonesian government and Aceh separatist rebels to investigate the shooting of two brothers.

Unidentified gunmen shot the two brothers who were riding a motorcycle in Aceh Besar district on Saturday, killing one of them and critically wounding the other.

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his deep concern over the ongoing meeting of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) figures in Aceh, saying it constituted military consolidation aimed at strengthening the separatist movement.

Max Lane, Jakarta – On January 22, more than 300 journalists and other observers crammed into a room in the Struggle Museum to hear representatives of several political and social movement organisations announce the formation of a new opposition coalition, called the Koalisi Nasional (National Coalition – KN).

Lisbon – The Bishop of Dili called Wednesday for the creation of an independent body to oversee the exploitation of Timor Sea oil reserves, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

"The oil is under the Timor Sea, it belongs to everybody and everybody has the right to know what is at stake. That is democracy and transparency," Bishop Ximenes Belo told the agency.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – A human rights watchdog on Tuesday denounced the government for poorly handling the ad hoc tribunal for human rights violations in East Timor, saying that the trials were a complete failure.

Jakarta – Speaking again before supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) at her private residence in Kebagusan, South Jakarta on Tuesday, President Megawati Soekarnoputri expressed her disappointment over recent antigovernment demonstrations in which protesters stomped on her pictures.

The head of Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation has rejected a breakfast invitation from the US Congress, blaming the possible war against Iraq and new US immigration rules.

"God willing I won't go," Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the moderate Nahdlatul Ulama said, as quoted by the official news agency Antara today.

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – A retired stockbroker who once assisted Indah Kiat Paper and Pulp – considered the darling of the paper and pulp industry at one time before being swallowed up in a sea of debt – to go public says the best way to see the upside in any downside is for a company to go public.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) disclosed on Tuesday widespread corruption in the country's judicial system, involving a wide range of players, from justices of the Supreme Court to parking attendants at a district court.

Denpasar – The chief of Indonesia's National Terrorism Desk, Police Inspector General Ansaad Bay, expressed his belief yesterday that Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was behind all the bombing incidents in the country, including those in Bali.

"JI has been behind them all," he said after attending a coordination meeting with officials concerned with anti-terrorism efforts.

The United States is expected to bypass Congressional restrictions on funding the Indonesian military or TNI as early as this week. During the East Timor crisis, Congress passed the Leahy provisions which stopped funding to the TNI until it demonstrated clear improvements in human rights and accountability.

Max Lane – In the Jakarta Post, on January 27, Juwono Sudarsono is quoted as stating that there was too much political party involvement in the wave of recent student demonstrations.

Arpiadi Gunawan, Medan – Thousands of residents including activists from various non-governmental organizations, clergymen and ulemas again staged a protest on Monday against the reopening of a suspended pulp plant in Toba Samosir regency, North Sumatra.

Jakarta – Indonesia is considering issuing a decree to allow mining firms to operate in areas protected by the country's forestry law, Mines and Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Tuesday.

Purnomo said the 1999 law, which bans open pit mining in areas covered under the regulation, had hampered investment.

Leo Wahyudi S – The antidrug campaign seems to be getting more intensive support from the police as drug abuse problems become more serious. There are now an estimated four million drug addicts nationwide and some Rp 800 billion is spent daily just on drugs. The Jakarta Post talked to several city residents about the issue and their response to the police attempts.

Indonesian state human rights investigators have begun a wide-ranging probe of violations committed during the long dictatorship of former president Suharto.

Ainur R. Sophiaan, Surabaya – Five witnesses testified in court here on Monday that they had never seen any of seven soldiers charged with murdering Papuan separatist leader Theys Hiyo Eluay two years ago.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The highest-ranking commander of the military wing of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has publicly announced his support for the agreement with the government, although he also emphasized that GAM would continue with its much-criticized practices, including the collection of funds from the public.

There are warnings today about a negative fallout in the region from the Howard Government's decision to deploy forces to the gulf before any United Nations decision on war against Iraq.

Transcript:

A former rock star has led three-thousand Indonesian protesters in a rally outside the British embassy to condemn a possible war on Iraq.

Women wearing white headscarves hoisted signs in downtown Jakarta proclaiming their opposition to American and British plans to invade Iraq.

David Fickling – The spectacle of someone large and powerful picking on a weak and desperate neighbour passes as bullying in the average playground. International politics, however, has a better name for it: diplomacy.

Jim Lobe, Washington – The administration of US President George W Bush has moved a major step closer to normalizing military ties with the Indonesian military (TNI), which it hopes will be a key ally in its war against terrorism in Southeast Asia.

Jakarta – Drug trafficking and abuse in Jakarta are increasing at an alarming rate due to big supplies and easy access to it in the market, an expert said.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Zakki Hakim, Jakarta – Despite staging street rallies almost every day, the current student protests against the government are insignificant mainly due to the different political interests they represent, experts say.

Reports from Jakarta say large numbers of rare and protected animals are being smuggled out of Indonesia with the complicity of officials.

The Kompas newspaper, citing its own investigation, claims people from countries such as Japan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Malaysia and Iran visit Indonesia regularly to buy wildlife at two main animal markets in Jakarta.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Deforestation of the country's already much-depleted natural forests has accelerated as local administrations are currently in a race to give businesspeople hundreds of timber concession licenses in order to help fill the regions' coffers.

