Ted Bardacke, Jakarta – Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid yesterday formed an economic advisory council chaired by Emil Salim, a cabinet minister under former President Suharto.

Jakarta – Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Spokesman Major General Sudrajat has confirmed former vice president Try Sutrisno's controversial statement that Aceh province was never classified as a Military Operation Zone (DOM).

Mark Dodd, Dili – As East Timor struggles to rebuild, a United Nations decision to introduce the Portuguese escudo into the fragile economy has caused mass confusion among an impoverished population now faced with a choice of four currencies, none of them freely convertible.

Calls for independence for Aceh are growing by the day, raising fears of a dismemberment of the republic. Part I of a two-part special report looks at forces propelling the demands for self-rule in the province

The horror stays locked in Ms Norlailah's mind. Her eyes are dark-ringed holes in a pinched and exhausted face, bearing years of pain and hate against Indonesia.

Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor's People's Inquiry into Australian governments' "special relationship" with Indonesia and complicity in the East Timor genocide is attracting a lot of interest in several cities.

Associated Press in Jayapura – Dozens were injured on Thursday when Indonesian security forces at a remote mining town fired on about 2,000 demonstrators who demanded independence for Irian Jaya province in West New Guinea, human rights activists said.

They said the shootings took place when troops tried to lower a rebel flag flying outside a church.

Karen Fredericks, Brisbane – The spokesperson for the Brisbane East Timorese community has hit out at the refusal by federal immigration minister Philip Ruddock to grant the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) access to refugees in safe haven facilities.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – Activists in Aceh have called off anti-Jakarta protests planned for Saturday because they fear Indonesia's armed forces will use flag-raising rallies as an excuse for a brutal crackdown.

Pip Hinman – Following a fact-finding tour to East Timor, Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has announced it will subpoena senior Indonesian generals, including General Wiranto, minister-coordinator for political and security affairs, to explain their involvement in the violence and human rights abuses in East Timor since January.

Max Lane – A formal administration of East Timor by the United Nations was established on November 27 when the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) issued its first regulation.

Amy Chew, Banda Aceh – The group which mobilised last month's huge pro-independence rally in the restive province of Aceh warned it would hold a referendum on ending Indonesian rule if Jakarta refuses one of its own.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta has returned to East Timor after almost 24 years in exile. He writes of the task of rebuilding a nation.

I left East Timor on December 4, 1975, three days before the Indonesian invasion. A private plane took me from Dili to Darwin. I have been abroad ever since, representing the cause of East Timorese independence.

Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Tuesday that he would order next week the release of 18 East Timorese political prisoners still in Indonesian jails.

He made the pledge at a meeting with East Timor independence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao, who received a red carpet welcome befitting a head of state, at Merdeka Palace.

Jakarta – A government-sanctioned inquiry said on Wednesday that the Indonesian Military (TNI) was directly or indirectly involved in extra-judicial executions in the ravaged territory of East Timor after the August 30 self-determination ballot.

Dili – The number of East Timorese refugees returning from Indonesia has dropped despite Indonesian promises to help speed up their passage, the UN refugee said on Wednesday.

"We are very shocked," said Ariane Quentier of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "If you look at the figures, they have even got worse."

Lindsay Murdoch – A pro-Jakarta militia leader has told investigators he helped murder an Indonesian journalist, two priests, two nuns and three other people in East Timor on the orders of a general in Jakarta.

Dili – Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos Horta Wednesday returned to East Timor after 24 years in exile to a rousing welcome honoring his tireless efforts to end Indonesia's occupation of his homeland.

Jakarta – Military and civilian leaders, several allegedly behind large-scale human rights abuses in Aceh over the past decade, have defended their policies before parliamentary deputies, saying that tough measures were needed to maintain law and order.

Astrid Amalia, Jakarta – A top army official in Indonesia's troubled Aceh said on Wednesday that separatists were in control of the province amid intense pressure from the military for martial law.

"The situation in Aceh now is not safe as the rebels have already taken control of Aceh," Colonel Syafnil Armen told Reuters by telephone.

Jakarta – Hundreds of thousands of pro-independence supporters Wednesday joined peaceful demonstrations across Irian Jaya on the anniversary of the separatist movement as activists defied military warnings and hoisted their flag.

Jakarta – Around 75 percent of Indonesia's forthcoming state budget would be earmarked to repay domestic and foreign debts, an economic observer said.

Jakarta-- Security forces opened fire during fresh battles between Muslims and Christians in the strife-torn Indonesian city of Ambon Friday leaving at least 21 dead and more than 100 wounded, residents said.

Paul Daley, Canberra – Indonesia's former President Dr B.J. Habibie feared his armed forces commander-in-chief would stage a military coup in October, raising fears among senior Australian diplomats and defence analysts of a possible war with Indonesia.

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Gen. Wiranto and top military officials were questioned over allegations of human rights abuses in the restive province of Aceh during an investigation by a special House of Representatives committee on Thursday.

Jakarta-- Indonesian Minister for People's Welfare Hamzah Haz has resigned amid allegations he was involved in a 13 billion rupiah (1.8 million dollars) corruption scandal, a presidential press official said Friday.

