Jakarta – The return of Soeharto's eldest daughter to the political stage may backfire if the issue of the former president's ability to speak, and to face the law for charges of corruption, comes into question, an analyst says.

Robert Go, Nusa Dua – Something unexpected happened while Mr Iin Arifin Tahyan was speaking about the need for Indonesia to get more energy-sector investments during a high-profile conference in Bali on Friday.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Indonesia's defense white paper puts terrorism behind separatism as the main security threat to the country, a policy that prompts the need of maintaining the military's territorial function, an official said.

ID Nugroho, Surabaya – The House of Representatives plans to summon National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, as the National Awakening Party (PKB) has received reports of more death threats made to Muslim clerics in East Java.

Larry Johnson – Indonesia is facing criticism at home and abroad over recent developments involving two men linked to human rights abuses in the former Indonesian province of East Timor in 1999.

Tiarma Siboro and Mochammad N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Sunday 24 political parties eligible to contest the 2004 polls, with analysts expressing concern of the possible revival of the New Order.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The police and armed forces are preparing "for the worst" as the Christmas holiday approaches and as Indonesia heads into nationwide elections next year, the country's top security minister has said.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – People's support for President Megawati Soekarnoputri has continued to drop ahead of the elections but she remains the strongest candidate among existing presidential aspirants, a survey indicates.

Richard Norton-Taylor – The government is selling arms and security equipment to countries whose human rights record it has strongly criticised, according to lists of weapons cleared for export that have been seen by the Guardian.

Nigel Wilson – Production from the Bayu Undan gas recycling project in the Timor Sea has been delayed at least eight months with implications for East Timor's revenues running into millions of dollars.

And the production postponement could hit Santos, the only Australian participant, because of a later contribution to its income from its 10.64 per cent stake.

Nani Farida and Teuku Agam Muzakkir, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe – Celebrations marking the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) anniversary proceeded in the province on Thursday despite the heavy military presence there to prevent the observance.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Papua, Indonesia's easternmost province, has reached an alarming level.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The former East Timorese militia leader Eurico Guterres is trying to set up a new group in Indonesia's Papua province that human rights groups fear may quickly become a militia used to attack suspected separatists.

Eighteen months ago East Timor became the world's newest nation, but the euphoria of the independence celebrations is now long over.

Jakarta – Acehnese rebels celebrated the 27th anniversary of their independence struggle yesterday with the sporadic raising of flags and a rare battlefield success, killing four soldiers and injuring two in clashes across the restive province.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) announced some big names among the 36 candidates that qualified for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) for next year's general election.

Jakarta – State officials and politicians welcomed on Thursday former president Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti "Tutut" Hardiyanti Rukmana's plans to run for the presidency in next year's elections, stressing that democracy allowed anyone to join the presidential election.

Andi Hajramurni and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Makassar/Jakarta – A soldier and a policeman were wounded on Thursday in shoot-outs between troops and police in the town of Palopo, Luwu regency, South Sulawesi, officials and residents said.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – While the news this week that the European Union, the US and Canada are to end the current textile quota system to meet a World Trade Organization ruling is a severe blow to Indonesia's textile industry, it also has the potential to clear up a distorted production system that has led to a flourishing and shady trade in the quotas themselves.

Jakarta – The government will allocate Rp 11.7 trillion to build and repair infrastructure across the country in 2004.

"The budget will mainly be used to repair damaged infrastructure, build new infrastructure and meet public demand for housing," Minister for Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure Soenarnosaid.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Foreign donors make this a merry season for the cash-strapped Indonesian government.

The World Bank has said Indonesia needs to show only "incremental reforms" to deserve fresh aid worth US$450-US$850 million annually for the next four years.

Jakarta – The 2004 general election are expected to become an arena for the restoration or recycling of the old powers from the New Order [regime of former President Suharto] who are getting ready to win the 2004 elections. The 2004 elections will not bring any kind of alternative because the system has been engineered not to produce the slightest change.

The appointment of Indonesia's former East Timor police chief, Timbul Silaen, as the new police chief of West Papua and the involvement of notorious East Timor militia leader, Eurico Guterres, in a new West Papua militia group renew fears of increased instability and violence in the territory and are a triumph for impunity over justice, says Tapol the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The World Bank has announced an ambitious new lending program for Indonesia where money will go to organisations or local governments that can show they have taken steps to wipe out corruption.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Former East Timorese militia leader Eurico Guterres plans to establish a branch of his pro-integration Red and White Defender Front (FPMP) in troubled Papua province, but local people have opposed it.

