Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Legal experts strongly criticized on Monday the antiterrorism bill currently being formulated at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, saying that the bill has condoned violence in its articles.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives approved on Monday the controversial National Police bill, which critics claimed was overly militaristic and was possibly open to abuse by the president's office.Only a few changes had been made to the bill which was passed despite severe public criticism.

Bronwyn Curran, Jakarta – Ten members of a gang responsible for one of the worst massacres linked to East Timor's 1999 vote for independence were Tuesday found guilty of crimes against humanity and given jail terms of up to 33 years, United Nations officials in Dili said.

Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – Jakarta may sink under a mountain of rotting garbage within a matter of days unless the city administration finds new appropriate dump sites for the 25,000 cubic meters of household trash that the city produces daily.

Jakarta – More than 1,000 students and youths demonstrated peacefully in Irian Jaya Tuesday to demand quick answers over the murder of pro-independence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay last month, police said.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) Spokesman Rear Marshall Graito Usodo admitted on Monday that the Air Force charged US$4,500 (approximately Rp 45 million) an hour for air transport, but denied such "a fee" had delayed police deployment to conflict-torn places.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – In an unprecedented alliance, the environment and forestry ministries and the navy have launched a get-tough policy against illegal loggers and timber smuggling.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Human rights abuses across the country are on the rise this year, particularly in areas of conflict such as Aceh, Irian Jaya, Maluku, Poso in Central Sulawesi and Sampit in Central Kalimantan, activists said on Saturday. They said that abuses involved the military, the police and civilians.

Jakarta – Four more provinces – Riau, South Sumatra, Bengkulu and South Kalimantan – have followed suit by increasing their minimum wages by 20 percent to 30 percent.

Banda Aceh – Four people have been found murdered in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province, apparently the latest victims of separatist violence, health workers said Monday.

The bodies were discovered Sunday in a rubber plantation in Langkat, a district in North Sumatra province which borders Aceh, a local paramedic said.

Jakarta – Indonesia may generate just over half of its targeted 6.5 trillion rupiah (640 million US) in privatisation revenue for the full year, an official said Monday.

Jakarta – The Indonesian parliament on Monday passed a bill that placed the police force directly under the president and stipulated that police violations will be judged by a civilian court and no longer by a military tribunal.

Jakarta – The majority of factions in Indonesia's parliament on Monday rallied behind the idea of a probe into a financial scandal with which its influential speaker has been linked, a move that could boost political instability.

[The world marks the 53rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Day today, yet, there are no signs that major human rights violations in Indonesia will be properly investigated. The Jakarta Post's Kornelius Purba talked to leading human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis about the issue.]

Question: How do you see our human rights situation?

Kartika Bagus C., Surakarta – Thousands of workers employed in more than 40 textile companies in Surakarta, Central Java, face the threat of mass dismissal amid decreasing textile orders and fierce competition with other textile-producing countries, according to industry executives.

Christian refugees trekked for two days through mountain forest to escape advancing Muslim warriors armed with bombs and rifles, a Christian leader in a riot-torn district in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi said.

Jill Jolliffe – A former defence minister in the Whitlam government, Bill Morrison, has left open the possibility of an SAS operation to evacuate the Balibo Five from the border area of East Timor in October, 1975.

Jill Jolliffe – In 1996, I had been told about a man who claimed to have been at Balibo when the journalists died, as part of an Australian SAS force. I finally tracked him down and won his agreement to talk on the basis of anonymity. We met at his home in England in 1999. This man now works as a consultant for a Balkan army; in short, he is a soldier of fortune.

East Timorese independence leader Xanana Gusmao Friday downplayed the impact of newly released US documents showing that Washington had been informed of and approved Indonesia4s invasion of his homeland in 1975.

Joanna Jolly, Dili – Hundreds of people commemorated the anniversary Friday of Indonesia's 1975 invasion of East Timor, as speakers demanded justice for 24 years of brutal occupation.

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Indonesia said on Friday reports the United States gave former president Suharto the green light for the bloody 1975 invasion of East Timor came as no surprise, but would not harm relations with the world's only superpower.

Jakarta/Surakarta – Well aware that the creation of a special committee to investigate House Speaker Akbar Tandjung's alleged corruption may not materialize due to stiff opposition, legislators are setting up a contingency plan.

Jakarta – Former deputy commander of the East Timorese pro-integration fighters (PPI), Eurico Guterres, on Thursday registered with the Central Jakarta court a class action against former president, BJ Habibie, to pay 1 trillion rupiah in indemnity.

Jim Wolf, Washington – US President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gave late Indonesian strongman Suharto the green light for the 1975 invasion of East Timor that left perhaps 200,000 dead, according to previously secret documents made available on Thursday.

