Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – As many as 52 villages in war-torn Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam may skip the elections due to the unfavorable security situation there, a senior Cabinet minister said on Monday.

If Australia and East Timor cannot agree on a maritime boundary, let the court decide.

Haidir Anwar Tanjung, Pekanbaru – Although Kampar has seemingly returned to normal after the recent dismissal of Kampar regent Jefri Noer, police plan to summon teachers who allegedly ordered and mobilized students to hold massive protests against the controversial regent.

James Balowski, Jakarta – The government of Megawati Sukarnoputri declared martial law in Indonesia's northern-most province of Aceh last May. It launched an "integrated operation" to smash the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and restore "law and order".

M. Taufiqurrahman and Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – During the 22-day legislative election campaign period, which will end on April 1, the contesting 24 political parties have dominated the wooing of voters, leaving Regional Representatives Council (DPD) candidates with the challenge of convincing the public about the prominent role of the soon-to-be established institution.

Jakarta – The government has completed a draft decree that will be issued in the event that the general election cannot be held simultaneously nationwide or must be postponed altogether.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – As the political party campaigns for the legislative election draw to a close, Golkar Party presidential hopefuls seem to have set their sights against one another.

Two admonishments issued recently by the party's central executive board (DPP) are indicative of the heightened rivalry between the candidates.

Derwin Pereira Jakarta – A dagger is pointing again at Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung's political future.

Barely a month after being freed by the Supreme Court for corruption, he is facing another damning scandal that could derail his presidential bid.

Jakarta – Witness Syarifin Maloko has admitted to obtaining data on the disposal of bodies from the Tanjung Priok(1) incident which were dumped over the Thousand Islands and Snake Island [off the coast of Jakarta].

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The Aceh martial law administration has arrested an environmental activist for alleged involvement with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), sparking protests from his lawyer.

Bestari Raden, 50, was arrested in the Southeast Aceh last Friday, when he visited the area to evaluate the feasibility of a controversial highway project there.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Political campaigning for the 2004 general elections in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, is apparently not as lively as before, in 1999, as can be seen from the reduction in the number of those attending outdoor campaign rallies.

Laurel Teo – Decked out in the party colour of blood red, tens of thousands of PDI-P supporters surged into the main arteries of Jakarta yesterday. They clogged up the city's traffic and forced the traffic police to close off some roads in the capital.

The following letter was sent today to Minister of State Douglas Alexander

29 March 2005

The Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander MP
Minister of State, Foreign Office
King George's Street
London SW1A 0AA

Dear Mr Alexander,

Military Build Up in West Papua

Canberra – Parliament passed legislation Monday allowing Australia and East Timor to share revenue from a Timor Sea gas and oil field in a deal that a Greens lawmaker said robs one of the world's poorest nations of vital revenue.

Nezar Patria, Kuala Lumpur – A wooden boat stealthily approached a beach near Port Klang in Malaysia at the end of last February. As night descended upon the quiet coastline, the thin fog and the light drizzle seemed to be offering a reassuring sense of peace and security to Hamdun (not his real name).

A barbed-wire fence and steel gate stand in the way of Fatimah Ali (not her real name) in Bukit Petaling, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Jakarta – Approved foreign direct investment in Indonesia fell 66 percent in the January-February period to US$805.4 million from $2.4 billion a year earlier, Bisnis Indonesia reports.

In the same period, the value of planned local investment rose 19 percent to Rp 3.07 trillion from Rp 2.58 trillion, the report says, citing data from the official Investment Board.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – In this ethnically diverse country, the ideal of national unity is an important way to peace. However, a little digging into one's roots doesn't hurt either, especially for the aspiring candidates in this city of migrants: Jakarta.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The Golkar Party's political campaign has fixed its guns on President Megawati Soekarnoputri, stepping up on rhetoric that blames her for the nation's many ailments.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) could use the recent civilian lawsuit, involving an alleged bribery attempt by Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung, to file for judicial review with the Supreme Court, but a legal expert doubted on Saturday that the office would dare to do it.

Tiarma Siboro and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Claiming that the number of military personnel remains far from enough to guard the country's vast territory, the Ministry of Defense is drafting a bill that would require youths to perform military service.

Surabaya – The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) cannot be placed under the authority of the civilian government. The TNI must be involved in politics because the TNI is not a tool of the government.

This issue was taken up by retired General Try Sutrisno when presenting a public lecture at the Surabaya Juang Building in East Java on Saturday March 27.

Dan Eaton, Jakarta – Slumped on a couch and clutching his walking cane, Indonesian presidential hopeful Abdurrahman Wahid, one of the country's most revered Islamic figures, is clearly annoyed.

Campaign time is ticking away as April 5 legislative elections approach and he is facing a barrage of what he considers irrelevant questions from a foreign journalist.

Jakarta – Indonesian Muslims reacted angrily to the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin by Israel, with rallies held in several major cities on Java island on Friday in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. Most of the rallies turned into verbal attacks on the United States, Israel's long-standing ally.

