Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Distressingly little has changed in Indonesia from the previous received wisdom that the country's leaders could use state-owned enterprises, including financial institutions, as their personal piggy banks.

Rampant illegal mining in Indonesia is inflicting annual losses of Rp3.3 trillion ($389.38 million) on the state, a government official said Tuesday (16/12/03).

"The losses exclude environmental destruction, pollution and other forms of damage whose impacts are far greater than the material losses," Muzani Syukur was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara.

Nani Farida and Teuku Agam Muzakkir, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe – In a bid to ensure that the Acehnese can exercise their right to vote in the upcoming elections, rights campaigner Todung Mulya Lubis has called for a delay in the elections pending the lifting of martial law there.

Dan Eaton, Jakarta – Indonesia's military is waging an extensive campaign of extra-judicial killings, kidnapping and torture in Aceh province, mostly targeting young men and forcing thousands to flee their homes, a human rights group said.

The Indonesian military in Aceh is pursuing a campaign of killings, "disappearances" and beatings of civilians, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Acehnese refugees interviewed in Malaysia revealed widespread abuses in the Indonesian province, which has been effectively closed to observers since martial law was imposed in May.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Two witnesses for the adhoc human rights trial of Col. Sutrisno Mascung and 10 of his subordinates gave on Tuesday testimony contradictory to his own previous statements regarding the massacre in Tanjung Priok in 1984.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Despite a declining trend among most recorded crimes in the city, the number of rape cases has significantly soared – by 25 percent – this year. Women's rights activists, as well as police, blame legal limbo as one of the main factors behind such an astounding rise.

Banda Aceh – Three rebels and three civilians have been killed in Aceh province over the past two days as an offensive against separatist guerrillas continues, the military said on Tuesday.

The news filtered through as legislators in Jakarta urged the government to give soldiers and police serving in the province a hefty increase in allowances.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Chief Justice Bagir Manan said on Monday the country's failure to speed up reform within the judiciary was the result of conflicting laws and regulations.

Bagir said that the law making process was often dominated by a conflict of interests among influential groups.

Tiarma Siboro and Nani Farida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh – Amid mounting criticism over restrictions on the press and independent groups in the war-torn province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, the Indonesian Military (TNI) said on Monday that the presence of foreign teams monitoring next year's elections in the province was not necessarily needed.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Nearly 1,000 Papuans from all walks of life began a two-day meeting sponsored by the local legislative council on Monday to seek a solution to the central government's controversial decision to split Papua into three provinces.

Jill Jolliffe, Dili – In the hope that the seasonal spirit will prevail, East Timor's Truth and Reconciliation Commission is asking former political leaders to seek forgiveness for triggering the civil war that paved the way for Indonesia's bloody 1975 invasion.

Rob Taylor – An East Timorese human rights crimes court today sentenced a former member of Indonesia's military to 11 years in jail for murder and torture committed during the wave of violence which followed the country's 1999 independence vote.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A military court here began the trial on Monday of 18 police officers charged with attacking protesters in Medan, North Sumatra, three years ago killing two students.

The two victims were shot dead during the May 1, 2000, incident, when police attacked the HKBP Nomensen University.

Eony Aurora, Jakarta – A group of lawyers will sue at the Cibinong District Court, Bogor regency, on Tuesday large companies for allegedly producing untreated toxic waste that had polluted the air and groundwater in Munjul, east of Jakarta.

Joseph Kirschke, Jakarta – It's not the cool tile floors, the open courtyard, or the rendering of Picasso's "La Guernica" hanging on the wall by the front door.

Indonesian lawyers have complained that police had refused them permission to see six students who were deported from Pakistan on suspicion of terror links.

The six include Rusman Gunawan, a younger brother of top Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror suspect Hambali.

Kasparman Piliang, Padang – Despite controversy, President Megawati Soekarnoputri's husband Taufik Kiemas will soon be bestowed with a customary title by leaders of a clan in West Sumatra province.

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Some 1,000 public minivan drivers in Tangerang municipality drove around the city in convoy before staging a protest on Monday in front of the municipal administration and Tangerang Council building over the relocation of a bus terminal from Cimone to Poris Plawad.

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta – The education of women plays a more pivotal role than the use of contraceptives in curbing population growth, an expert said on Monday.

Sociologist Imam B. Prasodjo of the University of Indonesia said he had noticed in recent surveys that the availability of contraceptives did not automatically lower the fertility rate.

Mataram – Indonesia's human resources development index (IPM) remains low among 175 countries in the world and it is worrying, chairwoman of the Family Planning Board (BKKBN) Sumarjati Arjoso said on Tuesday.

"Of 175 countries in the world, Indonesia is in 112th place ," Sumarjati said in her speech read out by general secretary of the Central BKKBN, L. Sudarmadi, here.

Corruption and weak law enforcement are the price which Indonesians are paying for reforms, former Indonesian president B.J. Habibie was quoted as saying.

Banda Aceh – The troubled province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam still needs 20,000 more teachers for elementary schools, junior high schools and senior high schools in 20 districts and municipalities.

"Aceh still needs 20,000 more teachers to teach at different schools," spokesman for the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Provincial Education Office Bustamam Aly said on Sunday.

