Jakarta – Students protested in at least two Indonesian cities including the capital on Friday demanding that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign and answer charges that he was involved in two financial scandals.

Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign minister on Friday said the government had imposed new restrictions on foreign journalists travelling to the country's three most troubled provinces, but insisted it was for their own security and was not political, a report said.

Hestiana Dharmastuti/Fitri & GB, Jakarta 00 Coordinator of the Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Munarman, has stated that the government's efforts to pass a new State of Emergency Bill should be dropped because Indonesia is not ready.

Banda Aceh – At least four people, including two soldiers, were killed in the latest violence to hit the Indonesian province of Aceh, the military and local residents said Thursday.

The two soldiers were shot dead in a rebel ambush in Juli Keude Dua, Bireun district, on Wednesday, said the head of their army battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Erda Bachtiar.

Ambon – Fresh violence erupted in Hatualang village in Pirus district, West Seram island in Central Maluku on Wednesday, resulting in the death of a soldier.

Jakarta – Central Jakarta District Court judges trying a lawsuit filed by the Democratic People's Party (PRD) against a number of former top state officials examined on Wednesday the written evidence presented by lawyers of the plaintiff.

Dili – In the first successful prosecution for the destruction of East Timor in 1999, an international court sentenced a pro-Indonesian militiaman to 12 years in prison for murder.

Matdon, Bandung – Five young artists have come together for an exhibition with the provocative title "Dasar Babi-Babi. Hancurkan Sisa-Sisa Orde Baru, Golkar + Militerisme" (You pigs! Crush the remaining elements of the New Order, Golkar and Militarism).

Jakarta – Minister of Industry and Trade Luhut Pandjaitan denied on Wednesday reports claiming that some export-oriented companies had fled Indonesia in fear of rampant labor disputes. He said his ministry hadn't found evidence of any company that had decided to uproot its business because of concerns over labor disputes.

John Mcbeth, Jakarta – The deadly Christmas and New Year bombings in Indonesia and Manila, which killed 40 people and left hundreds injured, have Indonesians and Filipinos puzzled. Is radical Islam, they wonder, entering a dangerous new phase in Southeast Asia?

Peter Johnston, Darwin – "We expect over 50% of the first elected parliament – definitely", Estanislau da Silva reassured trade unionists here on January 11, claiming that his party, Fretilin, is the only political group in East Timor with extensive grassroots support.

Robyn Marshall, Dili – Aurora Ximenes, the coordinator of the East Timor Women's Network, which comprises 15 grassroots organisations, is angry that women are being sidelined in the transition to independence.

Jon Land – Speculation is increasing that, after the stalemate that occurred at the first round of talks in October, the federal government and representatives of the East Timorese are readying to compromise on the future of the Timor Gap Treaty when talks eventually resume.

Vanya Tanaja, Dili – Workers at three World Food Program warehouses here took strike action on January 8 and then went to the headquarters of the WFP the next day when the agency took no notice of their protest. WFP is a UN agency in charge of the emergency food relief program.

Jakarta – The left-wing Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) and the nations biggest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) are to hold a joint rally against forces opposed to democracy.

PRD leader Budiman Sudjatmiko yesterday met with NU Chairman Hasyim Muzadi to discuss the agenda of the rally.

Jakarta – The US administration of George W. Bush will continue to support Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid in his efforts to build a strong democracy and market economy, US ambassador Robert Gelbard said here Wednesday.

Jakarta – The foreign minister of East Timor's transitional goverment – in a shock move on Wednesday – threw his support behind Jakarta's calls for the US to ease its arms embargo against Indonesia.

Jakarta – Crowds of ethnic Chinese, with mixed feelings of fear and a new sense of pride, flocked openly to temples in Jakarta Wednesday to celebrate 'Imlek', as the Lunar New year is known here.

Budi Sugiharto/Hendra & GB, Surabaya – 182 village heads from Sampang regency, on the island of Madura, East Java province, have occupied the office of the East Java Governor in the provincial capital Surabaya.

Accompanied by 11 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), they urged the Governor, Imam Utomo, to immediately inaugurate Fadhilah Budiono.

John Gauci, Sydney – One hundred and fifty people rallied outside the Australian Defence Force headquarters here on January 20 to support self-determination for the Indonesian province of Aceh. The action coincided with a self-determination rally of 300 activists in Banda Aceh.

The public should watch out for military control of civilian institutions, says political analyst Kusnanto Anggoro of the Jakarta-based Center of Strategic International Studies and a lecturer of post graduate studies at the University of Indonesia.

Jakarta – An ad hoc committee of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) for the amendment of the 1945 Constitution will discuss numerous crucial issues that could raise complicated and serious problems for the public, a legislator said on Tuesday.

Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid on Monday left legislators dumbfounded as he abruptly walked out of a meeting with the House of Representatives' special committee investigating the Bulog and Brunei scandals.

Jakarta – Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto told soldiers on Monday not to be discouraged by claims by certain groups that the military was behind all the security problems in the country.

