Kupang – Responding to an UNTAS statement which said that it would not participate in the 2001 elections in East Timor if the UN didn't clarify UNAMET fraud in the referendum, UNTAET representative in Kupang, Colin Stewart, stressed that the elections will still be carried out even without the pro-integration group.

Jakarta – The US Embassy in Jakarta said Monday that Washington didn't support "independence for Papua or any other part of Indonesia."

It said it had sent an embassy officer to a congress held by Papua nationalists as an observer in line with standard diplomatic practice.

Andrew Kilvert and agencies, Jayapura – West Papua yesterday announced the formation of a government and declared independence from Jakarta, as Indonesian soldiers and riot police continued to patrol the streets of the capital, Jayapura.

Neles Tebay, Jayapura – Defying warnings from Jakarta, the Papuan Congress ended on Sunday with a declaration that West Papua, or Irian Jaya as the territory is still officially called, is no longer a part of the Republic of Indonesia.

Ridwan M. Sijabat, Jakarta – Legislators and observers are calling for a complete transformation of the Army's territorial function, which they say has aggravated political and security instability nationwide.

Jakarta – A steady commitment by the Indonesian government to implement pleged economic reforms will strengthen the ailing rupiah, a top official with the International Monetary Fund said Monday.

Reuters in Jakarta – A landmark congress discussing the future of Indonesia's Irian Jaya province is set to close on Saturday with an affirmation of the right to independence but without the setting up of a provisional separatist government.

Martin Crutsinger, Washington – The International Monetary Fund on Friday gave approval for a $372 million loan to support economic reform efforts in Indonesia.

The decision by the IMF's 24-member executive board came after a review of the country's recent actions to meet IMF-imposed economic conditions.

Lindsay Murdoch and Andrew Kilvert – A Jakarta-based organisation with criminal connections and links to Indonesia's military and Golkar, the former ruling party, is secretly funding part of a burgeoning independence movement in the country's far eastern province of Papua.

Chris McCall, Jakarta – Aceh refused to abandon its hopes for peace yesterday as a much-desired truce finally took effect under the shadow of an assassination in Malaysia.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Donor countries and international aid agencies say that President Abdurrahman Wahid's handling of the Buloggate scandal will indicate how committed his reform government is to driving out corruption.

Jakarta – Minutes before relinquishing his post as Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) chief, Sugito Suwito fired back at President Abdurrahman Wahid, saying he was being truthful in scaling back his economic growth projection.

Jakarta – Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said on Thursday he believed a series of riots and disturbances plaguing the country were linked to supporters of former president Soeharto.

Jakarta – The exiled leader of an Aceh independence faction gunned down in Kuala Lumpur was killed by the Indonesian military, the main separatist movement in Aceh claimed on Friday.

"I'm sure he was murdered by TNI [Indonesian military] intelligence agents in Kuala Lumpur," Ismail Sahputra, spokesman for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), told AFP by phone.

Jose Manuel Tesoro, Jakarta – After two years of delays, false starts and even an outright cancellation, Indonesia's most-watched investigation is inching toward a conclusion. On May 19, Indonesia's attorney-general, Marzuki Darusman, announced that former president Suharto will be charged with corruption and abuse of power.

Jakarta – Ten state-owned companies have been put on a primary list for privatization this year, according to an updated master plan to be issued by the Office of the State Minister of State Enterprises and Investment.

Jakarta – Indonesian judges suspected of graft will be transferred to remote provinces in a bid to overhaul the legal system after a series of dubious verdicts which have hit investor confidence, Justice Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said.

Mark Dodd, Jakarta – The Indonesian Government is taking a major step towards prosecuting those who committed the worst acts of violence around last year's independence vote in East Timor.

Jayapura – Speaker after speaker at a landmark conference on the future of Indonesia's West Papua province called for independence yesterday as alarm bells over a possible new East Timor sounded in Jakarta.

Chris McCall, Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid was fighting for his job yesterday as he and his closest allies struggled to defuse a political scandal.

Bertil Lintner – Following years of military repression, Indonesia's new president, Abdurrahman Wahid, has adopted a new approach to solving ethnic and religious conflict in the archipelago.

Mark Dodd, Jakarta – The United Nations chief in East Timor, Mr Sergio Vieira de Mello, has sought the co-operation of Indonesia's judiciary for investigations into crimes committed by pro-Jakarta militia and their army backers after last year's bloody vote for independence.

Chris McCall, Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid may have saved his own political skin by accepting the resignation of a leading confidant.

Jakarta – A funny thing happened on Sunday when President Abdurrahman Wahid went sailing with his top military commanders.

"I do not like it when my generals play politics with my acting State Secretary," he told his service chiefs and their commander-in-chief on the naval vessel Arun in the middle of Jakarta Bay.

Pip Hinman – The Seattle and Washington protests against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) have forced their chiefs into damage control. But despite all the PR bunk about the IMF and WB's "non-interference" in national economies, and their "pro-development" and "anti-poverty" agendas, the impact of their interference in the Third World is hard to hide.