The Straits Times Indonesia bureau chief Derwin Pereira spoke to Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday on her administration's successes and her plans, if re-elected. Here are excerpts from the interview.

Q: What are the successes of your administration?

Robert Go, Jakarta – A former government prosecutor has accused presidential candidate Akbar Tandjung of reneging on promises to make under-the-table payments in exchange for inside information about the Golkar leader's graft trial.

Charlotte Denny – Mohammed Soeharto, Ferdinand Marcos and Mobutu Sese Seko ripped off up to $US50 billion from the people of Indonesia, the Philippines and Zaire, equivalent to the West's entire annual aid budget, anti-bribery campaigners say.

East Aceh – Seven members of the rebel Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and two Indonesian soldiers were killed on Friday after an armed clash on Tateh mountain in East Aceh regency. The two dead soldiers are First Pvt. Heroik and First Pvt. Hartono, both from the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus).

Jakarta, Kompas – The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) is of the view that law enforcement in Aceh since a state of martial law was declared is not working.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Though now defunct, the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) remains prominent in the current two-month changeover period to a new way of managing debt restructuring and asset sales.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Most voters know how to properly perforate their ballot papers, but they remain so indifferent to the candidates that many of them are likely to vote for anybody, a survey reveals.

Astrid Felicia Lim, Jakarta – The elections in Aceh will not be delayed, but its implementation will be dependent on the security situation. There are fears however that the elections in Aceh will not be conducted in a democratic manner.

Haidir Anwar Tanjung, Pekanbaru – Work at the Kampar district administration in Riau returned to normal on Friday after three days of paralysis caused by protests against its much-derided regent.

Sian Powell, Jakarta – Two Supreme Court judges have risked high-level political opprobrium by criticising Indonesian armed forces' crimes in East Timor in 1999.

In only the court's third dissenting opinion, the two judges ruled against Indonesia's ad hoc tribunal on East Timor, finding five senior army and police officers guilty of gross human rights abuses.

Suherdjoko and Rusman, Semarang/Samarinda – The number of tuberculosis sufferers increased to 36,820, with 12,000 fatalities, in Central Java province this year and that number is expected to go higher due partly to poverty, a local health official said on Friday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung is facing a fresh court case after a self-confessed middleman filed a lawsuit against the speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) at the South Jakarta District Court on Thursday.

Haidir Anwar Tanjung and Tiarma Siboro, Pekanbaru/Jakarta – Joyful celebrations erupted in Kampar regency, Riau province, on Thursday, shortly after Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno finally bowed to the people's adamant demand to dismiss the district chief and his deputy.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The situation in Aceh Nanggroe Darussalam at present is calmer than it has been in recent months, but it is not really very different from other days aside from the thousands of party flags fluttering in Banda Aceh during the political campaign period.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – The National Police have sent another team to further investigate the recent shooting incident in Manggarai regency on the eastern island of Flores, which killed five people and injured 28 others.

Steven Gutkin, Jakarta – Indonesian police have obtained a letter that allegedly identifies jailed militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir as the leader of the al Qaida-linked terror network Jemaah Islamiyah, a senior intelligence official said Friday.

Jakarta – Indonesian police have enough evidence to bring new charges against jailed militant cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is scheduled to be released from prison next month, a senior intelligence official said on Friday.

The Constitutional Court, established on the basis of the decision of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), is currently engaged in reviewing the legal contradictions that are affecting the province of Papua.

Jakarta – Most of the 24 political parties contesting the upcoming elections are not concerned with public demands, the Forum of People's Concern for the House says.

Dili – Tiny East Timor accused its giant neighbour Australia on Friday of breaching international law by issuing exploration licences in a disputed section of a giant gasfield in the sea area between them.

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said his country is committed to honouring agreements with Canberra about the Greater Sunrise field.

As Indonesians prepare for general elections next month, there are allegations that as election fever heats up, political parties have resorted to taking over the media to control it.

Presenter/Interviewer: Adelaine Ng

Laurel Teo – In a country where two in three watch television almost every day, the goggle box has turned into a fierce battle- ground for Indonesian politicians.

Devi Asmarani, Makassar – Indonesia's most consummate politician, Mr Akbar Tandjung, was clearly in his element.

Standing before more than 10,000 yellow-clad party supporters in the town square of Takalar, a 1 1/2-hour drive from Makassar, the Golkar chairman showed a side normally obscured by his soft voice and composure.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – For many young people in Jakarta's kampongs, the 22-day official campaign period this month is manna from heaven – free T-shirts and money.

Nurul Hidayati, Jakarta – Arbi Sanit, a political observer from the University of Indonesia, is of the view that the a report by Transparency International (TI) which says that former President Suharto is the richest corrupter in the world, will indeed benefit the Cendana [Suharto's Central Jakarta neighborhood, the relatives of of the Suharto clan] clique's political party, the Nat

Suwarjono, Jakarta – The results of a survey by the Institute of Research, Education and Information of Social and Economic Affairs (LP3ES), show that the Golkar Party has the largest amount of public support.