Jane Perlez, Manado – A star government witness in a criminal trial against the American mining giant Newmont told a court on Friday that waste from the company's mine near here was deposited in the sea at too shallow a depth, causing the contamination of fish.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Hopes of a breathing space for the economy in the form of easing interest rates may prove to be unfounded, with the central bank saying inflationary pressures continue to remain a problem, despite the rupiah's recent gains.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives must act to reveal the masterminds behind the murder of social justice campaigner Munir, rights groups say.

Although he initially seemed a surprising choice for a position dominated by the Army for decades, Air Marshal Djoko Suyanto was confirmed Thursday to head the Indonesian Military (TNI). Below is an excerpt of a conversation Suyanto had with The Jakarta Post's Soeryo Winoto about his plans for the TNI.

Question: What is your main agenda for the TNI?

Jakarta – One of Southeast Asia's most wanted militants is hiding in Indonesia's Central Java province, police said on Friday as they declared more suspects in attacks on the holiday island of Bali last October.

M. Azis Tunny, Ambon – Seven years since a bloody Muslim-Christian conflict first erupted in Ambon in January 1999, thousands of victims are still crammed into makeshift shelters for displaced persons.

Presently, 15,788 families are still living in makeshift camps for in Ambon city, waiting to be relocated or sent back to their hometowns.

Jakarta – The enforcement of Islamic sharia in Indonesia must not violate the country's existing system and prevailing laws and that the state interests must be above those of any group, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah say.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – It's a matter of interpretation whether the departure of Muslim scholar Dawam Rahardjo from Muhammadiyah was a resignation or dismissal.

Yet in his opinion and that of other Muslim scholars, his exit indicates a growing and unbending conservatism of the country's second largest Muslim organization.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Leave the judgment on esthetic values of an artwork to the critics, some will say, and let the police gauge the morality of the works. And that is exactly what is happening in a high-profile case from last year.

Jakarta – Hardline Indonesian Muslims stormed into an office block housing the Danish embassy protesting cartoons portraying the Prophet Mohammed in Denmark, as others demanded death for the cartoonist.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati,Jakarta – Air Marshal Djoko Suyanto said what many wanted to hear Wednesday, vowing during his confirmation hearing to keep the military out of politics and press ahead with internal reform if he becomes Indonesian Military (TNI) commander.

Bandung – Emotions ran high during a protest Wednesday outside the provincial council building and governor's office here against a proposal by state power firm PT PLN to raise electricity rates.

Kylie Williams – The defence department has rejected a refugee group's claims that training Indonesian special forces troops will endanger West Papuan lives.

The Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) has called on the Department of Defence and new Defence Minister Brendan Nelson to rethink plans to train the Indonesian military, in particular special forces Kopassus.

Jakarta – Although the latest figures from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) show year-on-year inflation slowing for the second month in a row to 17.03 percent in January, high inflation is set to continue looming large over the economy this year.

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) is calling for a further investigation into the murder of human rights activist Munir.

Anissa S. Febrina,Jakarta – Overlapping audits and unclear jurisdiction, not to mention the financial services industry's code of secrecy, are the main reasons for low compliance of securities companies in reporting suspicious transactions, an association says.

Jakarta – Lawyers, seeking a stay of execution for three Christian men on death row convicted for their roles in Poso's religious violence five years ago, say they have new evidence pointing to security officers' involvement in the conflict.

Reports of huge payments by US mining company PT Freeport-MacMoran to Indonesian soldiers in Papua have caused controversy, with critics saying such payments erode the professionalism of soldiers. Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono spoke with The Jakarta Post's Tiarma Siboro about the government's plan to formulate a legal umbrella that will address this issue.

Jon Lamb – The recent arrival of West Papuan asylum seekers in northern Australia and the restricted release of the United Nations-commissioned report from the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation on human rights abuses in East Timor have sparked renewed calls for an end to military ties with Indonesia.

Jongker Rumteh, Manado – Wirabuana Military Commander Maj. Gen. Arief Budi Sampurno apologized Monday to the press for the actions of one of his soldiers who struck a reporter covering a weekend clash between members of the local combat detachment and Manado Police.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – Like goldfish, people seem to have a memory span that is all too short.

This tendency might be forgiven in love – which can not only cause blindness but a faltering memory. But in other matters, like environmental destruction and deforestation, can we afford to makes the same mistakes ad nauseum.

Jakarta – Academics and politicians are alarmed at the government's inaction amid a flood of religion-based regional regulations with the potential to sow conflict.

The next chief of Indonesia's military faces one of the toughest jobs in the country professionalising the country's armed forces. Air Marshall Djoko Suyanto has been hand picked by President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono to continue the task of reforming the notorious services especially the army.

