The World Health Organization insisted that a strain of bird flu that has killed millions of birds in Indonesia is potentially deadly to humans, contrary to claims by Indonesian officials.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Last month's bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and next week's anniversary of the 2002 bombings in Bali are reminders of the serious terrorism threat in the world's largest predominantly Muslim nation.

Banda Aceh – A rebel commander was among five guerillas killed in new violence in Indonesia's Aceh province, where the government is trying to crush an insurgency, the military said Thursday.

Soldiers shot dead the 26-year-old Free Aceh Movement district commander during a skirmish on Wednesday, said Aceh military spokesman Asep Sapari.

Washington – Amnesty International Wednesday urged Indonesian President-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to give top priority to ending human rights violations in the restive province of Aceh.

Jakarta – Indonesia's first democratic presidential poll has helped distance the country from its days of authoritarian control, but it has also intensified calls for justice as the wounds of military atrocities and dictator Suharto's rule remain open, Agence France-Presse reported.

Karen Michelmore, Darwin – Most Australians believe an independent adjudicator should decide the location of Australia's maritime boundary with East Timor if negotiations fail, a national poll found today.

The Australian Greens today challenged Labor to pledge to refer the dispute between Australia and East Timor over oil and gas reserves to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if it wins government.

Greens Senator Bob Brown pointed to a Newspoll survey showing overwhelming support among Australians for the independent adjudicator to settle the matter.

East Timor Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta said Wednesday his country is to participate in the ASEAN Regional Forum for the first time in Laos next June.

East Timor Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta on Wednesday extended the former Indonesian province's congratulations to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on winning Indonesia's presidential election.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Aceh environmental activist Bestari Raden, who has been found guilty of subverting national security and public order, has vowed to challenge the court's verdict.

One of Bestari's lawyers, Nurul Ikhsan, said on Tuesday his client, who was sentenced to two years and six months in jail, had pleaded not guilty, and would keep seeking justice.

Muhammad Atqa, Jakarta – Earlier today the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (Komite Pembebasan Napol/Tapol) submitted a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) over violence perpetrated against their activists in three different cites, Denpasar (Bali), Yogyakarta (Central Java) and Kupang (West Timor).

Gede Suardana, Denpasar – The commander of the Udayana territorial military command, Major General Supiadin AS, has accused the United Opposition Front (BOB) who have been rejected militarism at demonstrations of being communists. He also believes they want to sow discord within the TNI (armed forces).

Max Lane – On October 1, Indonesian president-in-waiting Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he would study and possibly review a controversial military bill that was adopted by the outgoing House of Representatives on the last day of its five-year term on September 30. The law will take effect on October 30, with or without presidential consent.

Gede Suardana, Denpasar – Around 15 people who were just about to end an anti-military action were attacked without warning by scores of heavily-built men. One of the demonstrators was beaten black-and-blue.

Gede Suardana, Denpasar – The United Opposition Front (BOB) is to take legal action over an attack perpetrated by a gang of heavily-built men and police when they were holding a recent demonstration.

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – Coinciding with commemorations of the 59th anniversary of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), hundreds of Yogyakarta students from a number of different groups held actions on Tuesday October 5 calling for soldiers' wages to be increases and rejecting militarism.

Saiful Mahdi, Ithaca, New York – The people have high expectations of the popular president-in-waiting Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, although some are skeptical of his capabilities. It is expected that he will wage an all-out war against corruption – as he promised – and bring about economic reform.

Indonesia said Monday that security in war-torn Aceh province has improved because nearly 7,000 rebels have been killed or captured and most rebel strongholds seized in the past 16 months.

West Papua has never been known to the world politics, except for its rich natural resources. Many countries have contributed to various catastrophes facing the beings who live in this western half of New Guiea Island, the world's second largest island.

Fabio Scarpello, Jakarta – While the Indonesian military, or TNI, for the first time will not hold any seats in the new House of Representatives, Indonesian legislators, however, with only hours remaining in their mandate approved a controversial new law cementing the TNI's political power.

Banda Aceh – The Indonesian Military has captured Muhammad Aris, 72, the governor of the Aceh Free Movement (GAM) for Pidie region, in a raid in Pidie district, the military said on Sunday.

Indonesia needs to tidy up at home before it seeks membership of the UN Security Council.

It was an unhappy coincidence. On the same day that Indonesia launched its bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, a human rights watchdog issued a report pointing to the routine use of torture by the Indonesian military against political prisoners in Aceh.

Banda Aceh – Aceh civil emergency administrator Insp. Gen. Bahrumsyah Kasman has questioned the recent Human Rights Watch reports detailing the systematic abuse of Free Aceh Movement prisoners.

"They have just created a story which has not been verified yet," Bahrumsyah, who is also Aceh police chief, said on Thursday.

Nigel Wilson, Energy writer – Talks on a maritime boundary between Australia and East Timor concluded on schedule in Darwin yesterday after both sides agreed there was little chance of early agreement on key terms.

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – A demonstration rejecting militarism and demanding the abolition of the military's territorial commands(1) by activists from the National Student League for Democracy (LMND) ended in a clash after it was broken up by members of the Indonesian Anti-Communist Front (Front Anti Komunis Indonesia, FAKI).

