Jakarta – A candidate in last week's legislative elections in Indonesia won nearly 800 votes despite having died three months ago, poll officials said Tuesday.

"It's a bit ridiculous," said Andi Mappinawang, an election committee member in South Sulawesi province where the mix-up occurred. "Maybe the voters didn't know that he had died," he said.

Derwin Pereira – Numbers don't lie. With 60 per cent of the votes tallied in the legislative election, Indonesia's two giants Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) are neck and neck for the top position.

Marianne Kearney – As his bus inches through a densely packed crowd of supporters decked out in yellow T-shirts, yellow bandanas and flags decorating their motorbikes, presidential hopeful and indicted war-crimes suspect Wiranto waves and smiles.

Alisa P., Jakarta – On April 12, Aceh Papua Solidarity (Solidaritas Aceh Papua, SAP) held a press conference at the offices of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) which was attended by most of the democratic groups who are involved in SAP.

Jakarta – Around 4,000 former employees of defunct aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) have demanded that the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) investigate alleged human rights abuses during the company's controversial massive retrenchment last year.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Major parties said on Sunday it was too early to reject the results of the April 5 elections and called on the public to remain calm while waiting for the manual count.

Former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid has alleged fraud in the computerided tally of election results and said 16 parties would meet to discuss whether to accept the outcome of Monday's poll.

Jakarta – The number of political parties rejecting the legitimacy of the legislative elections has grown and so have their demands. Not satisfied with a recount, they are now calling for a new election.

Devi Asmarani, Surabaya – The rising star of Islamic-based parties in Indonesia is making waves by eroding the vote base of established secular giants.

But the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), formed to woo devout Muslims six years ago, downplayed its religious credentials to win support.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – In a bid to provide stronger legal grounds for press freedom, the Constitutional Commission has proposed the inclusion of the issue in the newly amended 1945 Constitution.

Irvan NR, Palu – Christians here lashed out at security forces for failing to protect them from Saturday's Easter shooting by unidentified gunmen in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, despite recent police reinforcements.

Bambang Nurbianto and Evi Mariani, Jakarta – At least 25 families of 50 evicted fishermen in Ancol Timur survived on their boats on Sunday after the North Jakarta municipality demolished their houses a day earlier.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The move by Bank Indonesia (BI) to close two small banks last week could trigger nervous depositors to shift their funds from smaller to larger banks, experts said.

The Golkar party of former Indonesian dictator Suharto has regained the lead in Indonesia's general election – one week after the polls. It's still not clear when the computerised count will end, but Golkar now has a thin lead over President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

Jakarta – Two men opened fire at a church during an Easter service in an eastern Indonesian town and lightly wounded seven people, including a four-year-old girl, police said on Sunday.

Jakarta, Kompas – Support from the political "roots" of presidential candidates continues to be a big factor in getting votes in elections.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Three days after it knocked her flat, President Megawati Soekarnoputri was still waiting patiently for the truck carrying the nation's votes to arrive.

Devi Asmarani, Surabaya – With another sweeping victory already at hand in this politically strategic province, the Nation Awakening Party (PKB) looks set to secure again a top five position nationwide.

This will give the party leverage as a kingmaker ahead of the presidential election in July, according to observers.

Sian Powell, Jakarta – A politician soon to be elected in Indonesia has been linked to extremist Islamic organisations, including Bali bombing group Jemaah Islamiah.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – With the country's poultry farmers yet to recover from the devastating impact of bird flu, they now face a new threat: an influx of much cheaper chicken eggs and meat smuggled from neighboring Malaysia.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The government has dismissed unemployment data and projections from the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) as inaccurate and misleading, saying it had launched various programs to cope with the unemployment time bomb.

Jakarta – The economy grew at a snappy 4.8 percent in the first quarter of this year, driven mainly by strong consumer spending, according to Bank Indonesia Governor Burhanuddin Abdullah.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – The palace is plotting. With her political life on the edge as her party teeters on the brink of defeat, President Megawati Sukarnoputri is fighting back with a game plan to keep the top job and destroy her foes in the July presidential election.

Deddy Sinaga, Jakarta – The 2004 General Election observers from European Union (EU) countries have said that they considered the election went well and peacefully despite some weaknesses during the election, including the work performance of General Election Commission (KPU).

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – What a difference a week makes in politics! Seven days ago, Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) carried the banner of the Big Two. Their dominance was unquestioned.

Andrew Burrell – Remember these initials: SBY. They belong to Indonesia's new presidential frontrunner, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose prospects were boosted even further by his fledgling party's astonishing performance in Monday's parliamentary elections.

Patricia Reaney, London – More than 300 of the world's rarest and most exotic creatures, including flying foxes in the Comoros Islands and yellow-eared parrots in the Colombian Andes, are completely unprotected, scientists said on Wednesday.

All could disappear in future decades because global efforts to protect them are inadequate, the scientists believe.

