Jakarta – Indonesia's first human rights court on Tuesday ruled that the trial of five officers accused of failing to prevent a church massacre in East Timor in 1999 should proceed, rejecting defence arguments it violated the constitution.

Jakarta – Police said on Tuesday they had issued a summons to the Indonesian holder of the McDonald's fast-food franchise for a second time for questioning over alleged graft involving the country's largest pension fund.

Jakarta – The release of Parliament Speaker Akbar Tandjung from detention may have been in accordance with the law, but legal observers and critics charged that the move had "severely offended the people's sense of justice".

Yogita Tahilramani, Jakarta – Internal disputes within the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) took on a new dimension on Monday when PDI Perjuangan members protesting against Surabaya branch office party head, M. Basuki, were beaten up by police for forcing their way into the Surabaya Legislature building on Jl. Yos. Sudarso.

Jakarta – Three people died in internal fighting within the Indonesian security forces in Aceh on Saturday as rebel leaders said they would attend fresh rounds of peace talks with the Indonesian government later this month in Switzerland.

Jakarta – A senior US envoy yesterday lauded the efforts of President Megawati Sukarnoputri's government to reform the Indonesian economy, nurture democracy and combat terrorism.

US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick lavished praise on the President and said her administration's success was vital to America's interests in South-east Asia.

Oyos Saroso HN, Bandar Lampung – Hundreds of fishermen demonstrated in Bandar Lampung on Saturday to demand that local authorities crack down on their fellow fishermen using trawlers and dynamite in fishing.

They threatened to occupy the provincial legislative council building and the governor's office, should firm action not be taken against the rouge fishermen.

Jakarta – One third of villages in the restive province of Aceh are used as bases for Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist rebels, a report said.

Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Dadek Achmad said 32 percent of villages in the oil-and-gas-rich province were influenced by GAM separatists, AFP reported.

Why is Francisco Xavier do Amaral running for president of East Timor when he knows he has no chance of winning? Amaral's sole opponent, independence hero Xanana Gusmao, is the most popular man in the former Portuguese colony, which will finally achieve independence on May 20.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – They do not have law degrees or expensive suits, and even go to court barefoot.

But Jakarta's "ghost lawyers", or "barefoot lawyers" as they are sometimes called, have been scoring significant victories in the courts against goliaths such as the Jakarta administration and the state oil company.

Kurniawan Hari and A'an Suryana, Jakarta – The suspension of the detention of corruption suspect and House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung may have been in accordance with the country's laws but has severely offended people's sense of justice.

Dili – The candidates are on the campaign trail, polling staff are ready and the stage is nearly set for East Timor's first presidential election, UNTAET's election chief announced today, nine days before the poll.

Joanna Jolly, Aileu – On a soccer field in East Timor's central mountains, thousands came to hear Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao make his campaign pitch.

Soon to become the world's newest country, East Timor is holding its first presidential election April 14, and the former guerrilla leader is the overwhelming favorite.

Thousands of Indonesian Muslims burned Israeli flags at a mass prayer rally for Palestinians in the capital, calling Israel "the real terrorist" for its latest offensive in the Palestinian territories and accusing Jakarta of being too weak in its criticism.

Jakarta – Several thousand Indonesians rallied on Sunday to protest against Israel's military operations in Palestinian areas, the latest demonstration in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Jill Jolliffe, Atambua – The East Timorese presidential candidate Xanana Gusmao has joined forces with a former enemy soldier in an attempt to repatriate about 60,000 refugees trapped in militia camps in West Timor.

Kasparman, Padang – The Forestry and Plantation Agency in West Sumatra has secretly sold at least 17 truckloads of confiscated logs, which were being held at the agency's office compound on Jl. Raden Saleh in Padang.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Defendants from high profile cases like former president Soeharto's son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra and ex-Bulog chief Rahardi Ramelan, who are currently being detained in prison, have reason to worry, as a senior health official revealed on Thursday that HIV/AIDS is spreading in the city's penitentiaries.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Part of the green zones in Jakarta's five municipalities are occupied by over 350 buildings owned by private enterprises, state-owned companies, the city police, street vendors and various youth organizations.

Tim Dodd, Jakarta – Some think he should be in the dock himself but yesterday former Indonesian armed forces commander Wiranto appeared at the East Timor atrocity trial in Jakarta as a witness rather than as one of the 18 accused of crimes against humanity.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – Efforts to break the circle of impunity in the country hit a snag on Thursday as the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) further delayed the announcement of its response to an inquiry of three high profile violent incidents in Jakarta a few years ago.

Ian Timberlake – Former Indonesian armed forces commander General Wiranto testified yesterday that he took numerous steps to bring peace to East Timor in 1999 even though security was a police responsibility in the lead-up to the referendum on independence.

Dili – Nearly 2,000 refugees have already returned to East Timor from refugee camps in West Timor, Indonesia, during the first five days of this month, UN refugee officials said today.