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – Who is willing to help a poor woman end her 39-year search for her missing father, and to restore her civil rights, which were taken from her by the state, merely because she is the daughter of a communist?

Port Vila – The West Papua freedom fighters are enjoying unprecedented support from the Vanuatu Government.

With the establishment of an office and approval by the government for the freedom fighters to operate in Vanuatu and raise funds for their cause and

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's promise this week to put national reconciliation at the top of his government's agenda once he is installed as president on October 20 could not have come at a more opportune moment as, today, history once again comes knocking at the door of the nation's collective conscience.

John McBeth – TB Silalahi was an instructor at the Indonesian army's General Staff College when he first encountered a young Javanese army major called Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "I saw him even then as a potential president," says the former two-star general.

Jayapura – In the ongoing trial of five men charged with rebellion, the defence lawyers at a hearing in Jayapura on 28 September, called for the men's release.

In an earlier session, the prosecutor had asked the court to sentence the accused to two years. The five men are: Agus Waipon, Salmon Daka,SE, Maurids Wouw, Yehuda Wandi and Yosep Wow Imfum.

Unless West Papua is granted independence from Indonesia, a time bomb will go off affecting Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand, according to a West Papuan activist.

John Rumbiak fears West Papuans will be embroiled in a bloody war if independence is not granted.

Bob Briton – Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is now in a hurry to conclude an agreement with the government of East Timor over the maritime boundary between the two countries.

Nick Everett, Canberra – On September 20, 70 people demonstrated outside the foreign affairs department to demand the Australian government stop trying to steal East Timor's oil and gas resources. The protest coincided with the resumption of negotiations between Dili and Canberra on Timor Sea oil and gas revenue.

US-based environmental watchdog Sierra Club has criticized the US Embassy in Jakarta for chiding Indonesian police over the detention of five executives of a subsidiary of Denver-based gold mining giant Newmont for questioning over alleged pollution.

New York (Antara) – The Indonesian government, under President Megawati Soekarnoputri, has taken legal action against the alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses in East Timor in 1999, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said here on Tuesday.

Muhammad Qodari, Jakarta – Victory for presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is almost certain. According to a quick count method by credible institutions and electronically recorded vote counting by the General Elections Commission (KPU), Susilo is likely to win the presidential race with 60 percent of the vote.

Abdul Khalik and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – American Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce held talks with President Megawati Soekarnoputri and the police on Monday as Washington aired concerns over the detention of five executives of United States-based Newmont Minahasa Raya mining company.

Jakarta – The US Embassy's election observation team said on Monday Indonesia conducted the direct presidential election orderly and peacefully, without disruption to voter access to the September 20 polls.

"Our observers acknowledged significant improvement in electoral logistics and election administration over previous rounds," the observation team said in a statement.

Nana Rukmana, Ambon – After a three-day investigation, the Cirebon Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) has ruled Cirebon Mayor Subardi violated election rules by campaigning for incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Mochtar Buchori, Jakarta – While the official vote-count may still be ongoing, it is almost certain that the Megawati Soekarnoputri-Hasyim Muzadi pair has lost the presidential race, and Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) will become the country's sixth president along with his running mate Jusuf Kalla as vice president.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Likely president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had little qualms making this promise during his election campaign: There will be no fuel price increase for the poor in Indonesia this year if he takes over office.

It is an issue that will return to haunt him as he aligns his pledges with the difficult task of addressing the country's chronic problems.

Muhammad Atqa, Jakarta – Hundreds of people from the Bekasi Social Forum (Forum Masyarakat Bekasi, FMB) and the Islamic Youth Movement (Gerakan Pemuda Islam, GPI) are calling for the controversial draft law on the armed forces (RUU TNI) to be enacted immediately. The strange thing is they admit that they don't even know the substance of the law.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The House of Representatives and the government finished on Monday deliberating the bill amending the current autonomy legislation, with the final version of the new bill maintaining the ban on independents from freely contesting direct elections for chief executive posts at the local level.

Max Lane – Former Suharto-era general Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono and former Golkar official Yusuf Kalla have been elected as president and vice-president in the second round of Indonesia's first direct presidential election. Yudhoyono won 61% of the vote against outgoing President Megawati Sukarnoputri's 39%.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Dozens of expatriates were shocked by the recent visit of officials of the Jakarta administration to their apartments at Taman Rasuna in Kuningan, South Jakarta. The officials carried forms that they were required to be filled out.

Jakarta – A number of worker, student, urban poor and political movement organisations have come together under the banner of the People's United Action to urge the government and the people's representatives to honour their promises to implement reform.

Ivy Susanti, Jakarta – Indonesia's success in promoting democracy and peace both at home and internationally has bolstered its confidence in pursuing a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

A direct appeal to Indonesian President Megawati has been made by the US Ambassador to Indonesia over the jailing of four employees of the Newmont mining company. The four executives were detained without charge five days ago over allegations of pollution causing serious health problems around the company's mine operations in Sulawesi.

Jakarta – The next government has been told to revise the Law No. 22/1999 on regional autonomy and Law No. 25/1999 on the fiscal balance between regional and central administrations to arrest the widening gap between rich and poor across the country.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri signed on Monday a decree that set the maximum price of a residence for former VVIPs at Rp 20 billion (US$2.22 million).