Nur Raihan, Banda Aceh – The prolonged conflict in Aceh cannot be resolved by arms. It is hoped that the new government will seek a fresh alternative to resolve the Aceh question instead of the integrated operation which has been implemented to date.

Suliyanti, Jakarta – The deputy chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), Lukman Halim, has proposed that the People's Representative Assembly (DPR) commissions be temporarily frozen in order to cool down the increasingly sharp dispute developing between the parliament and the government.

A month after being sworn in, Indonesian lawmakers have yet to begin work amid a bitter dispute that could threaten efforts by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to improve security and cure the country's economic ills.

Jakarta – Indonesia's top security minister called on rebels in Aceh province Tuesday to disarm and "rejoin the nation," but didn't say whether fighters who surrendered would be given an amnesty, nor whether fresh peace talks were planned.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – With the six-month state of civil emergency in Aceh nearing an end, leading ulemas in the province suggested on Monday that the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono revive a dialog with Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels to settle decades of conflict there.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – As he faces a second trial on terrorism charges, Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir has taken on symbolic value far beyond his real importance. To the West, Indonesia's handling of Ba'asyir, the alleged head of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror group, is a crucial indicator of Indonesia's commitment to fighting terrorism.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Jakarta's provincial tripartite wages council failed to reach a compromise on the planned increase of the 2005 provincial minimum wage (UMP) on Monday.

Eworaswa, Jakarta – The Aceh Working Group (AWG), a grouping of non-government organisations concerned about the Aceh question, have put forward a three point plan to evaluate [whether or not to extend] the state of civil emergency in Aceh.

Suwarjono, Jakarta – The state of civil emergency in Aceh will end on November 18. Following this it could be extended for the entire province, part of the province or be reduced [to a state of civil authority].

Jakarta – As well as having the potential to violate human rights, the revisions being made to Law Number 15/2003 on Eliminating Criminal Acts of Terrorism which are being considered by the Department of Law and Human Rights are far more repressive and are a step backwards in terms of efforts to respect and uphold values of human rights in Indonesia.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – An international election monitoring team suggested on Monday that election regulations deemed discriminatory should be amended to ensure greater public participation in future polls.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ruled out allowing Australian troops to be stationed on its soil or letting them carry out pre-emptive strikes against extremists on its territory.

Jakarta – Very few property developers in Jakarta have built public and community facilities in accordance with a requisite for obtaining land-use permits, an official of the City Asset Management Agency revealed on Monday.

Jakarta – Foreign tourist arrivals in the first nine months of this year increased by around 28 percent over the same period last year, despite the terrorist bombing incident in front of the Australian Embassy here in September, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Monday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Leaders of the Indonesian Military (TNI) stressed on Monday that regardless of what the House of Representatives (DPR) said about the leadership change, they would only obey President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's decision on the issue.

Jakarta – Prices rose at a slower rate in October mainly because of an abundant supply of rice that helped ease inflationary pressures caused by the soaring oil price and weaker rupiah.

Palu – Fearing corruption charges, former Donggala councillors returned some of what they had taken on Monday to the Central Sulawesi Prosecutor's Office.

Former councillor Hafip Ponulele handed over a motorcycle last Friday, while former councillor Peterson Tampusu handed over a Yamaha motorcycle and Rp 5 million (US$532) cash to provincial councillors on Monday.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – What do people survive on a monthly wage of only Rp 671,550 (US$73.80) in Jakarta? It may be difficult for white-collar workers to answer but that is what some of their blue-collar counterparts have to get by on.

Eworaswa, Jakarta – Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) are questioning plans by the defense minister to increase the defense budget by 5.59 per cent (26 trillion rupiah).

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – For Chinese-Indonesians, albeit a minority, the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's pledge to fight discrimination is not convincing.

Yuswardi A. Suud, Banda Aceh – On November 1 a number of ministers from the Indonesian Cabinet of Unity arrived in Aceh to seek input before deciding on whether or not to extend the state of civil emergency in Aceh which will end on November 19.

Imanuddin Razak – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's request to annul his predecessor's request for lawmakers to discuss the replacement of the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief, which was announced during a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives last Wednesday, was a controversial move by the new president.

Antonia Staats – US-based gold mining enterprise Newmont, the world's biggest gold mining corporation, has been operating its Minahasa Raya mine in Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia, since 1996. The waste, a mix of ground rock and heavy metals that has been treated by a neutralisation process, is disposed of through a pipe at 82 metres depth into the ocean at Buyat Bay.

Gunawan Mashar, Makassar The perpetual internal conflicts in West Papua has prompted students originating from Papua who are studying in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar to demonstrate on at the provincial parliament on Jalan Urip Sumohardjo.

