Vaudine England, Jakarta – Chinese sports officials have decided to withdraw their badminton team from next week's Indonesian Open Championship, citing the unstable political situation in the capital.

Jakarta – Indonesian MPs Monday opened a special session which could impeach President Abdurrahman Wahid, even though he issued a decree disbanding parliament. Following is a chronology of his 21 months in power:

1999

Jakarta – The Indonesian armed forces yesterday staged one of the biggest show of force seen in the capital in years. Another convoy of 40 armoured vehicles of the Jakarta military command also converged on the central square from East Jakarta.

Jakarta – Indonesia's first leader, President Sukarno, was ousted from office 35 years ago by right-wing army generals. On Monday, Sukarno's daughter rose to the presidency on a wave of support from the military brass – still this nation's kingmakers.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Despite two bombs in the morning and a gathering of forces for a major political showdown today, it was hard to find signs of concern outside Parliament building yesterday afternoon.

Mark Dodd, Aileu – When it came time to harvest new varieties of sweet potato in an agriculture project in Aileu, an East Timor mountain town, the response was overwhelming – the farmers made off with most of the cuttings.

Ian Timberlake, Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid's threat to declare a state of emergency tonight is a deliberate tactic to foster negotiations with his political opponents, according to observers. "It's psychological warfare," said Arbi Sanit, a political-science lecturer at the University of Indonesia.

Jakarta – In an effort to end a long-running separatist war, Indonesia's Parliament yesterday passed a Bill granting Aceh province sweeping autonomy. The legislation, which will not come into effect until 2002, is not expected to have any immediate effect on the conflict which has claimed over 900 lives this year.

Jakarta – General Wiranto, the former Indonesian military commander blamed for the violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 independence vote, emerged Friday as a possible vice-president if President Abdurrahman Wahid is forced to quit.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – They call him King Rat. Of many influential Indonesians plotting the downfall of President Abdurrahman Wahid, none is doing more to undermine his rule than Surojo Bimantoro, the national police chief.

Jakarta – In a new twist to Indonesia's political turmoil, the national assembly chairman Friday warned President Abdurrahman Wahid he would face a snap impeachment hearing if he swore in a new police chief.

Muklis Ali, Jakarta – Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday stood by a threat to declare a state of emergency to counter fresh efforts to impeach him, edging the country closer to a potentially explosive showdown.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – The seemingly endless battle between the Indonesian Parliament and President Abdurrahman Wahid over who should rule the country has left the government with little time to focus on the business of running Indonesia.

Lee Siew Hua, Washington – The United States said turmoil in Indonesia will threaten its immediate neighbours and hollow out Asean, while endangering US strategic goals.

Jakarta – The shocking escape of an army soldier, held on charges related to last year's bombing of the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building, has sparked a furore among the authorities, with the military police chief's head being the first to roll.

Mark Dodd, Viqueque – East Timorese voters have sent their political leaders a strong message to end violence and work towards improving living standards and social services.

Avelinho Coelho, the secretary-general of the Timor Socialist Party (PST) said the Constituent Assembly to be formed after the 30 August election must not be structured like the now-dissolved National Council.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia's defiant police chief General Suroyo Bimantoro yesterday promoted and reshuffled 138 middle-ranking officers, in an apparent bid to garner more support within the fractured police force.

Jakarta – Despite the faint glimmer of a possible compromise, Indonesians were Thursday bracing for President Abdurrahman Wahid to make good his threat to declare a state of emergency to stave off an impeachment move. Late on Wednesday he renewed his threat to declare a state of emergency, plunging Indonesia into another bout of uncertainty.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – Some of Jakarta's most influential political leaders are trying to broker a last-minute compromise to save President Abdurrahman Wahid from impeachment.

Yogyakarta – Some fifty members from East Timorese prointegration groups held a modest ceremony on Tuesday at Yogyakarta's East Timor Students Dormitory to celebrate what they called "the 25th anniversary of East Timor's integration to Indonesia".

A team dispatched to verify rumors of planned election violence in East Timor reported Wednesday they had found the territory's "most vulnerable" areas "calm and serene".

Teh Jen Lee – The haze caused by fires set to clear land for plantations may be less severe over South-east Asia this year because of lower palm-oil prices. Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association president Derom Bangun said the low prices would discourage companies from increasing the plantation areas.

East Timorese electoral officials Wednesday acknowledged "systematic failures" in the preparation of voters' lists for the August 30 constituent assembly balloting and appealed to the population to carefully check posted preliminary lists.

Don Greenlees, Jakarta – Seated in a conference room of the Sheraton Nusa Dua Hotel in Bali, an agitated Indonesian president B.J. Habibie thumped his fist on the table. "We will not have any foreign troops. You have got to understand that. I can't allow foreign troops into Indonesia," he said.