Agencies in Jakarta – Fifty-two bodies have been found in two mainly Christian villages in Indonesia's North Maluku province after attacks by Muslims, a priest said yesterday. The military said "jihad" holy war fighters from elsewhere in Indonesia were suspected.

Max Lane – The role of the International Monetary Fund in determining economic policy in Indonesia came under the spotlight after the 1997 economic crisis. In the wake of the crisis, the Suharto, Habibie and then the Wahid regimes surrendered virtually all sovereignty over government economic policy to the IMF.

Jakarta – As a result of his injuries, Coki Naipospos went to St Carolus Hospital for a medical report on his condition. Along with colleagues from PBHI, he took this report to the police but they refused to accept it because it was from a private hospital and told him to get a report from Cipto Mangungkusumo Hospital (RSCM).

Jon Land – From May 15 to 20, the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) held a conference in Dili, East Timor. It was the first Fretilin conference in East Timor since the end of the Indonesian occupation.

James Balowski – On May 17, 24 Indonesian soldiers and one civilian were sentenced to between eight and a half and 10 years' jail for the murder of Islamic teacher Teungku Bantaqiahand and 56 members of an Islamic boarding school in western Aceh in July 1999.

Jakarta – Mobil Oil Indonesia has temporarily suspended production from a satellite of its eastern Aceh gas field in the wake of last week's hostage taking incident, the company's spokesman said Wednesday.

"We are temporarily suspending our satellite operation in Pase field pending further review," Mobil's communications advisor in Jakarta, Julia Tumengkol, told AFP.

Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur, has instructed state owned plantation companies to return some 40 percent of land taken by force or bought at unfair prices from local people in the past.

Jeremy Wagstaff, Jakarta – Hundreds of Indonesian workers went on strike at Jakarta's main port, the first serious stoppage to hit the country's largest container terminal since Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. took over its management a year ago.

Pandeglang – Newly established Work for National Care (KPB), a non-governmental organization dominated by Golkar Party figures, drew the attention of tens of thousands of Muslims here on Sunday by staging an anticommunism rally.

London – The Solidamor chair, Coki Naipospos sustained injuries all over his body and suffered wounds on his wrist and forehead. When the attack started, he grabbed hold of a laptop to shield his face from being beaten with sticks and stones. Sapollo was kicked and beaten and was badly bruised . He was taken to hospital for an x-ray.

Nearly seven months in office, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid can claim great achievements. Despite his blindness and diabetes, he has negotiated a ceasefire with separatist rebels in the gas-rich province of Aceh and staved off a military coup in Jakarta. But things look bleak on the economic front.

Chris McCall – Fearful Indonesian Christians in Sumatra's main city prayed behind a police guard last night after a bomb exploded at morning service and two more were found at other churches.

Ambon – The governor of Indonesia's troubled Maluku province has said that allies of former President Suharto could be behind the arrival of some 2,200 Muslim jihad warriors in the islands.

Jakarta – Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono confirmed on Friday the United States did not include the Army in the gradual normalization of military ties with Indonesia because of a lot of "unfinished business".

Jakarta – Protests against oil and gas operations in East Kalimantan could escalate if gas company Vico Indonesia Ltd fails to settle its dispute with locals, a senior official at state oil and gas company Pertamina said on Saturday.

Jakarta – Angry mobs raided and vandalized two hotels at separate locations in East and West Jakarta over the weekend, claiming both establishments offered the services of prostitutes.

Edhi Pranasidhi, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has extended a ban on 128 bankers and shareholders of closed banks from traveling abroad, according to a decree signed by Finance Minister Bambang Sudibyo, which was released to the media Monday.

Mark Dodd, Dili – The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) has denied reports it will spend $US15 million ($28 million) on the purchase of new motor vehicles to equip its civilian police.

David Lague – The Defence Department will pressure the Federal Government to rebuild military links with Jakarta now political ties are warming, despite the role of Indonesian troops in East Timor atrocities.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Indonesia is prepared for human rights abuses cases to go to court but many of them would probably be dealt with through a South African style truth and reconciliation commission because there were too many cases for the courts to solve, said a minister.

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Armed assailants have attacked a remote village in Indonesia's strife-torn former Spice Islands, killing at least 34 people, injuring scores and setting buildings and places of worship ablaze, the military said yesterday.

Chris McCall, Jakarta – Radical students went on an anti-military rampage in Jakarta yesterday and police were ordered to stand aside for fear of unleashing worse violence.

Mark Dodd, Dili – The East Timor independence leader Mr Xanana Gusmao has threatened to boycott a key international donors' meeting in Portugal because of concerns over the UN's accountability with donor funds. The Lisbon donors' meeting scheduled for June 23 is expected to hear UN budget proposals for East Timor.

Jose Manuel Tesoro, Jakarta – For three months, the third floor of Indonesia's parliament complex resembled a workers' dormitory. Figures dozed on the dirty floor as clothes hung out to dry.

Jakarta – Indonesia's government will ask an independent commission to look into possible human-rights abuses by a major US mining company in West Papua province, a minister said.