Lindsay Murdoch in Jakarta and Michelle Grattan in Singapore – One of Indonesia's most powerful politicians enraged John Howard last night when he cancelled a meeting with the Prime Minister just hours before he was due to arrive in Jakarta.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Without even the most basic assistance from the government, people here have been left completely on their own in the aftermath of floods which have paralyzed the city, and ravaged their belongings since last Monday.

Francisco Xavier do Amaral, the vice-president of East Timor's Constituent Assembly, has registered formally as the first candidate in the territory's April 14 presidential election, electoral officials said Tuesday.

Lindsay Murdoch – When Australian Prime Minister John Howard visited Jakarta six months ago, Indonesians held high hopes that their just-installed President, Megawati Sukarnoputri, would quickly oversee urgent reform of her country's economy, military and legal and political systems.

Jakarta – Indonesia on Tuesday formally set up an inquiry team including an army general to investigate the murder of Papua separatist leader Theys Hiyo Eluay, a crime in which military involvement is suspected.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province confirmed they would discuss Jakarta's autonomy law in future peace talks but denied they are softening calls for independence.

R.K. Nugroho and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jayapura/Jakarta – The government has expelled two members of human rights organization Amnesty International from Irian Jaya for illegally investigating the mysterious death of Papuan separatist leader Theys Hiyo Eluay.

Ibnu Mat Noor, Banda Aceh – Despite two days of dialog between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Geneva on Saturday and Sunday, violence continued unabated in the war-torn province, claiming at least 10 lives, including those of two servicemen.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – Despite the public demands for a transparent screening process to pick prosecutors for the ad hoc human rights trials, the Attorney General's Office has opted to keep the names of the appointees secret until they are inducted on Friday.

Viva Goldner and Tertiani ZB Simandjuntak, Jakarta – As House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Akbar Tandjung today (Tuesday) is questioned by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) over the highly-politicized State Logistics Agency (Bulog) scandal, observers have slammed the legal process, claiming corruption will prevent justice being done.

Berni K. Moestafa, Jakarta – The final bidders have been announced, the financial markets are calm, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is satisfied, so what worries analysts behind one of the country's most controversial divestment efforts: the sale of Bank Central Asia (BCA)?

Gland, Switzerland – Wildlife conservation experts raised the alarm on Monday about an Indonesian forest where a record number of plant species are under threat from logging.

WWF International called for the tropical forest of Tesso Nilo, one of Sumatra island's single largest remaining areas of lowland forest, to be designated a protected area.

Tarko Sudiarno, Yogyakarta – Tension engulfed the tourist city of Yogyakarta on Sunday as hundreds of supporters of the United Development Party (PPP) clashed here with groups of local people, leaving several people seriously wounded and several vehicles burned or damaged.

Jakarta – It is impossible to stop the rain. But it is possible to minimize floods, or at least be prepared them. Unfortunately, what happened in Jakarta was just the opposite.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The next general election in 2004 is still a long way off, but political parties have been seen politicizing the severe floods in the capital city as clearly displayed during the hand-over of humanitarian aid by party' leaders to flood victims.

Ian Timberlake, Jakarta – A deadline plagued by delays has finally been met, but there are doubts that members of the Indonesian military, who might soon face trial for crimes in East Timor at a new human rights courthouse, will be brought to justice.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Religious leaders in the restive province of Papua rejected on Saturday the inclusion of military and police personnel in the planned National Investigation Commission (KPN), arguing that they wanted only independent, professional and trustworthy people to join the team.

Jakarta – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's restive province of Aceh, in a statement received Monday, urged local and foreign journalists to investigate conditions there and promised them protection.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Despite the cancellation of humanitarian assistance as of January 1, 2002, the remaining 128,000 or so East Timorese people taking refuge in West Timor has become a headache for the government because they have not clearly chosen to stay in Indonesia or return to East Timor, and therefore their status is unclear.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Floods have become an all too familiar disaster for Jakartans. When tragedy struck this year, however, the floodwaters turned out to be the worst ever.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso tried to calm hundreds of angry flood victims by partially opening the Manggarai floodgate in Central Jakarta on Friday.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – A number of legislators at the House of Representatives (DPR) admitted on Friday that they were not working for the interests of people at large, but blamed their alienation on the electoral system.

Banda Aceh – At least four people including two suspected separatist rebels have been killed in Indonesia's restive Aceh province on the eve of peace talks due this weekend in Geneva, the army and residents said Friday.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A total of 1,660 illegal Indonesian workers were deported home by Malaysian authorities between January 11 and January 31 via Belawan port in Medan, North Sumatra, in at least ten batches.

Jakarta – Indonesian exports fell 9.8 percent in 2001, the biggest percentage slump in 12 years, the Central Bureau of Statistics said Friday.

