Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The Ministry of Finance is preparing a government regulation that will enable state-owned banks to write off bad loans owed by small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) in an effort to accelerate the recovery of their businesses, a government official said.

Indonesia's controversial special forces, known as Kopassus, have not reformed their evil ways and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) should not renew ties, a new study says.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono banned Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu on Thursday from responding to a House invitation to a selection hearing for the post of Indonesian Military (TNI) chief.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – The government congratulated President George W. Bush on Thursday over his reelection and expressed a hope for stronger ties with the world's only superpower country.

Canberra – The Australian government should not make any move to strengthen military ties with Indonesia's elite Kopassus army special forces on Thursday, an Australian think tank said on Thursday.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government has said it hopes that the re-election of George Walker Bush as the new US president would help in normalizing military cooperation between the two countries.

Indonesia and China discussed defence cooperation, exploring ways for Jakarta to obtain new arms supplies as the Southeast Asian country struggles to rebuild military ties with Washington.

Donggala – The situation in Sidondo subdistrict, Donggala regency, was still tense on Thursday, one day after an ethnic clash that killed two people.

Sapto Pradityo, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked the former governor of West Papua, Freddy Numberi, to assist in resolving the Papua question.

The country has been through an enormous political transformation in the last few weeks. On October 20, a new president was sworn in and, on October 1, a new batch of House members were installed. But rather than immediately buckling down to their jobs, House members quickly became embroiled in a power struggle that has paralyzed the House for weeks now.

Melly Febrida, Jakarta – The poor performance of the People's Representative Assembly (DPR) has provoked four non-government organisations (NGOs) to launch the NGO Coalition for Clean and Effective Parliament (Koalisi LSM untuk Parlemen Bersih dan Efektif).

Sarah Buckley – Five years after 1,000 people died as East Timor broke away from Indonesia, almost all those responsible for the violence are still walking free.

An Indonesian court's decision on Friday to acquit East Timor's former governor Abilio Soares means only one conviction brought by Jakarta now stands.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Jakarta's provincial minimum wage increase is likely to be approved at 6 percent, a wage of Rp 711,843 (US$78.23), after the provincial wage council voted at a meeting on Thursday, minus all seven members of the Workers Association.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Two anti-corruption activists in Aceh were grilled on Tuesday by local authorities, two days after they made harsh comments over the allegedly rampant corruption in the war-torn province.

Jakarta – Indonesian soldiers killed seven suspected rebels in two gun battles in restive Aceh province, a military spokesman said Friday.

Sari P. Setiogi, Jakarta – The elderly Muslim cleric who is on trial for the bombings in Bali and at the JW Mariott Hotel in Jakarta, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, mocked the court on Thursday and challenged it to pile on the charges.

Ba'asyir said in his defense plea that the charges addressed to him was a mere joke, made only to satisfy the United States.

Jakarta – A hearing at the South Sulawesi provincial legislature about the handling of illegal migrant workers returning from Malaysia turned ugly on Thursday, with councillors accusing government officials of lying.

Suwarjono, Jakarta – A number of West Papuan public figures have asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to immediately proceed with the formation of the Papua People's Council (MRP) which has been delayed for the last three years.

Ruslan Sangadji, Donggala – A clash between two ethnic groups broke out in Donggala regency, Central Sulawesi province, on Wednesday, leaving two people dead and dozens of others severely injured, including two police personnel. The two fatalities were local residents Asdin, 28 and Asdar, 30, who were shot dead by police personnel after the clash.

Jakarta – While the two opposing camps in the House of Representatives have opened a line of communication with each other, they are still at loggerheads on how to resolve their weeks-old deadlock.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – At the end of his sermon, a Muslim preacher in South Jakarta switched to a favourite subject: Kristenisasi, or the Christianisation of fellow believers.

Denpasar – Bali is the first province in Indonesia to have carried out a comprehensive survey on the implementation of the new visa-on-arrival (VoA) policy as a quick response to government requests for the island's tourist industry to provide "real data" on the impact of the policy, which has been effective since Feb. 2004.

Suryani Ika Sari, Jakarta – The debate on the Jakarta provincial minimum wage (UMP) continues. In a meeting which was held by the Provincial Council for Wage Affairs this afternoon, Thursday November 11, employers and the Jakarta provincial government agreed to a UMP of 711,000 rupiah per month.

Abu Bakar Bashir has rejected as a joke, charges that he masterminded the Bali and Marriott hotel bombings, turning his latest court appearance into a political soapbox.

A militant Islamic cleric on trial in Indonesia on terrorist charges including over the Bali bombings warned President George W. Bush's reelection victory spelled "disaster" for the United States.

Jakarta – Amid the ongoing internal scuffle and criticism of their idleness after a month in office, members of the House of Representatives made official visits and met with the public.

