Strasbourg – The European Parliament on Thursday urged the European Union to speak out against the Indonesian government, which it accused of stepping up repression in the run-up to national elections on May 29.

In Jakarta, hundreds of workers at the troubled Busang gold mine in East Kalimantan province, have taken four people hostage to back up demands for severance pay. Two Indonesian executives of Canadian-firm Bre-X Minerals and two Filipino geologists are being held.

Thirty-three of those arrested during a demonstration on 23 March 1997 at the Mahkota Hotel in Dili, East Timor during a visit to the territory by the United Nations Secretary-General's Personal Representative, Mr Jamsheed Marker, are detained in custody awaiting trial. It was previously believed that only 24 remained in custody.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – Indonesian security forces have announced a crackdown on supporters of the democracy leader Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri after her backers and the main Muslim party moved to forge an opposition alliance for the coming national elections.

Jakarta – Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters of a Muslim-based minority party in two Indonesian towns, as tension rose ahead of the May 29 general election, residents and newspapers said yesterday. In all, clashes were reported in four towns in central Java on Sunday, all involving campaigning supporters of the United Development Party (PPP), they said.

Ong Hock Chuan, Jakarta – As the campaign for the Indonesian general elections on May 27 gathers steam, it has become evident that some of the followers of Megawati Sukarnoputri, who was ousted as leader of one of the country's two opposition parties, are throwing their support behind the other opposition party.

Greg Earl – If there was a silver lining to be found in the large Busang cloud that descended on Indonesia this week, Bob Hasan was probably always one of the most likely people to find it.

Robin Cook, Britain's new Foreign Secretary, today issued his Mission Statement of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at a press conference, the first time any government has made public its intentions in the realm of foreign policy.

The Mission Statement says among other things:

Naomi Klein – I'm sitting in a downtown Vancouver coffee shop with Cicih Sukaesih, an Indonesian woman who used to work for Nike. She is telling me, with the help of a translator, about the conditions under which she glued together the soles of big white running shoes.

Jenny Grant, Pekalongan - The Muslim-backed United Development Party - or P-P-P rallied in this Central Java town of Pekalongan on Sunday as Jenny Grant reports from the riot-struck town, the local Chinese community feels it is under attack during the parliamentary election campaign.

Jakarta – A former prominent legislator whose book on President Soeharto's government was banned early this year has been charged with insulting the Indonesian leader, his lawyer said today.

Jakarta, the army and anti-riot solders backup and allowed youths, members of a Golkar mass organisation to attack and destroy homes and shops of people who were believed to resident's of the pro "Mega-Bintang-Rakyat" coalition. The army also allowed the youths to attack and throw rocks at PPP convoys.

Today on May 9, the national leadership of the PRD in coordination with the city leadership of the PRD in eight major cities (Lampung, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, Surabaya, Palu and Manado) again carried out a graffiti and poster campaign calling on the Indonesian people to boycott the 1997 elections, which are unconstitutional, corrupt and do not promise change towards the

The London Times' diplomatic editor, Michael Binyon reported on 8 May that Robin Cook, the new Foreign Secretary, has told Foreign Office officials that the Government will take a much tougher line than the Conservatives on arms exports and may halt all weapons deliveries to countries with dubious human rights records, such as President Suharto's Indonesia.

In accordance with instructions of the KPP-PRD, today on May 9 between 2am and 3am West Indonesian Time (WIB), there was a graffiti action across Semarang.

What follows is a chronology:

Early today, 9 May, the Central Committee, in coordination with committees in eight cities, Lampung, Bandung, Yogya, Solo, Semarang, Surabaya, Palu and Menado carried out a second graffiti action, putting up posters calling on the entire Indonesian people to boycott the unconstitutional and corrupt 1997 elections which will do nothing to bring about change and democratic reform.

Washington – Key members of the US government supported military assistance and training to Indonesia as the best tool to advance democracy there, despite recent calls to sanction it for human-rights violations.