Peter Kammerer – The Indonesian government's experiment with autonomy in the restive province of Papua has been dismantled by growing nationalism among the ruling elite in Jakarta, observers said yesterday.

Jakarta – FBI agents will come to Indonesia this week to investigate the killing of two Americans in remote Papua province last year that strained ties between Washington and Jakarta, officials said on Thursday.

Jakarta – Four FBI agents have been in Indonesia's Papua since early this week to probe the killing of two Americans in the remote province last year that strained ties between Washington and Jakarta, police said on Thursday.

Peter Kammerer – East Timorese look at Iraq in wonderment. Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and investment are pouring into the still unstable Persian Gulf nation, while promised international contributions to their peaceful young democracy have dried up to barely a trickle.

The World Bank announced plans to boost lending to Indonesia to help lift millions out of poverty but said much of the extra aid depends on greater efforts to fight rampant corruption and improve governance.

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta – With HIV/AIDS emerging as an increasingly ominous threat, the government appears to lack concrete plans to fight the virus, non-governmental organization activists and a legislator have said.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – A notorious East Timorese militia leader has formed a militia group in the mining town of Timika, a Papuan rights group reported yesterday.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The former leader of the most notorious of East Timor's militias, Eurico Guterres, claims he now heads an organisation with 18,000 members and funds to fight separatists in Indonesia's Papua province.

In the Indonesian province of Papua, the appointment of a new police chief has been greeted with protests. Last year, Inspector General Timbul Silaen was charged and acquitted of human rights violations and crimes against humanity, relating to his time as police chief in East Timor.

Presenter/Interviewer: James Panichi

Indonesia's dilapidated infrastructure poses a greater threat to human life than terrorism and will hamper long-term growth unless there is urgent new investment, the World Bank says.

Jakarta – Indonesian police and troops cut down a separatist flag in Papua province on the anniversary Monday of an independence proclamation, activists said, but there were no immediate reports of violence.

Tiarma Siboro and Teuku Agam Muzakkir, Jakarta/Lhokseumawe – Despite warnings and threats of attacks by the Indonesian Military (TNI), the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) plans on celebrating its 27th anniversary, which falls on December 4.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The latest Indonesian banking scandal, in which hundreds of millions of dollars disappeared into thin air, may seem like a run-of-the-mill bank-fraud case, but besides worrying potential investors, it could also affect the outcome of next year's election.

Irvan NR, Palu – Four people were killed in two separate attacks on a single village in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso over the weekend, apparently targeting Balinese migrants. A bomb also exploded at a traditional market, but no casualties were reported.

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – Hundreds of evicted fishermen and their families living along the banks of the Muara Angke river in North Jakarta will again be forced to move, as the Jakarta administration started widening the river over the weekend to ease flooding.

Sandy Darmosumarto, Jakarta – The lack of financial institutions in the eastern part of Indonesia is the main reason for the state-owned pawnshop company Perum Pegadaian to further expand operations in the region, where Islamic-based pawnshop activities have been on the rise.

Jakarta – As the globe commemorates World AIDS Day on December 1, Indonesia's response continues to remain dangerously slow while millions of its people continue to obliviously engage in high risk behavior.

Ian Timberlake, Jakarta – On paper Indonesia doesn't have much of a problem with HIV and AIDS. But the huge country's relatively low adult HIV infection rate belies a rapidly escalating level of infection among prostitutes, their customers, injection drug users and prisoners, an AIDS worker said.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Seven of 42 Papuans arrested on Thursday for flying the Morning-Star independence flag in Manokwari have been declared suspects and will be charged with treason under the Criminal Code, a police officer says.

Ben Terrall – George W. Bush's late October visit to Indonesia was heavy on the superficial, upbeat sloganeering that characterizes his Administration's explanations of US foreign policy.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Contrary to the general fear that security issues could be the major threat to the success of the 2004 general elections in Papua, a local election official cited the province's geographical condition as the most serious electoral constraint.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Just when investors might have been thinking it was safe to look at Indonesia a little less skeptically, the biggest banking scandal to hit the country since the central bank liquidity scandal, this one involving Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) and allegedly fraudulent letters of credit, has shattered confidence yet again.

An international rights group called for the immediate and unconditional lifting of press restrictions in Indonesia's Aceh province, where a major military campaign to crush separatist rebels is in its seventh month.

Dili – A Timorese militiaman was convicted Wednesday of crimes against humanity and sentenced to nine years in jail for killing three independence supporters and torturing others during the country's bloody break from Indonesia's 24-year occupation.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday lashed out at members of her own party, calling them "thugs" who are out of touch with voters – an apparent attempt to rein in corrupt cadres seen as hindering her re-election next year.