Alas Selatan, East Nusa Tenggara – An investigation team discovered at least 25 decaying bodies in three mass graves here on Thursday. They were the alleged victims of a militia attack on a church in the East Timorese town of Suai in early September.

Jakarta – Chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights Marzuki Darusman said on Wednesday that he would propose to the government that military personnel who were allegedly involved in past rights abuses be tried in nonmilitary courts.

Jakarta – One hundred and fifty students from the University of Indonesia rallied at the House of Representatives on Wednesday to demand that President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri resign if they fail to resolve the dispute in Aceh within three months.

Jakarta – About 2,500 Acehnese Thursday forced their way into the parliament complex here to demand a referendum on self-determination in their province.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – The Indonesian President, Mr Addurrahman Wahid, has ruled out a referendum on independence for Aceh, raising fears of more violence in the resource-rich province at the tip of the island of Sumatra.

Jakarta – The Indonesian military threatened Thursday to take action against rebels in the restive province of Aceh if they lower the national flag on the December 4 separatist anniversary there, a report said.

Banda Aceh – Two [student] members of SIRA (Aceh Referendum Information Centre) were seriously wounded early on Thursday morning (24th November) [as received] after being caught in a hail of bullets and having a hand grenade thrown at them by men in military style fatigues riding a trail bike in the vicinity of Geuceu Meunara village, Banda Aceh.

Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has announced that it will shortly summon General Wiranto, Minister-Coordinator for Political and Security Affairs to explain the involvement of the military (TNI and the police) in the violence and human rights abuses perpetrated in East Timor from January this year.

On a November 22, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, visited Dili, the capital of East Timor, and Atambua, an area in West Timor which hosts substantial numbers of displaced persons who have not been able to return to their homes in East Timor.

Lincoln Wright – Secret defence documents on East Timor show the Howard Government was well-informed about how the Indonesian armed forces were fomenting militia violence in the run-up to the independence ballot.

Canberra – Australia received information from a wide variety of sources on developments in East Timor but could have done nothing more than it did to pressure Indonesia to rein in militia violence, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

Mr Howard said Australia made 120 separate representations to Indonesia from the start of the year to the time of the East Timor ballot.

Sonny Inbaraj, Dili – All's not well in the urgent distribution of food and seeds in East Timor, before the heavy monsoon rains expected this week makes planting impossible and roads impassable.

Sydney – Former Indonesian military chief General Wiranto orchestrated the post-referendum militia violence in East Timor to back his own political ambitions, an Australian magazine said Wednesday.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) claims a report by state investigators that confirmed the military orchestrated recent atrocities in East Timor was clearly biased.

TNI Commander Admiral Widodo Adisutjipto yesterday told parliament the military will meet with the investigators to "clarify" the findings before following up the report.

Chris Latham, Jakarta – Despite torrential rain, thousands of students participated in protests here to commemorate the first anniversary on November 13 of the Semangi tragedy, named after the Semangi bridge where six students were shot dead by the military during the mass protests against the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

Margaret Allum – The federal minister for immigration, Philip Ruddock, announced on November 19 that the government has dropped its appeal against the Federal Court's September 1998 decision in the test case of Kon Tji Lay, an East Timorese seeking refugee status in Australia.

Thousands of pro-independence West Papuans held a "birthday celebration" for leader Theys Eluay in the Sentani subdistrict of the capital, Jayapura, on November 12. Local residents say that between 3000 and 5000 people participated; Indonesian police claimed it was just 300.

Jon Land – United Nations officials have come under heavy criticism from leaders of the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT). In a move to reduce tension between CNRT and the United Nations Administration in East Timor, the head of UNTAET, Sergio Vieira de Mello, held "informal" talks with CNRT leader Xanana Gusmao in the town of Aileu on November 17.

Marina Carman and Chris Latham, Jakarta – On November 9, we met with activists from Forkap (Women's Communication and Action Forum) at the University of Indonesia.

Jakarta – A catalogue of killings, torture and rape in the Indonesian province of Aceh was outlined to parliament Wednesday as an independent inquiry said it had found 5,000 cases of rights abuses.

Shoeb Kagda, Jakarta – International investor confidence is slowly returning to Indonesia, with upscale commercial properties and companies in export-oriented businesses fast-becoming prime acquisition targets, sources told BT.

Jakarta – The Indonesian parliament will reject a proposal by the government to gradually lift fuel subsidies, saying it would be a burden on the nation's poor, a report said Tuesday.

Vaudine England (Jakarta) and Associated Press (Banda Aceh) – As President Abdurrahman Wahid left yesterday on another foreign trip – this time to Kuwait – Acehnese activists and investigators in Jakarta were increasingly impatient at his "inaction".

Louise Williams – A key Australian intelligence source in East Timor warned more than a year ahead of September's carnage that Indonesian-backed militia units would fight a bloody "scorched earth" battle if independence was won, but his confidential reports were dismissed as "alarmist and irrelevant".

Richard Holbrooke is heading to Dili as a representative of the UN, but he's carrying the baggage of a shameful past of covering up for Indonesian human rights abuses.

The irony of US Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke's visit to East Timor in the coming week will not be lost on any East Timorese whose memories go back to the 1970s.