Mr Doug Bereuter, chairman of the House sub-committee on the Asia-Pacific, said at a special hearing on US policy towards Indonesia, on Wednesday:

Surabaya – After scores of AirLangga University (Unair) student held a Golput [White Movement, election boycott] action some time ago, yesterday it was the turn of around 100 17 August University (Untag) Surabaya students to hold a rally. They called themselves the Kelompok Aliansi Mahasiswa Untag untuk Keadilan (Untag Student Alliance Group for Justice, AMUK).

Montreal – While trade ministers arrived in Montreal to talk about APEC, Warren Allmand, Bob White and other Canadian labour leaders, and Amnesty International also arrived to deliver a very different message.

[We offer below a summary of the first part of the statement in court on 21 April made by nine activists of the Partai Rakyat Demokratik, the PRD, at the conclusion of their trial, a week before they were all sentenced.

Susan Sim, Jakarta – The fabled Busang gold mine, once described as the richest find this century with a reputed 71 million ounces of gold, is a scam "without precedent in the history of mining anywhere in the world", a report has concluded.

[Odd indeed that the Suharto regime has chosen to take Buchori and not Soebadio to court for an act that was clearly the latter's responsibility. The reason is not difficult to find, the embarrassment of charging an elderly and highly respected politician from the Sukarno era. Tapol]

The nine PRD activists who were found guilty and sentenced last week on charges of subversion have filed appeals against the verdict with the appeal court.

Former MP Sri Bintang Pamungkas was moved from a detention cell at the attorney-general's office [where he has been held since 6 March] to Cipinang Prison, Jakarta, to serve a 34 month sentence for insulting the president. This followed rejection of his appeal against the verdict by the Supreme Court on 11 April 1997.

Democracy is at its nadir! The sentences meted out to the eleven PRD activists have proven that the New Order regime is an oppressive regime. It proves that fundamental differences of opinion are not allowed in this country. In the history of the world, only dictatorial regimes dare to put political parties on trial.

A patch of Indonesian jungle that Bre-X Minerals had hailed as the gold find of the century is actually a tampering job "without precedent" in the history of mining anywhere in the world, new tests show.

Bre-X released the information in a statement late last night.

A Malaysian citizen and prominent human rights activist, Dr. Syed Husin Ali, was detained at Soekarno-Hatta airport, taken to the hotel where he was participant at a United Nations Seminar and NGO Symposium on the Question of Palestine in Jakarta before being deported on 4th of May, by the Indonesian immigration and military.

Jenny Grant, Yogyakarta – Political tension in Central Java is rising after a series of clashes between rival party supporters. Jenny Grant reports from Yogyakarta the killing of a local gangster has added to the uneasiness.

The East Timor Human Rights Centre (ETHRC) holds grave fears for the safety of four East Timorese men who were arrested on 30 March 1997 in the sub-district of Atabae, Bobonaro, by members of the SGI (Special Intelligence Unit) and Kopassus (Special Forces Command).

Eleven activists, including three East Timorese and a journalist, were arrested early today Monday when they entered a factory site in the south of England to protest against the export of armoured vehicles to Indonesia. Seven were released after being held by police for fifteen hours but the three East Timorese and the journalist are still in custody.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Indonesian soldiers broke up a demonstration by Muslim youths carrying mock coffins and flaming torches in the Central Java city of Yogjakarta as tensions between rival parties escalated in the run-up to this month's general election.

Scores of people are reportedly injured after clashes between supporters of Indonesia's main opposition party and backers of the ruling Golkar party in Pekalongan, Central Java.

Jenny Grant, Jakarta – The Government is waging war against a new breed of freedom fighter for East Timor - the computer hacker.

A Portuguese hacker was the latest Internet guerilla to sneak behind enemy lines - breaking into a military Web site to plaster the word "propaganda" across the green and brown camouflage page.

On May 2, the Full Federal Court has set aside a decision of the Refugee Review Tribunal that East Timorese refugee, Jong Kim Koe, was not a refugee under the international Refugees Convention to which Australia is a party. The Tribunal will now need to re-hear the case.