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – As the environment on several islands in Kepulauan Seribu regency continues to deteriorate, the Jakarta Police have yet to show significant progress in their ongoing 10-month investigation of a serious oil spill in the regency.

Aguswandi, London – Aceh will be the best place to judge whether the new government will be any different from previous regimes in Indonesia. One of the biggest challenges for Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono's government is to resolve the conflict in Aceh peacefully.

RR Ariyani, Jakarta – A grouping of non-government organisations (NGOs) who are handling the Buyat Bay pollution case including the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) and the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) hope that an integrated technical team will be able to act independently.

Bill Guerin – Indonesia's new president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, dubbed the "the thinking general", has been hard at work making the rounds of key ministries to lay down the law, as it were.

Abdul Khalik and Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Jakarta/Padang – After several dozen local legislators across the country were convicted for corruption, police and prosecutors were currently targeting local administration heads in their fight against endemic corruption.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Sri Wahyuni, Jakarta/Yogyakarta – An education expert warned on Sunday that extensive liberalization of education would threaten the existence of local universities.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been urged to reconsider his idea to appoint an Army chief as the new Indonesian Military (TNI) chief, and instead choose the Air Force chief.

Karen Orenstein - November 2 has come and gone. As we ponder the results, we must gear up for four more years of a Bush administration and Congress that will lean farther to the right than before the election.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Noted observers have criticized the two opposing coalitions in the House of Representatives on Sunday for placing short-term, party gain over and above the public's interest in the election of leaders of House commissions and auxiliary bodies.

Jakarta – While details remain sketchy, the newly unveiled 100-day national economic program has apparently met the expectations many people have, by showing that the government literally means business when it comes to improving the country's investment climate and economy.

Pekanbaru – Plantation workers and tribe members clashed on Saturday at an oil palm plantation in Balam Jaya subdistrict, Rokan Hilir regency, Riau province.

No fatalities were reported in the incident, Riau Police chief Brig. Gen. Deddy Komaruddin said on Saturday.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The country's commercial banks have booked strong third quarter profits, thanks mainly to low cost of funds that allowed them to enjoy fat net interest margins.

On 7 September, the Indonesian House of Representatives passed a long-awaited Law on the Commission on Truth and Reconciliation ("the Truth Commission").

Banda Aceh – Indonesian troops killed seven men they claimed were separatist rebels in the country's oil-and-gas rich Aceh province, the military said Sunday.

The Chief of Army has admitted more than 1300 troops who served in East Timor were given an anti-malarial drug with potentially devastating side effects.

It also has been revealed hundreds of our soldiers in Timor were used to test an unauthorised drug being developed by the US Army.

Dan Kingsley, Jakarta – We have read quite a bit recently about how Indonesia's non-oil manufacturing exports have been decreasing. In fact, there has actually been negative investment in this sector if the number of international trading companies (export manufacturing, retail buyers, international investors) that have left the country is taken into account.

Tony Hotland and Zakki P. Hakim, Jakarta – The World Bank urged the new government on Friday to fix the country's adverse investment climate in a bid to accelerate economic growth and create jobs.

The Jakarta Post, Denpasar – The visa-on-arrival policy has discouraged foreigners from traveling to Bali, the country's main tourist destination, a recent survey revealed. From the responses of 10,000 people, the survey found that more than 50 percent of those interviewed would not return to Bali due to the new policy.

Ben Harkness, Jakarta – As of July, 2004 the official number of HIV/AIDS infections in Indonesia recorded by the Indonesian Department of Health was 4,389. However, a widely accepted estimate of the true number of cases is between 100 000 and 150 000.

Palembang – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) disclosed on Friday that it had discovered at least nine high-profile pollution cases over the past year.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – An international housing rights protection organization called on the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to put a stop to forced evictions in Indonesia.

Matthew Moore and Karuni Rompies, Jakarta – In the months before he was swept to office, Indonesia's new president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, promised a 100-day plan as a way of breaking through the malaise of President Megawati Soekaroputri's administration.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – House of Representative speakers and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met for the first time on Friday amid tension between the two sides over who should lead the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – None of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Cabinet members had submitted a wealth report to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as of Friday, a commission member stated.

As part of efforts to create a clean government, Susilo told his new ministers last Friday to submit their reports to the commission within a week.

Batam/Samarinda/Jakarta – Hundreds of Indonesian workers in Malaysia began returning home on Friday, marking the first day of the 17-day amnesty program for illegal workers offered by the Malaysian government.

Cunding Levi and Lita Oetomo, Jayapura – Thousands of demonstrators from the Papua People's Anti-Militarism Front (Front Rakyat Papua Anti Militerisme, FRPAM) led by Jefrison A. Pagawak demonstrated again on Friday October 29.