Next month – our northern neighbour is celebrating it's first birthday as a free country. But while there's much to celebrate – the country's justice system is struggling. Critics say the government isn't doing enough – to bring those responsible for past violence – before a court of law.

Indonesian music sensation Inul Daratista is getting complaints from muslim clerics. She may be one of the country's most popular artists but the clerics say her gyrating dance movements and skimpy costumes are indecent and immoral.

Transcript:

Jakarta – Police in Maluku province arrested seven suspected separatists on Sunday during a dawn raid on a house in the provincial capital of Ambon, police said.

Megan Saunders – Ami is only six, but she knows her family is at crisis point. "What have we done wrong?" the youngest of five children asked her mother as the family fought to remain in Australia. "I said to her: 'I don't know, darling' and she starts crying," says her mother, Teresinha Maia.

Dili – The Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (CAVR) has already heard over 2,000 statements on human rights violations committed during the 25-year independence struggle against Indonesia, but needs an extension of its mandate, the independent body announced Monday.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri is eyeing Romanian tanks and other military hardware to beef up Indonesia's military strength, yet few know how she plans to pay for the purchases.

Jakarta – An Indonesian Muslim militant turned himself in to authorities on Monday after supporters had spirited him out of police custody, a prosecutor said.

Wamena – With the apparent approval of the governor of Papua, Yab Solosa, a joint military unit composed of Kopassus, Kostrad 413 and Rapid Reaction Force troops took action in the direction of the District of Kuyawage, west of Wamena, and burnt down the homes of inhabitants, as well as schools, medical centres and teachers' homes.

Jakarta – At least 2,000 people marched through the streets of Yogyajarta in central Java on Sunday, calling for a holy war against the United States in one of the largest protests here against the US-led coalition in Iraq in recent weeks.

Four Indonesian special forces soldiers who killed a Papuan provincial leader while trying to silence his calls for independence were jailed for between 36 and 42 months.

"The defendants were proven guilty of jointly engaging in mistreatment that led to the death of Theys Hiyo Eluay," said Judge Colonel Yamini in a military court.

Dozens of supporters of a hardline Indonesian Muslim cleric snatched him from prosecutors and spirited him away shortly before he was due to be taken to jail, reports said.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The chance to bring justice to the victims of the 1999 human rights violations in East Timor has vanished, after the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) agreed over the weekend to drop the agenda from its future meetings.

Nani Farida, Jakarta/Aceh – President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Sunday dismissed speculation that the Indonesian Military (TNI) would launch an immediate military operation in Aceh should peace talks fail to settle the Aceh problem.

The Justice Party (PK), a small but vocal Islamic political party officially merged into another Islamic party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) in a move that would enable its candidates to take part in the 2004 general elections.

As a confirmed candidate in the 2004 direct presidential election, President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) seem well aware that the choice of a running mate will be as vital as building solid and stable party coalitions.

The armed conflict between the Indonesian armed forces, TNI, and the Free Acheh Movement, GAM, is hotting up again and victims have started to fall also.

This condition was spearheaded by the torching of the office of the Joint Security Committee (JSC), the peacemaker of the conflict.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Defense analysts have thrown their support behind government moves to look for other arms suppliers in a bid to cut its dependence on the United States, which has imposed a military embargo on the country since 1991.

Graham Gerard Ong – It may pale in comparison to reports about the postwar reconstruction of Iraq, but the recent public announcement of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's official visit to Moscow and her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Monday deserves to be taken seriously.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Textile and engineering giant Texmaco announced last week that it had defaulted on a US$25 million letter of credit facility from Bank BNI 46.

Five civilians have been killed in Indonesia's rebellious Aceh province, police and the military said.

The latest killings brought the death toll during an upsurge of violence over the past two weeks to 40, further straining a four-month old ceasefire agreement between the government and separatist rebels.

Banda Aceh – Indonesia's military and separatist rebels in Aceh have traded charges over reports of six killings in the province ahead of expected talks next week aimed at saving a floundering peace agreement.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Anti-Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has expressed its concern over the possibility of the Indonesian government resorting to military force to resolve the Aceh conflict.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Supreme Court shifted 64 mid- and low-level division heads from their posts on Thursday, the biggest reshuffling to occur in the country's judicial history, in an effort to boost its poor performance and repair the corrupt judiciary.

Jakarta (Antara) – About 200,000 Indonesians are still taking refuge in a number of areas across the country due to social conflicts, a minister said on Friday.

"Actually, the government has prepared to resettle the refugees of certain areas and Rp 750,000 in cash for each refugee family," Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah was quoted by Antara as saying.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The trial of Muhammad Nazar, leader of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) who stands charged with sowing hatred against the government, began on Thursday at Banda Aceh District Court.

"The defendant incited the public to carry out actions that violated the law," chief prosecutor Muhammad Masril told the hearing.

