Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Experts and human rights activists have expressed doubts over the effectiveness of the planned Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) to resolve past human rights abuses, saying it would merely expose some facts but would not result in true justice.

Sutarto urged politicians on Friday not to invite the military back into politics and suggested that the institution stay neutral in the 2004 general elections.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto claimed on Friday that government troops deployed in war-ravaged Aceh had significantly sapped the strength of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the four-month-old operation.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – A team from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said here on Friday it had verified reports of human rights abuses by police during protests in Bulukumba regency, South Sulawesi, last July in which two people died.

Robert Go, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri's complaint this week that the job of running Indonesia gives her headaches has made political rivals, as well as a member of her own party, suggest a cure: That she resign.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The martial law administration in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam will immediately court-martial 12 soldiers on charges of torturing dozens of villagers in a move that seems calculated to show the international community the military's strong commitment to protecting Acehnese people's human rights.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The 15 people arrested in the past month for allegedly plotting fresh terror attacks in Indonesia attended meetings led by the supposed heir of Abu Bakar Bashir.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Muslim extremists have been convicted of the bombings that left 202 dead in Bali last October and which devastated Indonesia's tourism industry. Now, they're making another assault that's legal but potentially more damaging.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Anyone planning or persuading other people to commit acts of terrorism will in future be classified as a terrorist and thus could be arrested, a government official said on Thursday.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Despite considerable public opposition, the House of Representatives began on Thursday to review the controversial bill on water resources but early indications appear as if there is little commitment to make significant changes into the bill.

Jakarta – The national intelligence agency admitted on Thursday that it had supplied information and other important data for the police in the recent arrest of 15 Muslim terror suspects who have allegedly been linked to a spate of recent terrorist attacks.

Jakarta – Dozens of evicted local people who had been living on disputed land at Kampung Baru, Cengkareng Timur in West Jakarta, filed a complaint on Thursday with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) following their violent eviction on Wednesday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – National Intelligence Agency (BIN) director A.M. Hendropriyono demanded on Thursday that the deliberation of the much-criticized bill on state intelligence be speeded up, saying the country urgently needed it to be passed into law so as to prevent terrorism.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said on Thursday the change in the visa policy was prompted by the gross misuse of the visitor's stay permit that undermined the country's territorial integrity.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – First it was militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. Now, the head of the country's largest Islamic organisation is saying it too: There is no such thing as the Jemaah Islamiah.

Scott B MacDonald – In early August, the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta was bombed. The bomber was an Islamic radical who drove a van into the front of the hotel, killing 12 people and wounding more than a hundred others. Most of those killed or injured were Indonesian.

Jakarta – A labor observer warned the government of an emerging crisis from after some sort of tacit permission was granted to three unauthorized private companies to run an insurance scheme for workers employed overseas.

So far, the three companies have collected Rp 3.4 billion (US$400,000) from at least 21,000 workers who paid Rp 160,000 each in premiums.

["The United Nations and the Indonesian Takeover of West Papua, 1962-1969: The anatomy of betrayal" by John Saltford. Review by Julian Evans.]

Jakarta – Indonesia's military claimed partial success on Friday in a four-month campaign to crush rebels in Aceh province but said it needed more time to end the insurgency.

Jakarta – The United Nations must pressure Indonesia into allowing relief aid into its war-torn province of Aceh in order to prevent a full-blown humanitarian crisis from developing in the region of 4.2 million people, Human Rights Watch warned.

The division between Islamic and secular laws will be put to the test in the Indonesian province of Aceh, as the treason trial of five pro-separatist negotiators continues next week. The lawyer representing the men says his clients will claim that, as Acehnese nationalists, they only recognise provincial Islamic laws, and not those of the Indonesian state.

Heru Margianto, Jakarta – A number of political and economic figures launched a new political organisation at the Hotel Aryaduta, Jakarta, on Thursday September 18. The new organisation which is named the Preparation Committee for Movement Indonesia (Komite Persiapan Pergerakan Indonesia, KPPI) is headed by economist Faisal Basri.

East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri is today travelling to China, an old ally from his years in exile. The Prime Minister's critics say he's too close to the Chinese and too wary of foreign investment from Western sources. They're part of the growing list of criticisms levelled at the man who took over Timor's top job in 2001.

The Indonesian military said soldiers have shot and captured alive a rebel "governor" in Aceh province, marking the first arrest of a senior rebel leader since a major offensive began in May.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The ongoing military operation in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) appears to now be directly involving the participation of civilians, with around 1,000 villagers from Leupung district in Aceh Besar regency being drafted in to join troops in hunting down Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels hiding in the nearby forest.