Jakarta – Disgusted by recriminations that Golkar swindled most of the 54 billion rupiah (S$9.5 million) from a financial scandal involving a state agency, a government minister said most major political parties got a share of the money.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – A team examining October's controversial verdict issued by the Supreme Court exonerating Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra from all charges has concluded that the Court violated the Criminal Code Procedures as well as its own rules and procedures.

Bahrul Ilmi Yakub, Palembang – Environmental activists have called for a transparent investigation into the pollution on Musi River in Palembang that has allegedly originated from a factory on the river's banks owned by state-owned fertilizer company PT Pupuk Pusri.

[Ford and Kissinger gave green light to Indonesia's invasion of East Timor, 1975: New Documents Detail Conversations with Suharto. National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 62. Edited by William Burr and Michael L. Evans, December 6, 2001.]

The new evidence

Banda Aceh – Six people were killed yesterday in Indonesia's Aceh province as rebels marked the 25th anniversary of an independence struggle which has cost an estimated 10,000 lives.

Indonesia will get a 400 million dollar loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help it reform and return its state-owned corporations to private hands, the Philippines-based lender said.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – As whole villages are destroyed by renewed religious violence in Central Sulawesi, its local leaders blame Indonesian security forces and a team of government negotiators for failing to rein in the rampaging militias.

Kuala Lumpur – Around 2,000 illegal immigrants detained in a Malaysian camp rioted and burnt down some of their quarters overnight before police fired tear gas to re-establish control, newspapers reported on Wednesday.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Some 4,500 workers from 24 companies launched a strike here on Monday demanding better pay, fair treatment of layoff victims and higher Idul Fitri bonuses.

East Timor4s chief minister, Mari Alkatiri, has expressed concern over mounting domestic violence against women, urging his people to put an end to such practices as part of the territory4s larger efforts at reconciliation.

Richard C. Paddock, Dili – The girl's nightmare began when she was 13 and a pro-Indonesia militia burned down her village. Her parents were away from home when gunmen herded her and her neighbors across the border into the Indonesian province of West Timor.

Nigel Wilson – A new wave of confidence is emerging that East Timor and Australia within weeks will reach agreement on key aspects of future development of Timor Sea gas reserves.

Canton, Mass – The Reebok Human Rights Award Program announced today that for the first time in its 13-year history, the annual Reebok Human Rights Award will be presented to four women.

Jill Jolliffem Dili – Just a block away from the imposing United Nations building that dominates the Dili waterfront, two East Timorese girls are soliciting outside Tom's Place, a recently opened Australian bar. Some off-duty UN policemen stroll by, stop to consider the offer, then walk on.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Despite pressure to bring to justice high-ranking officials suspected of involvement in a number of human rights violation cases, Chief Justice Bagir Manan said on Friday that the ad hoc human rights tribunal would be delayed until early next year due to the long holidays.

Dili – The threat of violence from pro-Indonesian militias opposed to East Timor's independence has decreased significantly, raising hopes that thousands of peacekeepers may soon be able to go home, a U.N official said Friday

Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – Workers' hopes of enjoying a 38.7 percent increase in the minimum wage here next year will likely not materialize as employers have rejected the hike.

Ibnu Mat Noor, Banda Aceh – At least five people were killed and five more seriously injured in separate, violent incidents in the strife-torn province of Aceh on Wednesday, separatist movement and military sources said here on Thursday.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Importers Association (Ginsi) estimated on Thursday that the government has been losing at least Rp 40 trillion (US$3.8 billion) a year in revenue from import duty, value added tax (VAT) and income tax due to the widespread practice of under-invoicing import prices.

Robert Go, jakarta – The arrest of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra on Wednesday capped a year-long manhunt by the police, but now the government faces its real test – putting former president Suharto's youngest son behind bars.

Chris McCall, Jakarta – The fugitive son of former dictator Suharto was officially put behind bars yesterday after a night of questioning. But outside his cell, the questions about his arrest had just started.

Roger Maynard, Sydney – Indonesia and Australia signalled a significant thaw in their relations yesterday, after Jakarta's Foreign Minister suggested an early resumption of military ties between the two countries.

Jakarta – Indonesia warned rebels in Aceh on Thursday that it would soon step up military operations in the restive province, saying the government's willingness to compromise was ebbing fast.

Badri Djawara, Poso – At least five people were killed and five others were injured when two rival sectarian groups clashed in the Central Sulawesi riot-torn town of Poso late on Tuesday.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Several of Indonesia's political parties appear to be backing down from a plan to investigate a financial scandal allegedly involving House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, following reports that several political parties might have also received funds from a state agency.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Legislators from the Golkar Party successfully foiled attempts on Wednesday to create a House of Representatives (DPR) committee to examine alleged corruption involving House speaker and Golkar party Chairman Akbar Tandjung.