A 17-strong House delegation linked to the People's Coalition and representing Commission V on transportation and public works visited Senen station in Central Jakarta.

Arin Widiyanti, Jakarta – Around 100 students from the Anti-Corruption Student Network (Jaringan Mahasiswa Anti-Korupsi, Jamak) held a demonstration at the Attorney General's office in South Jakarta on Thursday November 4 demanding the arrest of a number of cabinet ministers.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – A human rights watchdog urged the Attorney General's Office (AGO) on Wednesday to prioritize the investigation of rights cases submitted to the office by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Tiarma Siboro and Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – The government is streamlining the procedures for procuring arms and will exclude the Indonesian Military (TNI) from the process in a bid to avoid corruption and mark-ups.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu (left) relinquishes the command baton to the new chief of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), Lt. Gen. Hadi Waluyo. in a ceremony held on Wednesday at the Kostrad headquarters, Central Jakarta.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Indonesia's military scored a major victory this week without firing a shot. The re-election of US President George W Bush ensures restoration of full military ties between the US and Indonesia, including millions of dollars in aid, and also ensures that US demands for military reform will remain muted.

Leony Aurora , Jakarta – In a bid to keep standards for customs and practices in issuing and using letters of credit (L/Cs) up-to-date with current developments, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is preparing to revise the existing standards.

Nadirsyah Hosen, Jakarta – Corruption is closely linked to the way in which governments conduct their affairs, and, therefore, also to the growth of governments' economic activities. It is unlikely that corruption can be substantially reduced without modifying the way in which governments operate.

Jakarta – Parcel vendors who for years enjoyed a thriving business are feeling the heat of a new political reality that frowns on the giving and receiving of holiday gifts.

Jakarta – Around 200 students and activists staged a demonstration at National Police Headquarters on Tuesday, demanding the police investigate an alleged financial scandal involving three steel mills of the Gunawan Steel Group in the East Java capital of Surabaya, believed to have caused more than Rp 1.2 trillion in state losses.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced on Tuesday it was still waiting for more than 100 legislators to submit reports declaring their personal wealth.

Jakarta – Indonesia should sort out its legal system and aim to reduce fuel subsidies to free up spending for other areas, but it has been doing well in fiscal policy and financial-sector reform, the IMF said yesterday.

Leony Aurora, Jakarta – With the new government holding marathon meetings to resolve the problem of ballooning fuel subsidy spending, an economist has presented a scenario in which a 10 percent to 15 percent hike in domestic fuel prices next year would reduce subsidy spending and limit the adverse effects on the economy.

Ridwan Max Sijabat & Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, Jakarta – We all knew this would happen. A political impasse pitting the majority opposition coalition against the minority coalition aligned with the President. But few would have predicted it would happen this soon. Even fewer thought it would erupt over an issue so seemingly trivial.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) rose to a record high on Tuesday as investors scrambled to buy telecommunications, banking and cigarette blue chips following strong third quarter profit reports and easing oil prices.

Eworaswa, Jakarta – The fatal shooting on September 14 in Mulia, Puncak Jaya, in which four civilians were killed, has left behind feelings of deep fear. The Commission for Victims of Disappearances and Violence (Kontras) is urging the government and the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) to immediately conduct an independent investigation into the case.

Pekanbaru – The Pekanbaru municipal government warned on Tuesday that government officials would shave sex workers' heads, if they were found operating during Ramadhan. The statement was made following the arrest of 17 sex workers in various places in the city in the past week.

Nur Raihan, Banda Aceh – The raging armed conflict in Aceh has left behind a huge trauma for the Acehnese people. As a result, some 80 per cent of people suffering mental disorders are because they had witnessed incidents of violence first hand.

Mari Alkatiri – The talks in Dili last week between the governments of East Timor and Australia were aimed at finding a way to resolve our overlapping maritime boundary claims in the Timor Sea, which in turn would create the environment for the Greater Sunrise oil and gas field to be developed.

Bogor – Hundreds of villagers in Jonggol district, Bogor regency, protested on Tuesday against frozen and dry food producer PT Belfoods Indonesia for polluting Cibodas River.

Jakarta – The Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Affairs, Widodo Adi Sutjipto, says that his office is in the process of putting together a recommendation on Aceh when the state of civil emergency ends on November 18.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Santo looks much older than 21. His emaciated body, attacked by the HIV virus, rotting teeth and patchy skin testify to years of drug abuse.

Jakarta – Indonesia's top Security Minister said yesterday that the new government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would make no deals with separatist guerillas in troubled Aceh and urged the rebels to surrender.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The government must abandon its security approach and open dialog with civilian figures to settle the Aceh conflict once and for all, a discussion has concluded.

Harry Bhaskara – The new members of the House of Representatives have become embroiled in a power struggle less than a month after taking their seats. The People's Coalition in the 550-strong House urged government officials over the weekend to ignore invitations from its rival Nationhood Coalition.