Three days after the start of the official campaign period for August 30 elections, the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) became the first party to publish an advertisement in the East Timorese press.

Jon Land – Three activists from the Acehnese Democratic Peoples Resistance Front were detained by police in Banda Aceh on July 11 during a protest against the United States-based company ExxonMobil.

A Defensive Alexander Downer undoubtedly has his eyes on the history books with the publication of the Government's apologia for its handling of the East Timor crisis. But East Timor in Transition 1998-2000, the official Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade account of the tumultuous period and Australia's role in mediating the crisis, deserves more than cursory dismissal.

Banda Aceh – Indonesian troops shot dead three more separatist rebels in Aceh as representatives from both sides entered a third-day of talks here, the military said Wednesday.

Craig Skehan – An official history of Australia's role in East Timor's transition to independence reveals that the Federal Government knew more than it was willing to admit at the time about orchestrated Indonesian military violence.

Karen Polglaze, Canberra – A new book on Australia's foreign policy approach to East Timor from 1998 to 2000 is highly selective and partisan, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Laurie Brereton said today.

East Timor's Independent Electoral Commission has rejected more than 70 potential candidates for the August 30 constituent assembly elections. The final lists of party-backed and independent candidates obtained Tuesday by Lusa indicate that the Commission rejected 27 national and 46 district-level candidates.

Jakarta – Indonesian police said yesterday they suspected a concerted bombing campaign was under way after a woman was injured in the second blast here in less than a week. Two cars were also damaged in the blast under a flyover in South Jakarta.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military and the National Police reconfirmed on Monday their opposition to President Abdurrahman Wahid's intention to declare a state of emergency ahead of the planned People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) session.

Joanne Collins, Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday it was still aiming to release a delayed $400 million loan to Indonesia next month, erasing fears an agreement was many weeks away.

Jakarta – The Central Jakarta District Court started hearing on Monday a lawsuit filed by five non-governmental organizations (NGOs) against the government for its failure to prevent the bloodshed in Sampit, Central Kalimantan, between February and March this year.

Jakarta – Political activists are calling for an act of civil disobedience by rejecting all regulations, policies and taxes imposed by the government and the House of Representatives.

Kupang Pos, Kupang – Political discourse on the formation of an Independent Timor (Negara Timor Raya-NTR) within East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) West Timor is treated seriously by TNI Indonesian Military Forces . Nine/Udayana Military Area Commander Maj-Gen William da Costa has stressed that if an NTR is declared, TNI will take strong action against the perpetrators.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – A defiant General Suroyo Bimantoro, the sacked national police chief, said yesterday that President Abdurrahman Wahid's supporters would engineer mass unrest three days before his impeachment hearing on August 1.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Campaigning began yesterday for East Timor's first election, but confusion reigns in the minds of voters about what they are voting for and whether it bears any relation to what they want.

East Timor's transitional administration saw a flurry of moves today and over the weekend as political activity began to heat up in the half-island territory ahead of the United Nations-sponsored elections next month.

Tony Kevin – Tomorrow, Alexander Downer launches a book on Australia's role in East Timor between 1998 and 2000. One wonders why he should wish to reopen this Pandora's box. Others have recently addressed the issue: writers John Birmingham and John Martinkus, and SBS television's Dateline on May 9.

Dili – East Timor's defacto parliament, the National Council, was dissolved on Saturday, one day before the start of political campaigning for a new 88-seat Constituent Assembly, taking the territory closer to full independence.

Mark Dodd, Dili – Campaigning for East Timor's first democratic elections began at the weekend, but hopes for a smooth start were marred by a strike and the seizure of a consignment of military uniforms sent from Indonesia.

Banda Aceh – Violence pitting Indonesian government forces against separatist rebles in the restive province of Aceh has claimed another four lives, police and the military said Monday.

G.K. Goh, Jakarta – Indonesia is targeting economic growth of 3.0-3.5 percent this year and inflation of below 10 percent by year-end, according to the draft agreement between the government and the International Monetary Fund.

Robert Go, Jakarta – It's just trash for most people, but some Jakarta residents are finding novel ways of using garbage to help build their impoverished community.

Max Lane – There are now more political prisoners in Indonesia than there were during the last 12 months of General Suharto's 32-year rule. There are at least seven leaders of the West Papua independence movement in jail, some now on trial for so-called political offences.

Jakarta – Indonesians are bracing for a stormy countdown to the August 1 national assembly session which will decide the fate of embattled Abdurrahman Wahid, the country's first freely-elected president.

Jon Land – The start of the formal election campaign period for East Timor's new Constituent Assembly began on July 15. Some 16 political parties and a number of independent candidates are contesting 88 seats in the election set for August 30, exactly two years after the historic referendum on independence.