Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – In anticipation of the possible delay of the general election, the government has developed a number of contingency plans, a minister said on Thursday.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) issued on Thursday a list of 7,786 legislative candidates eligible to contest the polls, one week behind the original schedule.

There were some corrections made to the list as the commission had declared 7,756 aspirants qualified for the April general election last week.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Observers warned the nation on Thursday that press freedom was back under threat, despite the downfall of authoritarian president Soeharto six years ago.

The media has come increasingly under threat with state officials and businesspeople lodging criminal and civil charges against media enterprises without taking the Press Law into account.

Damar Harsanto and Evi Mariani, Jakarta – Taxpayers should fight the three-in-one traffic policy if they believed it was disadvantaging them, community activists said on Thursday.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Three non-governmental organizations filed a lawsuit against President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Thursday at the Central Jakarta District Court for issuing Presidential Instruction No. 5/2003 on an economic policy package with International Monetary Fund (IMF) monitoring.

John McBeth/Jakarta and Murray Hiebert/Washington – Indonesia's elections are about to become interesting. Last year, retired armed-forces chief Wiranto, in the early stages of a presidential candidacy, was placed on America's visa watch list.

So much for Indonesian armed forces chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto's promise that the military will refrain from any attempt at influencing this year's general elections.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The Central Committee for Labor Dispute Settlements (P4P) has decided to accept the decision by ailing state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) to dismiss a total of 6,650 workers, meaning that the process of settling the case is sure to drag on.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The chaotic preparations for the elections continue to amaze one and all, with the General Elections Commission (KPU) officially announcing on Tuesday that the printing of ballot papers would be delayed again to February 8, a week behind the initial schedule.

The International Crisis Group has warned that Indonesia could face long term threats from militants, not so much from Jemaah Islamiyah ... but from smaller groups with links to the more militant al-Qaeda. One of the groups is the Mujahidin KOMPAK, formed in 1999 by J-I leaders who were unhappy with the group's slow and bureaucratic response to conflicts within Indonesia.

[Indonesian trade unionist Dita Indah Sari, chairperson of the Indonesian National Front for Labour struggle, addressed 6000 people at the World Social Forum on January 17. On returning, she wrote the following comment on the conference.]

Jakarta – Indonesia's exports in 2003 rose by 6.76 percent from a year earlier, partly because of a pick up in global demand and a high international oil price, according to local analysts at the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta – Repeated warnings from the government to the public to take preventive measures against dengue fever at the beginning and the end of the rainy season, apparently have not done any good as around 300 Jakartans still suffered from the disease this year alone.

Jakarta – A witness told the human rights court on Tuesday she experienced sexual abuse during her detention by the military following a shooting incident in the North Jakarta area of Tanjung Priok in 1984.

Kelly McEvers, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri is poised to authorize the expansion of Indonesia's national intelligence agency, a plan that will post new agents in all of this sprawling country's provinces and municipalities.

Orin Basuki – It is the afternoon of January 30, and as many as 1169 names of prospective legislative candidates for the provincial Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) for Riau province and the Riau island group are officially announced by the regional National Election Commission in Pekanbaru.

Max Lane – The Indonesian people's contempt for, and rejection of, the country's elit politik (political elite) is wide and deep. So deep, that a term that began as a normal sociological description is now a form of insult used by the masses. Several political initiatives have been launched to try to tap this sentiment.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The government claimed on Tuesday that in the ninth month of the military operation, the situation in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam was relatively safe and stable ahead of the general election, however, it had no plan to lift martial law.

Singapore – Indonesian Military chief, Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, received Singapore's highest military award here on Tuesday for his efforts to forge closer defense ties between the nations.

Nani Farida and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – While the provincial government has predicted Aceh's elections will run successfully, many Acehnese are pessimistic they will be democratic or deliver a desired outcome.

Melbourne coffee roaster Wells Trenfield is the second-last person in a global coffee chain. Before him are the brokers, importers, exporters, processors and, at the head of the chain, the growers. After everyone has taken their cut, growers may receive about 16 cents a kilogram for their freshly harvested coffee cherries.

Tim Shorrock, Washington – The United States is committing a major political blunder in Indonesia by focusing solely on terrorism, according to regional experts on Islam, who suggest that the US should concentrate instead on helping Indonesia build its democratic institutions and revitalize its economy and educational system.

Election fever along with the inevitable campaigning essentially began as soon as the legislation was finalized by the House of Representatives (DPR) in mid-2003.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – A storm is brewing with polls looming. And it has nothing to do with backroom dealings, smear campaigns and the internecine battles between parties at the subterranean levels of politics.

Indonesia's General Elections Commission (KPU) is in deep mire over the most unlikely of problems: ballot boxes or the lack of them.

Frans Surdiasis, Jakarta – When a new party founded by Eros Djarot – a popular figure in politics, the arts and the media – was introduced, many were a little surprised that, just like a number of other parties, it also promoted itself as the legacy of founding father Sukarno.