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has officially announced that its privatization exercise for several state-owned enterprises (SOEs) will be delayed until the end of the Iraq crisis. However, several analysts and economists argue that the privatization exercise conducted by the government so far could be delayed even further.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has won critical support for "firm action on Aceh" that will likely include a military operation.

The go-ahead will be given only after a final attempt to salvage the four-month old peace pact is made, through a last round of talks with the rebel groups later this month.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has begun preparations to launch a military operation in Aceh, ending a peace pact that has been shredded in recent days by escalating violence.

Banda Aceh – Muhammad Nazar, 27, chairman of the Information Center for an Aceh Referendum (SIRA), went on trial here on Thursday for sedition, his second brush with the law in two years, AFP reported.

The head of Indonesia's Supreme Court has hit out at Amnesty International for describing trials of suspects in the 1999 East Timor violence as "not honest, truthful or fair." "That group has never been satisfied with other people's work," Bagir Manan was quoted by the Koran Tempo daily as saying.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Despite strong criticism and opposition from numerous parties, the government and the House of Representatives looked set to go ahead with the controversial education system bill, which would reduce national education to religious matters.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia's recent decision to revoke free visa-on-arrival facilities for tourists from nearly 40 countries has come under fire for dealing another blow to the tourist industry and jeopardising thousands of jobs in the country.

Azis Tunny, Ambon – Maluku authorities renewed their warning against the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist movement, saying strong measures would be taken against those supporting for RMS and its affiliate, the Maluku Sovereignty Forum (FKM), in observance of the separatist movement's 54th anniversary on April 24.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Marked by the presence of hundreds of people alleged to be those taking part in storming the weekly's office, the trial of the Tempo attack began on Wednesday at the Central Jakarta District Court, with prosecutors accusing the defendants of only committing a minor offense.

Jakarta – Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, accused of leading the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network, had ordered the assassination of President Megawati Sukarnoputri when she was still vice-president, according to a copy of his indictment obtained yesterday.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The government has expressed concern over the rising infant mortality rate, which has increased from 47 babies per 1,000 births in 1997 to 51 babies in 2001 amid the lingering economic crisis.

Banda Aceh – Marines killed three suspected separatist rebels in a gunfight at sea off East Aceh, Aceh military spokesman Firdaus Komarno said here on Tuesday.

Arya Abhiseka, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Tuesday the campaign period ahead of the upcoming legislative election would take place between March 11 and April 1, 2004.

An investigation into allegations of unlawful killing and brutality by Australian special forces in East Timor led to a soldier being charged with kicking a militiaman's corpse after an ambush, Army chief General Peter Leahy said.

Three and half years after East Timor voted for independence, 1500 East Timorese asylum seekers are still in Australia. For many it is more than a decade since they escaped the former Portuguese colony's murderous Indonesian regime. Some had fled the 1991 massacre of about 200 East Timorese in Dili's Santa Cruz cemetery.

Elcid Li, Kupang – The reunion took place in no-man's-land. Also called the tactical coordination line, a 300-meter-long strip of beach just outside of Belu regency between East Timor and Indonesia, where neither country's laws apply.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – More politicians and observers have demanded that all political parties, be they big or small, be afforded equal chances of nominating their own presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Therefore, the argue, the restrictions limiting the size of the presidential election field must be dropped.

Mari Alkatiri – As the world watched events unfold in the Middle East, we heard talk of the territorial integrity of the nation of Iraq.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia's state-run television station, TVRI, yesterday officially became a state-owned company, a status that will give it more commercial freedom and help it stay viable in competition with private stations.

In a final bid to salvage Aceh's shaky peace pact, separatist rebels have agreed to meet with the Indonesian Government in Geneva next week. The decision by the separatist Free Aceh Movement or GAM comes after Jakarta called for a final meeting to iron out growing differences over the six month old peace pact.

Stefan Reisner, Bali – Anger, confusion and disbelief – that is the reaction of the tourist industry and the expatriate community following the drastic change in immigration regulations.

Jakarta – Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra on Tuesday defended a much-criticised decree forcing more tourists to obtain visas, saying the policy was vital to protect internal security.

The decision to abolish visa-free entry for short visits for citizens of 38 countries was based on "considerations on internal security aspects," Yusril said.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The police in Tarutung, North Tapanuli, North Sumatra, arrested on Tuesday three people for preventing log trucks from supplying raw materials to a pulp mill belonging to PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), in Porsea, some 170 kilometers south of Medan.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Yapenas Murib, 35, one of four civilians suspected of involvement in the theft of arms at the a military district headquarters in Wamena on March 4, died on Tuesday.

Jakarta – Amnesty International said on Tuesday that Indonesian troops had reportedly tortured villagers and torched homes during a hunt for separatist rebels in Papua province.