Kupang – The Indonesian government has reiterated the five options offered to former residents of East Timor who have continued to stay in Indonesia's West Timor area despite East Timor's declaration as the Republic of Timor Leste.

Pro-independence groups in Papua have issued an urgent call for immediate assistance from Australia to help stop escalating violence in the Indonesian province. A total of six people have been killed in the past week in fighting between supporters and opponents of a plan by Jakarta to divide the province into three.

Jakarta – Inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), rose in August by 0.84 percent, bringing the rate for the first eight months of the year to 2.11 percent, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said on Monday.

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – As many as 150 out of 250 timber and sawmill companies in East Java have closed down due to the increasing number of levies being imposed by some government institutions, an official said.

It was not immediately clear, however, how many employees were affected by the closure of the companies.

The Australian government's support for closer military ties with the Indonesian armed forces (TNI), including the Kopassus special forces, is a discredited form of interference in Indonesian politics and society, according to a number of non-government organisations.

Leo Wahyudi S – Governor Sutiyoso's idea to plate the Arjuna Wijaya statue in bronze, along with his plans to beautify the city – by placing statues of heroes on streets named after them – have incited various responses. Most people are incredulous that the project will cost Rp 4 billion (US$470,588). The Jakarta Post talks with them.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The government again made clear on Monday its determination to prevent an overly powerful Papuan People's Assembly (MRP), throwing into question the status of the province's special autonomy.

Lhokseumawe – The chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, has said that that the Komnas HAM Ad Hoc Team for Aceh will investigate [a recent] report about 100 Acehnese women who have been raped, [saying that] if this has actually occurred, then gross human rights violations have occurred.

Four suspected separatist rebels and a civilian have been killed in Indonesia's Aceh province where troops are in the fourth month of an assault on the guerrillas, the military said.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government will soon send Swedish prosecutors more evidence on Acehnese separatist leader-turned-Swedish citizen, Hassan Tiro's alleged involvement in criminal acts in Aceh, Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirajuda has disclosed.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Behind every man is a powerful woman, or so runs an old cliche. In the corridors of Indonesia's presidential palace, the roles have been reversed.

A'an Suryana and Mochammad N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – A senior government official has asked the General Election Commission (KPU) to postpone its October 9 deadline for political parties to register for the 2004 general elections.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura/Jakarta – Ahead of a planned tribal celebration for peace, the situation in Timika, the capital of Mimika regency, abruptly turned tense on Monday following the killing of two migrant people on Sunday evening.

Jakarta – The reform movement which has the principle aim of eliminating corruption, collusion and nepotism can no longer be left to the large political parties who obtained significant votes in the 1999 general elections. After almost five years in power, not one objective of reformasi has been carried though by the big parties.

Aderito Soares – A car bomb exploded at the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta on August 5, killing 12 people. That same day, across town, a man responsible for many more deaths received a slap on the wrist as Indonesia's ad hoc human rights court ended its judicial charade. Major-General Adam Damiri received three years in jail for his involvement in the 1999 devastation in East Timor.

Dili – East Timor's leaders met Monday to discuss "urgent" measures to control the activities of a militant nationalist group that has been accused of fomenting instability in the new nation.

Kurniawan Hari and Syaiful Amin, Jakarta/Yogyakarta – The controversial division of Papua, which sparked deadly violence in Mimika regency last week, has been blamed on the political elite in Jakarta, particularly those in the two largest parties, and the Indonesian Military (TNI).

John Kerin – Indonesia's notorious Kopassus special forces soldiers are eager to resume counter-terrorism training with the Australian military and do not understand lingering concern about their alleged brutality or links to terrorist groups, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The deadly clashes between opponents and supporters of the creation of Central Irian Jaya province has come to an uneasy truce, after it turned into a tribal war upon the local "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" principle.

The premature declaration of Central Irian Jaya province by six regents together with the speaker of the regional parliament on Saturday has given rise to suspicion that the division of Papua is driven by the desire to dominate the natural resources and political allegiances of the area.

Atambua – A cultural festival to be held in Timor Tengah Utara district in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province on September 22, would serve as the barometer for security in the border between Indonesia and East Timor, a local official has said.

As Indonesia celebrates 58 years of independence, Four Corners looks at south-east Asia's most brutal and unrelenting conflict ... the Aceh civil war.

Muridan S. Widjojo, Jakarta – The public has again apparently been taken by surprise by the popular uprising in Papua, this time in Timika. The clashes were triggered by the declaration of the Central Irian Jaya province by Jakarta elites.

The Jakarta Transportation Office's plan to have all private vehicles undergo periodic road worthiness tests starting next year has evoked strong reactions from the public, and has become one of the hottest issues of debate in this capital city, Jakarta.

The idea came from Ground Transportation director general Iskandar Abubakar.

Former Udayana military chief Maj. Gen. Williem T. Da Costa and five other senior military officers were sworn in as new legislators to replace six others who have reached mandatory retirement age.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The government appears to be undeterred by a recent massive demonstration in Bali against the new visa policy and vows to start charging incoming tourists from countries such as Japan and Australia with visa fees, starting October 1.

