Jakarta – Although deliberation by the panel of judges on the case of Akbar Tanjung only began yesterday, six organisation held a demonstration in front of the supreme court in relation to the case of [the embezzlement of] non-budgetary funds by the general chairperson of the Golkar Party on Tuesday February 3.

John Garnaut – Wiranto, the former Indonesian military chief accused of crimes against humanity over the 1999 carnage in East Timor, says Australia's ambassador to Jakarta had discussed "increasing co-operation" if he defeats President Megawati Soekarnoputri in July's presidential elections.

Indonesia said that tests had shown it was suffering from the same strain of bird flu that has left 12 people dead in Thailand and Vietnam.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Golkar Party co-chairman Agung Laksono told party members on Monday not to be provoked by the ongoing campaign against rotten politicians and by protests against chairman Akbar Tandjung, calling them maneuvers designed to destroy the party.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Theresia Sufa, Jakarta/Bogor – Mounting opposition from residents over environmental damage has not deterred the city from going ahead with the Cilincing and Bojong dumps in North Jakarta and Bogor.

Singapore – Indonesian Military chief, Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, received Singapore's highest military award here on Tuesday for his efforts to forge closer defense ties between the nations.

Tangerang – Some 200 activists of 10 non-govermental organisations staged a rally on Thursday at the Tangerang municipal council, demanding the dismissal of the Tangerang General Elections Committee (KPUD) chairman.

NGO Komunike chairman Imron Hamami said the KPUD chairman Adi Warman had been uncooperative in implementing change and dishonest in the use of the KPUD budget.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia's Supreme Court yesterday postponed until next week its review of an appeal by the country's Speaker of Parliament and potential presidential candidate Akbar Tandjung, prompting protests from student groups and anti-corruption activists.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has questioned a proposal to grant the presidency the right to veto the entry into effect of legislation passed by the House of Representatives, arguing that the government fully participated in the deliberation of bills before their approval by the House.

Ruslan Sangadji, Poso – Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla has urged the public to report any diversion in the distribution of welfare funds for refugees in Poso, Central Sulawesi.

Jakarta – Dozens of demonstrators staged a protest at City Hall on Thursday, demanding Governor Sutiyoso take stern measures against an oil driller they said was polluting the waters of the Thousands Islands.

Anton Doni, Jakarta – The dilemma of idealistic intellectuals ahead of the first election after Soeharto quit the presidency in 1998 was whether or not to get their hands dirty by becoming politicians.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Any move to ban people belonging to the New Order regime from the elections violates the principle of democracy itself, political observer Arief Budiman says.

Indramayu – Hundreds of local supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) burned party flags and tore down other party paraphernalia from the street in a protest against local leaders on Thursday.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais joined on Thursday those expressing concern over a possible delay to the elections following the ballot box tender fiasco.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) disqualified on Thursday 126 of 1,682 regional legislative candidates from 24 political parties contesting the April 5 legislative election.

Rusman, Samarinda – The East Kalimantan General Elections Commission (KPUD) ruled on Wednesday that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) could not run for seats in the provincial council during the upcoming elections.

Frans Surdiasis, Jakarta – The latter half of 2003 saw the re-emergence of the daughter of former president Soeharto, this time on the political stage.

An Indonesian court has jailed an Islamic militant for life for helping to make one of the bombs which ripped through two Bali nightclubs and killed 202 people.

"We hereby sentence the defendant, Zaenal Abidin alias Sarjiyo, alias Zaini ... to life in prison," Judge Ari Supraptman announced at a court in the resort island.

More than 200 people from Kajang village in Bulukumba regency protested at the South Sulawesi legislative council on Wednesday to demand the expulsion of PT London Sumatera (Lonsum) from their area.

The policies of some Western nations in the Middle East and elsewhere are partly to blame for the rise of terrorism in Indonesia and other countries, a top anti-terror official said here.

The main cause of terrorism in Indonesia was religious radicalism that manipulates religion for its own ends, said Asyaad Mbai, the security ministry's coutner-terror chief.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – The International Labor Organization (ILO) called on Wednesday for the National Police to refrain directly intervening in negotiations and disputes between workers and employers.

Indonesian government is currently discussing a bill on safeguarding vital objects throughout the country. The discussion is to highlight reconsideration and criteria of vital objects that will be necessarily safeguarded.

Indonesian President will soon sign the bill that will be legislated into presidential decree.

Jakarta – A small group of people claiming to be victims and their relatives of a bloody 1989 clash in the village of Talangsari went to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Wednesday to reject a plan to reopen the case.

News about the possibility that the central government might impose a civil emergency in Papua province has caused strong reactions in several quarters. The source of the news was Effendy Choirie, of the National Awakening Party (PKB), who chaired a closed meeting of Commission I of the House of Representatives.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Twenty-four fish farmers in Cilincing subdistrict, North Jakarta, demanded on Wednesday that the city administration provide Rp 340 million (US$40,476) in compensation for polluting their fish farms by dumping waste in a nearby swampland that is the site of Cilincing dump.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – A blueprint just released by the central Bank Indonesia (BI) spells out in some detail how banking-sector reforms will be implemented over the next 10 years. The document, termed simply "The Indonesian Banking Landscape", describes how higher standards of capital and good corporate governance will be imposed on a sector badly lacking in supervision.

