Indonesian judges have rejected a plea to drop terrorism charges against hardline Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir and ordered him to stand trial for his alleged involvement in attacks including the Bali bombings.

Blontank Poer, Surakarta – Days before the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) begins a national congress, many would-be participants complained on Wednesday that they had not received official invitations from the steering committee.

Jakarta – A number of noted Acehnese figures urged the government on Wednesday to reopen dialog with the Free Aceh Movement to help settle the prolonged conflict amicably.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Santiago was a world away for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in more ways than one.

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Amsterdam – The arsenic poisoning of the Indonesian human rights champion, Munir, has aroused so much attention that he is even more "present" in death than he was in life. Yet, without the reform of state apparatuses and the will and determination of the country's leadership, the case will remain a mystery.

David Jay Green, Jakarta – National elections and a change in government are a wonderful time for reflection and stocktaking and Indonesia's recent set is no exception. It is a useful, as well as a fun undertaking to try and identify the most important lessons of yesterday and guess the problems we'll face tomorrow.

Leony Aurora, Jakarta – Following months of steady growth, Indonesia's exports would hit a record US$65 billion worth this year, up 6.5 percent from last year, due to soaring oil prices and increasing export volumes, a government official says.

Jakarta – Indonesia has elected to enter into military cooperation with Russia and China. According to Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono, both China and Russia had offered.

Jakarta – TNI [Indonesian National Military Forces] Commander Gen Endriartono Sutarto has expressed hope that the government will place a high priority on the TNI budget. Attention to this was urgently required to overcome the security problems in the country such as separatism in Nanggroe Aceh Darusslam.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has raised a call for the country to become self-reliant in supplying its defense forces with arms, munitions and equipment through close collaboration among the armed forces, academics and industry.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tony Hotland, Jakarta – After long and exhaustive tests carried out by a number of local and international teams, the government concluded on Wednesday that Buyat Bay, North Sulawesi, was indeed polluted and vowed to hold the polluters responsible for the environmental crime.

Fadli, Batam – Riau Islands provincial government is planning to lobby Minister of Trade Mari Elka Pangestu to allow local businessmen to resume exporting sand from the sea, a top government official said on Wednesday. The provincial government would also soon draft a bylaw that regulates the business.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – So that there is no repeat of the Munir case, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) is distributing a circular containing a warning to all human rights activists to be careful in carrying out their work.

This was revealed by the director of LBH Jakarta, Uli Parulian, at the LBH offices on Jalan Diponegoro in Jakarta on Thursday November 25.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has agreed to establish an independent team to investigate rights campaigner Munir's death and that rights' activists design the duties and structure of the team.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The suspicious death of rights campaigner Munir and threats against his widow, Suciwati, have inspired her along with dozens of women's groups to declare war against all forms of violence.

Jakarta – The National Police headquarters (HQ) is to investigate the involvement of former Sorong Police Operations chief, First Inspector Anshar Johar and former Sorong Police chief, Adj. High Comm. Faisal A.N. as they were allegedly involved in an illegal logging case in Papua.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman and his four deputies have been working without proper salaries since they took office in December 2003.

Bogor/Bandung/Jakarta – Five residents of Bojong village, Klapanunggal district, West Java, are still missing after a violent protest on Monday against the planned trial of a waste processing facility.

The Bogor Council recommended on Wednesday the temporary closure of the disputed plant.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso has vowed to press ahead with the development of a new waste processing plant in Bojong village, despite mounting opposition from residents and local legislators after police opened fire on protesters at the site.

Jakarta – The saga over the replacement of the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief is apparently nearing its concluding stages, as a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives has agreed to give the final say on the issue to the President.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Upon arriving back from his first long overseas trip on Tuesday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono immediately addressed a number of domestic issues, ranging from security problems in Aceh to the recent violent protest over a dump in Jonggol, Bogor, West Java.

Endy M. Bayuni, Santiago – Is forging trade liberalization measures, at a time when the economy is still struggling to get back on its feet, really in the best interest of the nation?

Bogor/Bandung/Jakarta – Dozens of mostly women residents of Bojong village, Klapanunggal district, Bogor, West Java, had to undergo a long journey on Tuesday before being allowed to visit their husbands and brothers hospitalized with gunshot wounds after Monday's clash with the police over the opening of a waste processing facility.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – Activists from the People's Solidarity Movement for Aceh (Gerakan Rakyat Untuk Aceh, SEGERA) held a demonstrated at the offices of the ministry of political, legal and security affairs on Wednesday November 24. They were protesting the extension of the state of civil emergency in Aceh and calling on the government to review the decision.

Jakarta – Indonesia's police chief yesterday ordered a rare probe into his men's violent handling of a protest near Jakarta in which at least five people were wounded by shotguns and 33 arrests made.