Kafil Yamin, Jakarta – Indonesia's former armed forces chief and would-be president, General Wiranto, is all for reforms to make the country truly democratic and have a more professional military, but he believes this reformasi should be guided by the military itself.

Leo Wahyudi S. – A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have condemned the recent evictions at Jembatan Besi, Tambora, West Jakarta, which left around 10,000 people homeless. They said that landowner PT Cakra Wira Bumi Mandala could have warned people about the planned eviction and taken more humane measures against the squatters.

Jakarta – The Defense Department through the Directorate General of Defense Strategy has admitted that one of the intentions in revising Law Number 15/2003 on Anti-Terrorism is to increase the powers of the intelligence agencies.

Matthew Moore, Solo – A man accused by two members of Jemaah Islamiah of being a member of the outlawed terrorist group's central command is living openly in central Java, where he says he often prays with local police on Fridays.

Indonesia's pesantren schools have been accused of breeding JI terrorists. Matthew Moore and Karuni Rompies talk to teachers and pupils and find deep suspicion of the West.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – State-owned insurance company PT Jamsostek and labor unions have strongly urged the House of Representatives to maintain the government's monopoly in running social security programs for workers, in its amendment of the social security law to allow private company participation.

Eugene Bingham – Indonesia's military, from the top brass down to regular soldiers and members of the militia, have gone unpunished for the massacres, assassinations and executions carried out in East Timor in 1999.

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – In the aftermath of the violent clashes between Papua citizens as a result of the creation of the new province of Central Irian Jaya, Papua students in Yogyakarta have called for the [decision to] divide up the province of Papua be immediately annulled.

Papua/Jakarta – Police in Timika, Papua have detained as a suspect, a man identified only as LS and questioned seven others for alleged roles in bloody clashes over the controversial creation of Central Irian Jaya province last week.

Neles Tebay, Pontifical University of Urbaniana, Rome – The controversial plan to divide Papua into three provinces was delayed on the heels of the fatal clashes following the announcement of the Central Irian Jaya province in Timika.

Nine suspected separatist rebels and two civilians have been killed in Indonesia's Aceh province during the fourth month of an operation to crush the guerrillas, police and the military said.

Jakarta – The accusation that particular members of TNI [Indonesian armed forces] have committed rapes has surfaced again. This time it was raised by seven non-government organisation (NGOs) in making an evaluation of 100 days of the military emergency in Aceh which was presented to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) on Thursday (28/8).

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The North Sumatra legislative council approved on Thursday a controversial bylaw on spatial planning for the province, which critics say fails to protect the interests of people and allows illegal loggers to denude protected forests.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – One of two packages exploded in the front yard of the residence of renowned human rights activist Munir on Jl. Cendana XII No. 12 in the Jaka Sampurna housing complex, South Bekasi.

Jakarta/Papua/Denpasar – Experts have finally begun to step up criticism of the government for violating its own laws on Papua, saying that it would only spark further legal uncertainty and become a divisive issue for the people, especially the residents of Papua.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – The involvement of public order officers, policemen and military officers in the eviction of around 10,000 illegal occupants of private-owned land at Jembatan Besi area, Tambora, West Jakarta, has been protested by urban activists.

How should Australia respond to the growing terrorist threat in Indonesia? Unfortunately, if the knee-jerk reaction of many politicians and commentators is anything to go by, we should turn to the military as the only force in Indonesia capable of confronting terrorists.

The information disclosed by new media watchdog Aceh News Watch on Wednesday that most national newspapers and television stations had failed to practice the very basic media principles of impartiality and coverage of both sides in a conflict in their reportage of the war in Aceh surprises no one.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – To rectify past mistakes when resolution of labor disputes could take years to complete, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea vowed on Thursday that the bill on industrial dispute settlement currently being deliberated by the House of Representatives would produce a speedy outcome.

As drought continues to grip much of Indonesia, it was little surprise to see agricultural policies in the news last week. Nor was it much surprise to see that one of the people making noise was the chairman of the Indonesian Farmers Association, Ir Siswono Yudohusodo.

Human rights groups say, since martial law was introduced in Indonesia's war ravaged province of Aceh in May, to crack down on the separatist Free Aceh Movement, schools have been burnt, tens of thousands of villagers displaced and many killed in the cross fire of a largely unreported war.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia took delivery of its first two Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets yesterday as officials declared that the arms embargo by the United States and its allies would drive them to search for alternative suppliers.

Kuching – Malaysia assured Jakarta on Thursday that it would not grant political asylum to people fleeing the restive Indonesian province of Aceh.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) voiced concern over Malaysia's stance after police detained almost 240 people, most of them from Aceh, outside its mission in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month.

Jakarta – Chief of the National Defence Force (TNI) General Endriartono Sutarto has said his side will not yet launch a military operation in anticipation of possible security disturbances by an armed separatist group in Papua.