Aulia Andri/GB, Jakarta – Around 500 members of the notorious Ka'bah Youth Movement (GPK) snuck in through the back gate at the parliament and staged a demonstration demanding the House fully investigate the Buloggate-Bruneigate scandals. All were replete in their military style uniforms and the women and girls present also wore jilbabs.

Jakarta – Unlike in the past, political parties are now the vanguard of corruption in the country, as a result of democratization and decentralization, the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) revealed in its year-end report on Monday.

Mark Dodd, Dili – East Timor's hope for national reconciliation will take a step towards realisation this year with the introduction of a Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation.

Budi Sugiharto/Fitri & GB, Surabaya – Surabaya bus terminal, the biggest terminal in Surabaya, capital of East Java, has been paralysed by a strike.

Ambon – Eight Muslims were killed and 19 injured Monday after an attack on an Indonesian military patrol in Ambon, a city ravaged by two years of Muslim-Christian violence.

Banda Aceh – The Indonesian government and separatist rebels in Aceh have agreed to work together to implement a one-month truce in the violence-wracked province, a joint statement obtained yesterday said.

Chris McCall, Meulaboh – He races as fast as he can in his battered minibus, but screeches to a halt for the men with big guns. Roads in the troubled Indonesian province of Aceh are nowhere to linger without reason.

Jakarta – Police said on Saturday a woman arrested at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) on Friday in the possession of three bombs admitted she received the bombs from Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the fugitive son of former president Soeharto.

They also said they had uncovered a number of clues that pointed to Tommy's possible involvement in the Christmas Eve bombings.

Jakarta – The World Bank's board in Washington has approved a new lending program for Indonesia of $400 million annually over the next three years, much lower than the $1.3 billion average yearly funding in the mid-1990s.

Hamish McDonald, Dili – His full name is said to be Ely Foho Rai Boot, which translates from the main Timorese language Tetum as something like Ely Great Mountain, but he is known here just as "L7".

Associated Press in Sydney – Protesters seeking independence for the troubled Indonesian province of Aceh called on Saturday for Australia to cut military links with Jakarta to protest alleged human rights abuses.

More than 100 pro-independence demonstrators made the demand at a protest outside the Australian Department of Defence in downtown Sydney.

Ambon – The Ambon capital of Maluku was paralyzed on Friday in the wake of the commemoration of start of the bloody conflicts that have gripped the Malukus for the last two years.

Associated Press in Jakarta – Four people have died in fresh violence in Indonesia's troubled Maluku islands, a Muslim cleric said on Saturday.

Banda Aceh – The implementation of law in Aceh has almost come to a halt as many judges have fled the province because of security concerns.

Jakarta – Employers tend to try to block the establishment of labor unions, and this is a violation of the law, the head of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) labor unit Rita Olivia said on Friday.

Hamish McDonald – Next month the legendary guerilla army Falintil, an acronym for Armed Forces of the Liberation of East Timor, will cease to exist as its remaining active fighters are absorbed into the new army being formed for their emerging nation.

Gay Alcorn, Washington – The new Bush administration wants Australia to take the lead in dealing with Indonesia's problems of violence and political instability, according to incoming secretary of state Colin Powell.

Jakarta – The Army's Special Force (Kopassus) will be reorganized to meet the demands of security environment in the future, a senior military officer said on Thursday.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said the elite force would slim its organization and decrease the number of its personnel as well.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels in remote Irian Jaya have seized seven negotiators trying to win the release of 11 abducted plywood workers and now hold 18 people hostage, police said Friday.

Jakarta – In yet another desperate attempt to locate the fugitive Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, police announced plans on Thursday to drill and break into at least three other spots in his house.

Jakarta – The political history of bombings in Indonesia took a sharp turn after the 1998 May riots, in which all of the cases involving bomb explosions have never been solved, the Indonesian Forum for Peace (FID) secretary Munir said on Thursday.

Shefali Rekhi – The man behind the reforms and privatisation efforts of Indonesia's state-owned enterprises has criticised his government for the slow progress in its privatisation process.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is demanding 30 million rupiah (S$5,700) for each firearm they give up. Defence Minister Muhammad Mahfud said this condition had stopped the process of disarmament.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – The kidnapping of 12 hostages, including a South Korean businessman, in Indonesia's troubled Irian Jaya province, is suspected to be a "fake" one, staged to discredit the separatist rebels.

Vaudine England – President Abdurrahman Wahid yesterday brushed off calls for his resignation from students and lawmakers, saying his opponents were the tools of "those who are hungry for power".

In an exclusive interview, Mr Wahid said the military leadership was behind him and he had never doubted his ability to win what he called the country's "political civil war".

Jakarta – The generals are back. With civilian leaders mired in political infighting and unable to tackle Indonesia's mounting crises, the army brass – on the defensive since the ouster of the dictatorship it backed for 32 years – is reasserting its dominance in the country's politics.