Jakarta – Indonesia's fight against terrorism is being hampered by a US military embargo, President Megawati Sukarnoputri said Wednesday.

"I seek the understanding of the West in tackling this issue. We need resources," she told Singapore's Channel NewsAsia in an interview due to air Wednesday evening.

Sian Powell, Jakarta – Australians who mourned the dead at the first commemoration of the Bali bombings will remember the man who is now the favourite in Indonesia's presidential race.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, then Indonesia's chief security minister, moved many to tears as he stood under the hot Bali sun, and spoke of the tragedy that had ripped apart so many lives.

General Wiranto, a possible presidential candidate from the Golkar Party, gave student protesters the slip in Surabaya on Saturday.

The former chief of the Indonesian military was taping a talk show on the campus of Airlangga University while dozens of students from various groups in Surabaya held a protest in front of the building.

Indonesians have been voting in parliamentary elections today in a crowded contest billed as the biggest one-day vote in history. National police say there were no reports of violence despite earlier fears of election-related attacks by Islamic radicals.

Aguswandi – A high court decision last Monday could have major repercussions for the democratic development of the world's fourth most populous country, which goes to the polls in national elections today.

Surabaya – Defying mounting protests, former Army chief Gen. (ret) R. Hartono, leader of the Concern for the Nation Functioning Party (PKPB), has reiterated his calls asking PKPB supporters to be protectors of Soeharto.

Ruslan Sangadji and Irvan NR, Poso/Palu – Calm has been restored in the troubled regency of Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Wednesday after a series of shooting incidents that killed a reverend and badly injured an academic.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Golkar leaders have chosen an apt party slogan. Drawn from the lyrics of the final verse of the patriotic anthem Bandung In The Sea Of Fire, it reads: "Let's win it back, brothers!" These are confident words from a party that was once the bastion of support of the Suharto regime.

Laurel Teo – Dark clouds held the threat of rain yesterday morning. But they were a false alarm, for not a drop fell upon the thousands at Golkar's last day of rallies in the capital city.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have criticized Governor Sutiyoso administration's policies on eviction and the environmental and for delaying important projects.

Dan Robinson, Washington – In testimony to Congress, US military officials have reaffirmed their commitment to working with Indonesia in the fight against terror. But they also say there must be a resolution of the controversial question of suspected Indonesian military involvement in the killing of two American citizens in 2002.

Alan Sipress, Bandung – When Gen. Wiranto's stump speech ended, the real action began. "We should fall no more!" he exhorted the crowd. "We have fallen enough. Now we have to rise again!"

Indonesians go to the polls on Monday in what will be the third free nationwide elections in the country's history. The ballot is to be the most complex and biggest single day event ever staged by a developing country. And there are concerns that some people will be left out of the process.

Presenter/Interviewer: Marion MacGregor

An Indonesian Muslim-based political party has accused rivals of pre-election dirty tricks by circulating a video compact disc which purports to show a key party member being baptised.

Jakarta – The government has completed a draft decree that will be issued in the event that the general election cannot be held simultaneously nationwide or must be postponed altogether.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – During the 22-day legislative election campaign period, which will end on April 1, the contesting 24 political parties have dominated the wooing of voters, leaving Regional Representatives Council (DPD) candidates with the challenge of convincing the public about the prominent role of the soon-to-be established institution.

Endy M. Bayuni, Cambridge, Massachusetts – How many people will stay away from the polling booths on April 5, or whenever the general election is eventually held? The number of people who boycott the election has always been a subject of a heated debate and speculation each time the country holds an election.

Jakarta – Witness Syarifin Maloko has admitted to obtaining data on the disposal of bodies from the Tanjung Priok(1) incident which were dumped over the Thousand Islands and Snake Island [off the coast of Jakarta].

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – As the political party campaigns for the legislative election draw to a close, Golkar Party presidential hopefuls seem to have set their sights against one another.

Two admonishments issued recently by the party's central executive board (DPP) are indicative of the heightened rivalry between the candidates.

Derwin Pereira Jakarta – A dagger is pointing again at Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung's political future.

Barely a month after being freed by the Supreme Court for corruption, he is facing another damning scandal that could derail his presidential bid.

Haidir Anwar Tanjung, Pekanbaru – Although Kampar has seemingly returned to normal after the recent dismissal of Kampar regent Jefri Noer, police plan to summon teachers who allegedly ordered and mobilized students to hold massive protests against the controversial regent.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – In this ethnically diverse country, the ideal of national unity is an important way to peace. However, a little digging into one's roots doesn't hurt either, especially for the aspiring candidates in this city of migrants: Jakarta.

Jakarta – Approved foreign direct investment in Indonesia fell 66 percent in the January-February period to US$805.4 million from $2.4 billion a year earlier, Bisnis Indonesia reports.

In the same period, the value of planned local investment rose 19 percent to Rp 3.07 trillion from Rp 2.58 trillion, the report says, citing data from the official Investment Board.