Imanuddin, Jakarta – The general elections is still a year ahead, but prospective candidates for the next presidency, who have their roots in the top ten political parties, have either secretly or publicly launched their pre-election campaigns by visiting their constituents across the country.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – North Sumatra Police must go all out to stop drug trafficking from the war-torn province of Aceh following last week's arrest of three Acehnese women here with 1.5 tons of marijuana, antidrug campaigners say.

Jakarta – About 1,000 Muslims chanted anti-American slogans outside the US embassy in Jakarta on Sunday saying any war against Iraq would be an attack on the entire Islamic world.

Jakarta – The first weapon-free zone will open in Indonesia's Aceh province this week to help cement a peace deal that both sides have violated less than two months after signing it, mediators said on Sunday.

After fervently voicing support for alleged terrorists last year in the name of Islamic brotherhood, Vice President Hamzah Haz has ventured onto safer ground by braying about the dangers of communism.

Forget the big problems facing Indonesia, such as corruption, terrorism, religious extremism, poor law enforcement and human rights abuses.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – One of Indonesia's most senior politicians, Parliamentary Speaker Akbar Tandjung, yesterday declared that three of the largest political parties in the country still backed President Megawati Sukarnoputri as he brushed aside speculation that there will be a new regime before elections in 2004.

Jakarta – Indonesia's former armed forces chief, General Wiranto, denied yesterday that he has tried to seize power from President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

"I definitely will not allow myself to be trapped in such a game," the retired general told reporters.

Ainur Sophiaan, Surabaya – The panel of judges trying seven of the Army Special Forces (Kopassus) personnel charged with killing Papuan proindependence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay rejected on Friday a demand by the defendants' lawyers to drop the case.

Jill Jolliffe, Dili – Members of an armed militia group arrested here last week say they agreed to return as guerillas because Indonesian officials in West Timor had prevented them from returning legally with United Nations refugee programs.

A committee monitoring a ceasefire in Aceh province has for the first time criticised both the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist group and the Indonesian government for truce violations.

John Martinkus – Almost three weeks after a series of militia incursions into East Timor from neighbouring Indonesia left five people dead, the two largest contingents of the peacekeeping force (PKF) responsible for security in the newly independent nation, the Australians and the Portuguese, are still facing criticism over their failure to heed warnings of the attacks.

Moch. N. Kurniawan and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – US senators voted down on Thursday an attempt to limit US military training for Indonesian soldiers, a move that Indonesian activists said would further dampen efforts to promote human rights in the country.

Jakarta – In another effort to curb illegal logging, the government has issued a joint ministerial decree on the transportation of logs and a minister of trade decree on the exports of logs.

Jakarta – With war looming in Iraq, Quds Production garment workshop owner Syahrul Arief mass produces tee-shirts supporting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Should war break out, sales of the shirts bearing the Iraqi leader's face and the words "Ready for War" and "We Support You", could take off, Arief hoped.

John Roberts – After inconclusive Indonesian investigations into an ambush near the Freeport mine in West Papua last year, a team of US FBI investigators is due to arrive this week to take part in a joint inquiry. Two American teachers and an Indonesian died in the attack and 12 others were injured.

Bill Guerin – A key Indonesian Christian leader working for an end to the violence in the Spice Islands (Malukus) is reported to have been poisoned while in police custody in Palu, the capital of his native province of Central Sulawesi.

Jakarta – Father Raphael dos Santos, an East Timorese priest, said on Thursday Indonesian Military soldiers and policemen were among the attackers of his refugee-packed church in the town of Liquica in April 1999.

Jakarta – Jakarta Police released on Friday 20 protesters who staged a rally in front of the residence of President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Wednesday, El Shinta radio station reported.

The protesters, mostly studets, were arrested late on Thursday for allegedly violating "law of freedom of expression before public", said Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo.

US senators voted down an attempt to limit US military training for Indonesia, triggering outrage from campaigners striving to bring East Timor war crimes suspects to justice.

The Senate voted 61-36 to reject an amendment to omnibus spending bills that would have restricted a program for Indonesian military officers to come to the United States for training and education.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Complicated procedures have put an early damper on moves to show House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung the door as the steering committee (Bamus) that was scheduled to discuss the issue on Thursday failed to reach a quorum.

Jakarta – Human rights groups reacted angrily Friday to a US Senate decision not to block military ties with Indonesia over reports that army troops killed two American schoolteachers in Papua province.

"The problem is that the Republicans don't care about human rights," said Asmara Nababan, a leading Indonesian rights activist.

Policemen and soldiers deployed on border duties have yet to receive their operational orders from superiors. With only seven days to go before the deadline set for the Operassi Papua Merdeka (OPM) fighters to move out of Papua New Guinean soil, PNG troops stationed in Vanimo are still unsure of what they are supposed to do.

Jill Jolliffe, Dili – President Xanana Gusmao has denied a report that East Timor is seeking increased Australian military involvement in the territory to curb militia infiltrations from West Timor.

"We have been very happy with the performance of the peacekeepers," he said. "We don't need more Australian soldiers. They are needed for the war in Iraq; it's more important."