Jakarta – Five people have been detained following a powerful blast this week that killed four people and wounded dozens of others in Indonesia's eastern city of Ambon, reports said Friday.

Jakarta – The government, through the Office of the State Ministry for State Enterprises, plans to sell or privatize 25 state enterprises this year, which include nine to be privatized in 2001, but carried over to 2002, and 16 new ones.

Batam – As many as 30 student representatives from four universities and colleges in Batam, Riau, have urged the local prosecutor's office to arrest all related parties involved in a Rp 28 billion scam.

The students also demanded that the development of the Batam Legislative Council's building be suspended until the investigation is completed into the alleged mark-up case.

Jakarta – The UN authority in East Timor said on Friday it was "incredulous" at reported remarks by former Indonesian military chief Wiranto that bloodshed there in 1999 was allegedly sparked by an unfair independence ballot.

Agus Maryono, Pekalongan – In a move to step up pressure on the government to revoke newly decreed fishing taxes, thousands of fishermen from Central Java have planned to storm the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries office in Jakarta on April 10.

Geneva – Fresh peace talks between Indonesian government officials and Aceh separatists could resume in Geneva at the end of the month, a spokesman for the centre that mediates the discussions said on Thursday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – An Army general revealed on Wednesday that members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) believed to be involved in the killing of Papuan leader Theys Hiyo Eluay would probably be charged with insubordination.

Amnesty International has condemned Indonesian security forces for "appalling" practices in Papua, Aceh and elsewhere and urged the United Nations Commission on Human Rights not to ignore the situation.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Indonesia's political parties are self-centered, and ignore the public interest they claim to represent, resulting in a crisis over a loss of confidence, a new poll reveals.

Jakarta – Citing budgetary constraints, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has canceled a plan to meet in Bali from April 3 through April 7 to draft the amendments to the 1945 Constitution, which will be tabled during the annual MPR session in August, a report said.

Jakarta – A key witness in the Tommy Suharto murder-and-firearms trial said police beat her up and threatened her family to force her to implicate the suspect.

Atambua – East Timor independence hero Xanana Gusmao on Thursday urged East Timorese refugees in Indonesia's West Timor to come home now, saying he guaranteed their safety.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Indonesia has introduced Islamic law in Aceh in an attempt to create the illusion that syariah is the cure for all of the province's political problems.

Acehnese observers point out that the demand for syariah came not from the Acehnese community, but originated in Jakarta during the Habibie government.

Simon Montlake, Kebon Cengkih – The Dutch sailors who arrived here 500 years ago to barter for spices have long-since abandoned Kebon Cengkih, a village named for the clove trees that still line its lush slopes.

Hamish McDonald – It will stand on a hill overlooking Dili, the capital of newly independent East Timor: a massive flagpole entwined with the trunk and branches of a symbolic banyan tree forged in steel.

On a plaque at the base of this $200,000 independence monument will be words of thanks to its corporate sponsor: a generous Australian company, it is hoped.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – The Jakarta Prosecutor's Office questioned City Governor Sutiyoso on Wednesday as a witness in a graft case related to a controversial foreign trip involving city officials and councillors.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri has come under fire from legislators for spending enormous amounts of money on the Indonesian military and even editors who accompanied her on a recent overseas trip.

Jakarta – Protesting Muslim students in favor of Palestinian solidarity tried to force their way into the US Embassy compound on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, prompting clashes with the police officers who tried to block them away, reports said.

New York – The East Timor government and the United Nations on Wednesday launched an AIDS awareness campaign on television, radio and print media, hoping the country can avoid the explosion in HIV/AIDS seen elsewhere in the region.

Jakarta – Applicants to join the Indonesian police must pay bribes of up to 15 million rupiah (1,500 dollars) if they want to pass the selection process, a newspaper reported Thursday.

More than 1,000 Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital Jakarta to protest against Israeli attacks on Palestinians.

Bandar Lampung – Around 300 part-time, non-contract doctors in Lampung ended their week-long strike on Tuesday after Minister of Health Achmad Suyudi promised them better pay and a clearer employment status.

Jason Koutsoukis – Negotiations between the Australian Government and US-based Phillips Petroleum over the tax treatment of a gas project in the Timor Sea remained deadlocked last night amid concerns that further delays may scuttle the project.

Jakarta – State Minister of Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin said on Tuesday that the government was carefully considering a plan to lay off unproductive civil servants.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia's state-owned companies are being torn apart by internal rifts as employees fight against government attempts at privatisation.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Freedom from injustice as a result of political reform in the country has proven short-lived for Indonesian farmers, who are now facing tougher challenges in the form of a global regime, an activist said.

Dili – Some members of East Timor's ruling party Fretilin were accused of waging a dirty tricks campaign to try to reduce the vote for independence hero Xanana Gusmao in this month's presidential election.

"We have received information from most of the districts documenting these allegations," said Milena Pires, Gusmao's campaign coordinator.