James Balowski, Jakarta – Indonesian government officials and high-ranking military officers have been hinting that, despite the military's (TNI) much-touted successes in its war against the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the province of Aceh, the so-called "integrated operation" may be extended beyond its original six-month deadline.

Jakarta – In order to resolve the conflict in Aceh there must be a new political party which does not have the mentality and methods of the New Order [regime of former President Suharto]. This new political party must have a concrete and clear agenda to resolve the Aceh problem and at the same time the problems of the Indonesian nation.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – The government would require the huge sum of up to Rp 80 trillion (US$9.5 billion) to cover the severance payments of tens of thousands of civil servants dismissed for being unproductive.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – A number of organizations criticized on Tuesday the General Elections Commission (KPU) for its failure to consult the public in many of its roles.

Paulo Gorjao – East Timor is seen at the United Nations headquarters as one of its state-building success stories in the past few years. Even though the UN had no prior experience in state-building, it administered and exercised all legislative and executive authority in the territory until its independence from Indonesia.

Jill Jolliffe, Dili – East Timor's chief prosecutor, Longuinhos Monteiro, has warned that the country could face internal problems if it drops cases against Indonesian human rights violators to further relations with Jakarta.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia yesterday amended a money-laundering law to curb illegal flow of funds and get the country off an international blacklist.

The much-awaited amendment to the 2002 Law on Money Laundering includes the tightening of procedures on financial transfers to comply with international standards.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – State Minister for State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi erupted in anger on Tuesday during a hearing with House of Representatives legislators, blaming them as the main culprits behind the government's failure to meet the privatization target and schedule.

James Balowski, Jakarta – Indonesian government officials and high-ranking military officers have been hinting that, despite the military's (TNI) much-touted successes in its war against the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in the province of Aceh, the so-called "integrated operation" may be extended beyond its original six-month deadline.

Kefamenanu, East Nusa Tenggara – East Timor should prevent illegal trade at the border between its Oecusse district and Timor Tengah Utara district in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, a local official has said.

Jakarta – Revoking the status of a military emergency in Aceh is a prerequisite for holding general elections in Aceh. If not, it will be difficult to hope for quality elections.

Indonesian police have arrested 13 more people suspected of involvement in a wave of bombings across the country, a police spokesman said.

The arrests were made following information gained from several of the 10 suspects detained over last month's car bombing at the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta, said Senior Commissioner Zainuri Lubis, a police spokesman.

Just a few days after the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) announced plans to form new battalions in Papua, a prominent environmentalist has warned that illegal logging mafias are joining forces with crooked officials to plunder the province's rainforests.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Defeated by an array of provincial legislatures, local interest groups and plant management, Indonesia's government appears to have thrown in the towel after a five-year battle to sell the country's largest cement group, government-controlled and publicly traded PT Semen Gresik, to Mexico's Cemex SA, the world's third biggest cement producer.

Andi M. Sadat, Jakarta – Although the national economy has not fully recovered, some businesses are thriving. The country's major banks are one example.

Indonesia revoked a three-year state of emergency in the eastern Maluku islands, where clashes between Muslims and Christians have left more than 5,000 people dead.

Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno announced the end of the emergency during the inauguration of the new governor of Maluku province, Karel Albert Ralahalu, in the city of Ambon.

After blaming the press, human rights groups and anyone who expresses a critical view on the military operation in Aceh as obstacles to the failure of the government to speedily eliminate the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), the government has now found a new game to play: the Aceh local bureaucrats.

Russell Thirgood – Four years after the East Timorese people voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia, justice remains elusive for the victims of the violence that followed.

An Indonesian rights court opened the first trial on the massacre of 33 Muslim protestors in Jakarta's Tanjung Priok harbour area 19 years ago with an army captain and 10 soldiers as defendants.

Eight separatist rebels including a local leader have been killed in fresh clashes in Indonesia's war-torn Aceh province, the military said.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The government has prepared the necessary documents to have the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist group and its leaders placed on the United Nations's list of terrorist groups, a government official says.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – As Indonesia's priceless rainforests continue to disappear at alarming rates, 15 provinces signed an agreement in the South Sulawesi town of Malino to replant around 300,000 hectares of barren land. However, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, speaking at the ceremony, held out little hope it would actually achieve anything.

Commentary by Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo, Jakarta – It seems that Americans are wondering why more and more Muslims in Indonesia are getting annoyed with the US, including "moderate" Muslims.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Minister of Finance Boediono warned bankers on Friday to remain prudent as the economy would continue to face uncertainties next year.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Despite high public distrust toward political parties, abstention will not be that significant in the 2004 general elections, political analysts say.

The number of people not exercising their voting rights may be negligible, should political parties improve their performance ahead of the elections.