Australia will leave some 50 to 60 troops to assist with training of the East Timorese military once the peacekeeping force comes home, defence chief General Peter Cosgrove said today. He rejected suggestions that Australia could continue to deploy peacekeepers beyond the end of the United Nations mandate on May 20.

Since gaining independence in 2002, the people of East Timor have struggled with the legacy of violence of Indonesia's 24-year occupation. Now they are being asked to turn their minds to what many people was an even more disturbing chapter of country's recent history.

[Intel: Inside Indonesia's Intelligence Service Ken Conboy, Equinox Publishing, Jakarta, 2004 253 pp.]

Jakarta – Indonesia's justice system is turning young offenders into hardened criminals because of a lack of funds to set up juvenile detention centres, a top policeman has admitted.

National detective chief Erwin Mappaseng said young people were being locked up alongside adult criminals and repeat offenders.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The meeting of the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) was a disappointment because it did not address measures needed to tackle the country's huge debt, International NGO Forum for Indonesia Development (INFID) says.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – At least 67 textile companies have had to stop operations in the West Java capital of Bandung this year due to drastic decreases in orders and rising operational costs, businesspeople said on Friday.

The closures had forced around 10,000 workers to lose their jobs, they added.

Shawn Donnan, Jakarta – At the end of this month Indonesia will become the last of the economies plunged into chaos by the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis to graduate from the IMF and is looking to plug a budget gap of more than $10 billion.

Jakarta – The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has urged the Indonesian government to make the education of girls a priority if it is to improve the country's development prospects.

Ainur R. Sophiaan, Surabaya – The East Java administration has proposed a salary increase of more than 100 percent for provincial legislative council members, prompting enraged criticisms that the local officials lacked a genuine sensitivity toward the impacts of the prolonged economic crisis.

Robert Go, Jakarta – At least 80 soldiers have been questioned in connection with a shootout between the country's police and soldiers early this month.

It was the first of two gun battles between the sides in as many weeks.

Jakarta – About a dozen women Golkar Party members demanded on Friday that their party keep its promise to allocate a 30 percent quota for women to be listed as its legislative candidates.

Samarinda – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) criticized councillors on Friday for their poor performance in carrying out investigations into rampant illegal logging in the province.

Many Indonesians are asking just how unwell former president Suharto really is, amid mounting speculation that he's stagemanaging his daughter's political comeback. In September 2000, a court ruled Mr Suharto was mentally and physically unfit to stand trial on corruption charges.

Suherdjoko, Semarang – A coalition of street children, housewives, students and activists took to the street for a rally here on Friday against rampant people trafficking across the country.

Cynthia Banham – East Timor has accused Australia of dragging its feet in talks over billions of dollars in oil and gas rights under the Timor Sea.

Tim Johnston, Jakarta – A report from an American university has accused Indonesia of crimes against humanity for its actions in the troubled eastern province of Papua, and has suggested that Jakarta may also be guilty of genocide.

Jakarta – Hundreds of Indonesian Youth Struggle Front (FPPI) activists staged a rally outside the parliament building here on Friday calling on the people not to vote for any political party in the 2004 general elections.

The rally turned noisy as many FPPI activists set fire to used cardboard and tires, causing traffic congestion along Gatot Subroto thoroughfare.

Nani Farida and Teuku Agam Muzakir, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe – Pressure on the press in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam has claimed another victim after the Indonesian Military (TNI) allegedly forced a local biweekly tabloid to stop publishing in the war-torn province.

Jakarta – The international community through the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) has asked to prioritize a peaceful solution of the conflict in Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) province.

New Orleans (Associated Ppress) – A shareholder resolution asking that Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. stop payment to the Indonesian military has been filed by the New York City comptroller's office.

That office manages retirement funds holding $28.8 million in Freeport stock. Freeport operates one of the world's largest mines in Indonesia.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The two-day annual meeting of the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) kicked off on Wednesday, with donors stressing the importance of intensified efforts to tackle corruption to help improve the investment climate and increase the effectiveness of foreign loans.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – A coalition of 96 non-governmental organizations called on the government on Wednesday to promptly ratify all international conventions on human rights in order to stem rampant abuses across the country.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Legislators want the government to resume investigations into graft allegations against former president Suharto, after a member of his inner circle revealed that the 84-year-old had been consulted about his daughter's political comeback.

Jakarta – South-east Asian militants are divided over the wisdom of attacking hotels, nightclubs and other "soft targets" where Muslims may be killed alongside Westerners – an internal split which could weaken the terrorist enterprise, the authorities said.

Jakarta – The public at large are disappointed with the sluggish process of reform, including in the legal sector, and have begun to hope for the return to the old system under former authoritarian president Soeharto who, with his iron fist, managed to make the people abide by the law, legal observers said on Wednesday.

Jakarta – On Wednesday December 10, hundreds of students, youths and non-government organisation activists, victims of land evictions and farmers came out into the streets to commemorate world human rights day.

Bambang Bider and Abdul Khalik, Pontianak/Jakarta – Indonesia Military (TNI) personnel and police officers clashed on Tuesday in Wanawa, West Kalimantan, leaving one TNI soldier dead, one badly hurt and two police officers severely wounded, just a week after a similar incident in Palopo, South Sulawesi.