Conn Hallinan – The problem of lying down with dogs, goes the old saying, it that you end up with fleas. Over the years, the US has run with some nasty brutes, from the Congo's Mobutu to Iraq's Saddam Hussein.

Jakarta – Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Friday wrapped up a fence-mending visit to Indonesia with a sightseeing tour, unfazed by a student protest in the Central Java city of Yokyakarta and an earlier snub by top legislators in Jakarta.

Darwin – Less than a year after Australia rejected Royal Dutch/Shell Group's bid for Woodside Petroleum Ltd., the government may cite the same national interest argument to sink Shell's proposed $4.9 billion floating natural gas platform.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has dishonorably discharged seven of its personnel arrested for stealing six cows belonging to residents of Sulamu village in East Nusa Tenggara province, local TNI commanders said on Wednesday.

Annastashya Emmanuelle and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The government, which has come under strong criticism from human rights activists for reviving the Aceh military command just this week, is now set to give a new mandate to the military to crush the separatist movement in Aceh.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – As the beleaguered Golkar Party seeks to remove the thorn in its flesh, a party top official warned on Thursday of tough measures against staunch critic and senior party member Achmad Arnold Baramuli.

Berni K. Moestafa, Jakarta – Hundreds of employees from Bank Central Asia (BCA) demonstrated on Thursday against the planned sale of BCA, stirring up familiar concerns of mob politics blocking crucial privatization and asset sales programs. Rallying inside the House of Representatives complex ,the employees demanded the government to cancel the sale of BCA, Antara reported.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Possible clashes are looming between East Timorese refugees and Indonesian farmers seeking to reclaim land used to accommodate the refugees on the border of West Timor and East Timor.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Stop blaming Mother Nature, say activists rejecting claims by officials that heavy rain and low ground were behind the week-long floods that paralysed Jakarta.

Jakarta – Moody's Investors Service said Thursday that Indonesia's B3 country rating and stable outlook reflected the continued fragility of its access to foreign loans.

Jakarta – Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra denied on Wednesday that he had bribed former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid in his attempt to secure a pardon in 2000 in relation to a case of alleged graft.

Tiarma Siboro and Yogita Tahilramani, Jakarta – Papuans and human rights activists expressed doubt on Wednesday that the National Investigation Commission set up to probe the mysterious death of Papuan independence leader Theys Hiyo Eluay would reveal the truth behind the murder, saying commission members would work to protect the interests of the state.

Fadli, Batam – The situation in certain strategic areas in Batam is still tense following three ethnic riots that rocked the island over the weekend.

Alexander Cockburn – Right till the end of January, Dita Sari was preparing to fly from her home near Jakarta to Salt Lake City to bask today in the admiration of assorted do-gooders and celebrities mustered by Reebok.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – When the tollroad to Soekarno-Hatta Airport flooded, many blamed Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) luxury housing estate, which is built on protected mangrove forest along coastal areas of Kapuk Muara in North Jakarta.

Bambang Soed, Medan – The World Bank predicts that Sumatra will no longer have dense forest areas by 2004. This dire prediction is based on the high 2.5 percent level of destruction taking place on that island.

Lindsay Murdoch and Louise Dodson, Jakarta – Australia and Indonesia last night vowed to strike an agreement to join forces to help counter the threat of terrorism in the region following a meeting between Prime Minister John Howard and President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Michael Perry, Sydney – Increasing drug use in Asia is accelerating the spread of HIV-AIDS along drug trafficking routes from the so-called Golden Triangle to nations like Indonesia and governments are doing too little to combat it, a report says.

Jakarta – Visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday he would address a trade imbalance favouring his country after Indonesian officials raised the issue during talks.

Dili – As East Timor prepares for full independence in May, voters lack information about the draft of the country's new constitution, according to a survey released Thursday.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Politicians such as People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais as well as newspapers which were formerly supportive of President Megawati Sukarnoputri's government have lashed out at the central government's slow and uncoordinated response to the floods in the capital.

Jupriadi, Makassar – A high-powered ministerial delegation checking preparations for reconciliation talks between warring religious factions in Maluku, were greeted in South Sulawesi Tuesday by more than 30 Muslim students opposed to the talks.

Dili – Representatives of UNTAET and the Government of East Timor today held a press conference in Dili as part of an ongoing campaign to eradicate domestic violence.

Jakarta – The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned on Tuesday that one of Sumatra's rainforests could disappear within four years if logging is not stopped.

Peter Hartcher, Washington – The Australian Government is backing a Bush Administration proposal to resume US military co-operation with Indonesia in a bid to help Jakarta pursue terrorists.

Ainur A. Sophiaan, Surabaya – The incomplete implementation of regional autonomy and the widespread misunderstanding about the autonomy law have begun to raise new conflicts between the central government and provincial and regional governments.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – The Indonesian army yesterday tightened the screws on rebels in Aceh and dealt a potential blow to the peace process there with the inauguration of a new military command to specifically handle the restive province.

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.