Robert Go, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri's economic team shows signs of wear and tear after six months in office, as Cabinet members slug it out over a controversial debt-extension deal for Indonesia's conglomerates and whether to sell Bank Central Asia (BCA), the country's largest retail bank.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – Total exports fell by 9.8 percent to US$56.03 billion last year, the biggest percentage decline in 12 years, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said on Friday.

Jakarta – Indonesia should follow the lead of Singapore and Malaysia in taking firmer action against suspected terrorists, US Ambassador Frank Lavin said here.

Lavin said Saturday it was "disturbing" to read reports that some of the suspected terrorists who had planned to attack American targets in Singapore, including the US embassy, had fled to Indonesia.

Jakarta – Inflation in Indonesia rose 1.99 percent in January and surged 14.42 percent year-on-year, the Central Bureau of Statistics said Friday.

Bureau chief Sudarti Surbakti said the January consumer price indexfigure showed a "significant increase" as a result of a fuel price rise in the middle of the month.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM) during the 1999 Trisakti, Semanggi I and Semanggi II incidents has insisted that the military and police officers allegedly involved in the cases should appear before it as witnesses despite rejections from their respective organizations.

Yogita Tahilramani, Jakarta – The lawyer of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) chief Abu Bakar Ba'asyir said on Thursday there was no evidence of a link between his client and the al-Qaeda network.

Jakarta – An Indonesian court yesterday jailed two bodyguards who procured forged documents for Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of a former president, while he was on the run from the law for a year.

Alex Wilson and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The House of Representatives' decision to retain four legislators representing East Timor has raised eyebrows as the former Portuguese colony no longer has any official connection to Indonesia let alone the need for political representation.

Jupriadi, Makassar – Representatives from both of Maluku's warring factions flew home on Thursday after meeting separately with government negotiators in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, having agreed to take part in peace talks next week.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – A member of the General Elections Committee (KPU) urged the House of Representatives on Thursday to immediately revise the 1999 Election Law, or else the committee would run out of time to prepare the 2004 polls.

East Timor is due to become officially and fully independent on 20 May 2002. As part of the process of preparing for this, the authorities have prepared a draft Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor. Formal approval for this Constitution is expected on 16 March 2002.

New York – East Timor will have to face up to atrocities committed by the liberation movement during the 25-year independence campaign if the new nation hopes for true reconciliation and peace, its interim Foreign Minister, Jose Ramos Horta, said.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Papuan people's hope for a thorough investigation into the apparent murder of pro-independence Papua Presidium Council (PDP) Chairman Dortheys "Theys" Hiyo Eluay may have been dashed as the government decided to include the military (TNI) and Police in the proposed investigation team.

Jakarta – Indonesia's army chief admitted Thursday that soldiers may have been involved in the murder of a Papua separatist leader and pledged action against any who were proven guilty.

"It is true that from the existing testimony there are indications towards that [army involvement] but it does not mean that it is certain," General Endriartono Sutarto said.

Lhokseumawe – Weapons are not the way to wipe out the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerrilla army even though their leader was killed last week, says the commander of Indonesian forces in the restive province.

The Indonesian government and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will resume peace talks in Switzerland this weekend after a break of more than six months, according to a mediation body.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – A number of non-governmental organizations suggested on Wednesday that the government dissolve the Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) for failing to live up to the public's expectations in the fight against corruption.

[This year we have still to see the worst of the floods. Former state minister for the environment and professor in business ethics Sonny Keraf, who served in the Cabinet of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, shares his views on environmental policy with The Jakarta Post contributor Dwi Iswandono.]

Question: What is your comment on the recent floods?

Jakarta – Flooded areas in Jakarta, Tangerang and Bekasi have paralyzed economic and office activities since the last three days in the capital. Floods also enveloped several areas in total darkness since the natural disaster incapacitated 120 power relay stations supplying 400 wattage power to public housing areas.

Jakarta – Indonesia lacks the legal framework and the necessary counter-terrorism laws to deal with the problem, said national police chief Da'i Bachtiar.

The only regulations now available to deal with terrorism are the Criminal Code and Law No 12/1951 on firearms, he told the House Commission I.

Prime Minister John Howard today urged the United Nations to maintain its support for East Timor and not to skimp on resources for the new nation after it achieved independence.

In a speech to the United Nations Security Council, Mr Howard warned the successes of the past two years could not be maintained without strong international support.

United Nations – The UN Security Council voted unanimously on Thursday to extend its peacekeeping and nation-building operation in East Timor until the former Portuguese colony declares independence on May 20.

Dili – The Constituent Assembly voted today to transform itself into East Timor's first legislature upon final approval of the Constitution.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia's second-largest political party, Golkar, could be coming apart at the seams.

Several top members have been named and now join chairman Akbar Tandjung as key suspects in graft scandals that their political rivals are reportedly exploiting to undermine the once powerful party.