By Susan Sim, Jakarta – The Muslim-oriented United Development Party (PPP) begins its second round of campaigning in Java today amid heightened tensions, a result of sporadic clashes between its supporters and those of the ruling Golkar party late on Wednesday which marred the fourth day of the hustings.

According to an unconfirmed report, at about 4.30pm on 21 April 1997 members of the security forces shot and arrested Edison Marcal Dias Freitas, an East Timorese man from Santa Cruz in Dili. On 23 April, relatives went to the police station in Dili to inquire as to his whereabouts and state of health, but without success. Since then there has been no more information.

Jakarta – Election violence hit several towns on the fourth day of the country's electoral campaign.

In Pekalongan, a coastal town in northern Central Java, supporters of the ruling Golkar party clashed with those of the Muslim-led United Development Party (PPP) on Wednesday, leaving five people injured and several buildings damaged, Kompas said.

Eyal Press – Never underestimate the power of partisanship to alter the consciousness of America's pundits and policymakers.

The ink was barely dry on the Presidential task force agreement on sweatshops when new labor protests erupted because of inadequate pay at Nike factories. On April 22 and then again on April 25, 10,000 workers went on strike at a Nike factory in Indonesia. During the same week, 1,300 workers went on strike at a Nike factory in Vietnam.

Jakarta – The trial of the case of insulting the president involving Aberson Marle Sihaloho, was coloured by a walk out by the accused and his lawyer Luhut MP Pangaribuan.

In the South Central Jakarta court yesterday, the court showed a video recording of an Aberson speech at the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Headquarters in Central Jakarta on July 13, 1996.

Agencies in Jakarta – The minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), already hit by a damaging split, may cancel election campaigning in the second city of Surabaya after a brawl yesterday between rival supporters.

John Stackhouse, Jakarta – On the second day of a national election campaign, an Indonesian court sentenced five young pro-democracy activists yesterday to jail terms of up to 13 years for speaking out against the government.

This Monday, 28 April is the day of the verdict for eleven PRD activists. Although they have already stated that they do not acknowledge this show trial, Budiman, Garda Sembiring, Iwan, Pranowo, and Suroso arrived at the Jakarta Central Court on Jalan Gajah Mada. They arrived at 9.56am.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – The Soeharto Government has announced that it will appeal against a 13-year sentence for subversion handed down yesterday on the leader of an anti-government group, demanding a harsher penalty for the activist it blames for last year's political riots in Jakarta.

Jakarta – Nine of the People's Democratic Party (PRD) were sentenced earlier today (28/4) to prison sentences of up to 13 years. The accused refused to attend the reading of the court's verdict after declaring that they had lost their trust in the Indonesian justice system.

Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Riot police violently broke up a protest outside a courtroom in the capital yesterday where pro-democracy activists were sentenced to jail terms of up to 13 years.

As Indonesia begins its "Festival of Democracy" – the 1997 parliamentary election campaign – Amnesty International is calling for the immediate release of a group of student activists sentenced today to lengthy prison terms in Jakarta for their entirely peaceful pro-democracy activities.

Independent Media Indonesia opined (5/28): "During this cooling-off week, as we ponder programs and campaigners, it is difficult to draw logical conclusions. What stays in mind is only the unrest. However, there is nothing we can do. As bad as the political parties may be...we must vote for one as better than the others."

Bandung – Pajajaran University students held a rally in Bandung on 26 April on the first anniversary of the Ujungpandang tragedy. The rally was marred, however, by a scuffle, and a student was arrested. Prior to the event, university authorities were checking student identification cards before the students were allowed on campus.

Dili – Four men have been arrested in the killing of a member of Indonesia's ruling Golkar party during an election meeting in East Timor, police said Monday.

The arrests brought to six the number of men held in connection with the killing Sunday of Alsino da Costa, 29. It was the only violence on the first day of the official campaign period for May 29 general elections.