Jakarta – The State Budget for the Indonesian National Military Forces (TNI) has been increased by 15 per cent from 11.536 trillion rupiah in 2003 to 13.266 trillion this year.

Chief of the Armed Forces Information Centre, Sjafrie Sjamsuddin, stated in a press release that the increase in TNI's routine budget would be allocated to improve soldiers welfare.

Jenny H. Backstrom, Kuta – It is still the rainy season in Bali. But other forms of clouds, confusion and uncertainty, currently cover the island. The hot topic causing this confusion is the much-debated new visa-on-arrival policy, to be effective February 1.

John Aglionby – The bird flu ravaging Asia has thrown up many surprises in the last week and many experts are expecting more in the next few days. Perhaps the hardest to explain is that of the contrasting fortunes of the governments in Bangkok and Jakarta, which both withheld information for months about the extent and duration of the crisis.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Former president Soeharto's youngest son, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, failed once again to testify at a trial in the Central Jakarta District Court. And once again the imperturbable judges gave him more time to decide whether to show up or not.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The Constitutional Commission (KK) is considering granting the president authority to veto bills that he or she deems to be unfavorable to the nation.

Commission deputy chairman Albert Hasibuan said such a power would promote the checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The management of state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) and its 6,600 dismissed workers have failed to resolve their labor dispute under a bipartite negotiation, and has relegated the final decision to the Central Committee for the Settlement of Labor Dispute (P4P).

Jakarta – Plans to provide Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency officials with legal immunity once it is closed have been fiercely criticized, as it violates the basic principle of equality before the law.

Matthew Moore – Despite up to 10 million Indonesian chickens dying from bird flu since August, Indonesia's Health Ministry said yesterday it has had no reports of any-one contracting the deadly disease.

Jakarta - At around 11.45am on Tuesday January 27, two groups of demonstrators from the Central Leadership Committee of the People's Democratic Party (KPP-PRD) and student demonstrators from the Administration Branch of the Mandala Indonesia Higher School of Education (STIAMI) held demonstrations at the offices of the National Elections Commission (KPU).

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – After conducting a second verification, the General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Tuesday that between 5 and 10 percent of some 8,000 legislative nominees were not eligible for the April polls.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has established a Rp 100 billion (US$11.3 million) budget for the upcoming elections campaign, with half of that budget earmarked for a media campaign.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – A number of non-governmental organizations condemned on Tuesday the General Elections Commission (KPU)'s recent decision to ban election monitors from entering polling stations.

James Balowski, Jakarta – In the presence of some 200 members and supporters, on January 16 the People's Democratic Party (PRD) "launched" its new central leadership board and 2004 general elections resolution. The resolution is titled "Not an election, but unifying the people to take power!".

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) A.M. Fatwa testified on Tuesday in an ad hoc rights tribunal that he had been a victim of torture by military personnel in the wake of the bloody 1984 Tanjung Priok massacre.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Despite progress over the past three years, the implementation of regional autonomy in some parts of the country has fallen short of what had originally been hoped for, The Asia Foundation revealed.

The foundation noticed improved popular participation in the decision-making process, which encouraged the local democratization process.

Sri Wahyuni, Yogyakarta – Unless voters are encouraged to mark the individual names of legislative candidates on ballot papers, the upcoming polls will just become another April fool's joke, scholars say.

Jakarta – The amount of bank credits extended in 2004 will not exceed credits disbursements by banks in Indonesia in 2003, analysts have predicted.

Jakarta – Police involvement in dealing with labor disputes was pivotal although their performance had been criticized, International Labor Organization (ILO) spokeswoman Gita Lingga said on Tuesday.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – An Indonesian militant who said he wanted to kill Americans went on trial for last year's Marriott bombing at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday and could be sent to the firing squad if convicted. Defendant Mohammad Rais, alias Edi Endra, 29, was charged under Law No.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) have taken advantage of the global war on terrorism to regain the power they had exercised previously to suppress the political rights of the people, a human rights activist said on Monday.

Jakarta – On Tuesday January 27, the vice-chairperson of the Pancasila Patriot Party, Henry Yosodiningrat, reported the general chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), Yusuf Lakaseng to police.

According to Yosodiningrat, they reported the PRD over a statement which was carried by Kompas last Monday which included their party in a list of rotten parties.

Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta – The Pancasila Patriot Party is incensed after being referred to as part of the New Order [of former President Suharto] and has made a complaint to police against the general chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), Yusuf Lakaseng, who published a list of political parties which are part of the New Order [on Monday January 26].

Evi Mariani and Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – A total of 780 motorists were ticketed for violating the new three-in-one traffic policy on the first day of its implementation on Monday.

They are scheduled to face trial in two weeks at appointed courthouses depending on the location of the traffic violation.