Jakarta – Although deliberation by the panel of judges on the case of Akbar Tanjung only began yesterday, six organisation held a demonstration in front of the supreme court in relation to the case of [the embezzlement of] non-budgetary funds by the general chairperson of the Golkar Party on Tuesday February 3.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Theresia Sufa, Jakarta/Bogor – Mounting opposition from residents over environmental damage has not deterred the city from going ahead with the Cilincing and Bojong dumps in North Jakarta and Bogor.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Customs and Excise plans to impose non-tax fees on import and export clearance and inspections starting next month in a bid to raise funds to improve services.

Businessmen have immediately criticized the plan, however, saying the fees would only be a new burden, and doubted that customs services would improve.

John Garnaut – Wiranto, the former Indonesian military chief accused of crimes against humanity over the 1999 carnage in East Timor, says Australia's ambassador to Jakarta had discussed "increasing co-operation" if he defeats President Megawati Soekarnoputri in July's presidential elections.

Indonesia said that tests had shown it was suffering from the same strain of bird flu that has left 12 people dead in Thailand and Vietnam.

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – A group of bogus police detectives are raiding unwary Jakartans' homes and searching them on the street, in a spate of extortions and robberies, police say.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Golkar Party co-chairman Agung Laksono told party members on Monday not to be provoked by the ongoing campaign against rotten politicians and by protests against chairman Akbar Tandjung, calling them maneuvers designed to destroy the party.

Semarang – Four university students of Papuan origin, detained by Central Java police for having raised the separatist "morning star" flag on December 3, 2003, have been set free.

Their release had to do with the expiry of their detention term, namely 60 days. But they were still required to report to the police periodically.

A political dissident in East Timor says he is preparing to challenge the government when the United Nations mission to the country ends on May 20.

Radio Australia – The United Nations has announced it may maintain a presence in East Timor beyond the end of its peacekeeping mandate on May 20. The announcement comes amid concerns that East Timor's troubled border with Indonesia still poses a major threat to future political stability.

Presenter/Interviewer: James Panichi

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais joined on Thursday those expressing concern over a possible delay to the elections following the ballot box tender fiasco.

Tangerang – Some 200 activists of 10 non-govermental organisations staged a rally on Thursday at the Tangerang municipal council, demanding the dismissal of the Tangerang General Elections Committee (KPUD) chairman.

NGO Komunike chairman Imron Hamami said the KPUD chairman Adi Warman had been uncooperative in implementing change and dishonest in the use of the KPUD budget.

Indramayu – Hundreds of local supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) burned party flags and tore down other party paraphernalia from the street in a protest against local leaders on Thursday.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Any move to ban people belonging to the New Order regime from the elections violates the principle of democracy itself, political observer Arief Budiman says.

Anton Doni, Jakarta – The dilemma of idealistic intellectuals ahead of the first election after Soeharto quit the presidency in 1998 was whether or not to get their hands dirty by becoming politicians.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) disqualified on Thursday 126 of 1,682 regional legislative candidates from 24 political parties contesting the April 5 legislative election.

Ruslan Sangadji, Poso – Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla has urged the public to report any diversion in the distribution of welfare funds for refugees in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

Jayapura – Anticipating security disturbances in the lead up to the 2004 general elections, the TNI (armed forces) will increase surveillance in areas which are considered to be susceptible to disturbances by the Free Papua Organisation or the Papua National Liberation Army (OPM/TPN). There will not be any increase in troop numbers but routine patrols will be increased.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has questioned a proposal to grant the presidency the right to veto the entry into effect of legislation passed by the House of Representatives, arguing that the government fully participated in the deliberation of bills before their approval by the House.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia's Supreme Court yesterday postponed until next week its review of an appeal by the country's Speaker of Parliament and potential presidential candidate Akbar Tandjung, prompting protests from student groups and anti-corruption activists.

Jakarta – Dozens of demonstrators staged a protest at City Hall on Thursday, demanding Governor Sutiyoso take stern measures against an oil driller they said was polluting the waters of the Thousands Islands.

Jakarta/Lhokseumawe/Banda Aceh – Two hostages were freed in Tungkah Gajah village in East Aceh regency on Thursday, exactly seven months after they were kidnapped by members of separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Frans Surdiasis, Jakarta – The latter half of 2003 saw the re-emergence of the daughter of former president Soeharto, this time on the political stage.

An Indonesian court has jailed an Islamic militant for life for helping to make one of the bombs which ripped through two Bali nightclubs and killed 202 people.

"We hereby sentence the defendant, Zaenal Abidin alias Sarjiyo, alias Zaini ... to life in prison," Judge Ari Supraptman announced at a court in the resort island.

Jakarta – The State Budget for the Indonesian National Military Forces (TNI) has been increased by 15 per cent from 11.536 trillion rupiah in 2003 to 13.266 trillion this year.

Chief of the Armed Forces Information Centre, Sjafrie Sjamsuddin, stated in a press release that the increase in TNI's routine budget would be allocated to improve soldiers welfare.