Jakarta – Indonesia is considering buying up to 12 fighter bombers from Russia, and the nation's defense minister will go to the US next year to push for the lifting of a ban on weapon sales, officials said Wednesday.

A major defence industry showcase has opened in Indonesia, moving the country closer to the high-tech weapons it wants to fight militants and crush rebels but doing little to ease concerns of those who want it held to account for past military abuses.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Amid calls for a speedy investigation into the death of rights campaigner Munir, the House of Representatives has agreed to support the establishment of a special investigative team.

Today, Wednesday 24th November, Indonesia hosts its first ever arms fair in Jakarta, with over 250 companies attending [1] including UK-based Rolls Royce [2] and a subsidiary of BAE Systems, Atlas Elektronik [3]. Arms from UK based companies have been used against civilians and insurgents in the conflicts of West Papua and Aceh.

Sari P. Setiogi, Jakarta – The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) warned Indonesia on Tuesday that the virus was spreading rapidly among women and girls in the country.

The Indonesian Human Rights Committee is calling on the New Zealand Government to make urgent representations to the Indonesian Government to allow diplomats, international agencies and journalists renewed access to West Papua and Aceh. This urgent request was faxed to Minister Goff today.

Nala Edwin, Jakarta – Around 20 Bojong residents from the Bogor regency demonstrated at the Jakarta national police headquarters demanding the release of 17 colleges who were arrested in relation to a recent clash at the Bojong Integrate Rubbish Dump.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Activists here told the government on Tuesday that illegal logging was the work of domestic organized crime syndicates – including security officials – and that everybody involved must be investigated and prosecuted to stop the forest destruction.

Suwarjono, Jakarta – TNI (armed forces) chief Endriartono Sutarto is asking that the death of human rights activist Munir not be turned into a political issue. Munir's case is a criminal one and must be resolved legally.

Jakarta – Non-government organisations (NGOs) are concerned about Indonesia's nomination to chair the United Nations Human Rights Commission because it will actually silence the human rights movement in Indonesia itself. In order to hold this prestigious position Indonesia must first demonstrate a strong commitment to upholding human rights at home.

Indonesian police have confirmed their arrest of four Muslim militants, including the bombmaker, for the suicide blast outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta that killed 11 people in September.

Banda Aceh, Jakarta – Citing better security conditions in Aceh after six months under a state of civil emergency, the provincial authorities have decided to lift its travel ban on foreigners in three regencies.

Tony Hotland and Nethy Dharma Somba, Jakarta/Jayapura – Police are investigating the possible involvement of high-ranking police officers in illegal logging in Papua following the confession of a low-ranking officer who surrendered late last week after years on the lam.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Human rights advocates in Australia and Indonesia fear a new military campaign in Papua province is behind eight recent deaths and has caused up to 5000 people to flee their villages.

Indonesia's human rights watchdog may launch an investigation in Papua following fighting which has left eight people dead and forced thousands to flee gunmen said to be covert members of the notorious Kopassus commando unit.

The cruelest fate has befallen the sincerest of men. He spent his life absolving the glories of our blood and state. But his dauntless effort was indemnified by a poison chalice. An unrighteous end to a noble life.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – The city's civil servants straggled back into the office on Monday, the first day back to work after the long Idul Fitri holiday.

Medan – The local administration is investigating a rumor that materials for civil servant recruitment tests had been sold to applicants.

Each copy of the exam was sold for a maximum Rp 10 million (US$1,063), said North Sumatra Secretary Muchyan Tambuse.

Bogor/Jakarta – A protest over a waste treatment plant turned violent on Monday as police opened fire on residents of Bojong village in Klapanunggal district, Bogor, wounding seven.

Santiago, Chile – On the sidelines of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Santiago, US President George W. Bush and the US Chamber of Commerce requested that the Indonesian government, represented by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, improve the investment climate in Indonesia.

Dimas Adityo, Jakarta – Indonesian government has refused to have the settlement of human rights violation in East Timor following the 1999 ballot and the murder of US citizens in Timika, Papua, in August 2002, as the main conditions in resuming military relations between Indonesia and the USA.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – A United States Senate's demand for the putting on trial of the Indonesian Military (TNI) officers deemed to be responsible for atrocities in East Timor remains a thorny issue in the efforts to restore military ties between the two countries, a minister has said.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – Threats in the form of a package containing a rotting chicken carcass which were sent to the wife of Munir were also been sent to the offices of Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) on Jalan Diponegoro at around 1.15pm on Tuesday November 23.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) appeared reluctant on Monday to lend their support for a thorough probe into the death of human rights campaigner Munir, who died of acute arsenic poisoning.

Indra Darmawan, Jakarta – Leading non-government organisation (NGO) figures are urging the government to form an independent team to investigate Munir's murder.