Presenter/Interviewer: Karon Snowdon

Jakarta – As would-be easy riders get revved up over the prospect of cheaper cars and motorcycles in the wake of falling import duties, the local industry sees the lower tariff regime as another threat that must be overcome if it is to survive.

The Socialist Alliance calls on the federal Coalition government and the ALP opposition to learn the lesson of East Timor in relation to West Papua.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Defying opposition from lawmakers and media groups, the government says it will enforce a new regulation that bans local broadcasters from directly relaying news from foreign TV and radio stations.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Indonesia has scored a major victory in the war on corruption after the return to the country of a crooked banker who fled before being sentenced in absentia to eight years in jail.

Jakarta – Protesters disrupted a concert by a US hip-hop artist touring Indonesia at the US Embassy's invitation, an embassy official and witnesses said Tuesday.

Jakarta – Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has made a deft move in nominating the country's airforce chief as the next boss of the powerful but reforming armed forces, analysts say.

Jakarta – Indonesian police are investigating possible links between a purported new militant network with al Qaeda, with initial indications showing it was set up by two key Malaysian radicals, police said on Tuesday.

The government submitted the final draft of its Aceh government bill to the House of Representatives on Thursday, a major step following the historic peace agreement signed in Helsinki last August by Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Jakarta – Dozens of high school students protested about the dangers of lead pollution in the air at the National Monument in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

Andra Jackson – A group of West Timorese is seeking asylum in Australia from Indonesia claiming they have been pressured into carrying out attacks against Christians in their village.

Phelim Kyne, Jakarta – Investors in New York have asked US investigators to determine whether millions of dollars allegedly paid by mining giant Freeport to Indonesian military officers in Papua province amounted to bribery.

Makassar – A soldier was killed and three seriously wounded when a police truck rammed into a crowd of people amid a dispute between military troops and police officers in Manado, North Sulawesi.

Wirabuana military commander Maj. Gen. Arif Budi Sampurno, overseeing security in Sulawesi, ordered an investigation into the incident that took place early Sunday.

The Australia West Papua Association calls on the new Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson, to re-think the plan to renew ties or train with the Indonesian military and in particular the Indonesia special forces Kopassus. Without going into any great detail of its past history, Kopassus has been notorious for its role in human rights abuses in East Timor and West Papua.

Jakarta – Regional administrations are using the money paid out to schools under the national fuel compensation scheme as an excuse to cut back on their education budgets, a study has found.

Jakarta – Three more children have contracted polio in Indonesia, bringing the total cases to 302 since the crippling disease resurfaced last year, the United Nations Children Fund ( UNICEF) has said. Indonesia will hold another nationwide immunisation drive targetting 24 million children under five on Monday in a bid to eliminate the virus, UNICEF said in a statement Saturday.

Suherdjoko and Andi Hajarmurni, Semarang/Makassar – Incessant rain over the last three days has inundated several cities in Central Java and South Sulawesi, forcing thousands of residents to flee their submerged homes for higher ground.

Rendi Akhmad Witular, Karawang, West Java – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appealed to labor unions Friday not to use welfare issues for political means, which could jeopardize efforts to improve the country's investment climate.

Yudhoyono said protests on labor problems should be conducted within the law and peacefully to avoid tarnishing the image of local workers.

Jakarta – The group of junior high school students waited impatiently on the side of the road on busy Jl. Plumpang, North Jakarta. And waited.

Jakarta – Four hunger-strikers seeking adequate compensation for their properties acquired by the government for a transmission line project received a dead chicken and a threatening note Thursday.

The chicken carcass and letter were wrapped in a plastic bag and found in front of compound where they were protesting in Central Jakarta, witnesses said.

The International Crisis Group's Southeast Asia project is analyzing recent developments of terrorism in Indonesia, which most recently saw a bomb explosion kill seven people in Central Sulawesi on New Year's Eve.

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – Primum non no cere – above all, do no harm – is the rule for all physicians when they treat patients.

But the reality here is often different, with doctors prescribing patients many medicines they do not need and which could have significant side effects. Their patients, meanwhile, are none the wiser, especially if they are children.

Infrastructure development can be dilemmatic at times. The construction of a power network in southern Java, for example, has been met with resistance by residents in West Java and Yogyakarta. Already months behind schedule – it was scheduled to be completed last October – the network is meant to complement the overloaded northern Java power network.

Leony Aurora, Jakarta – Businesspeople, arguing that power rates are already higher than those in neighboring countries, are threatening to refuse to pay proposed additional charges, even if it means having their power cut off.

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Brussels, Helsinki – A reception on Jan. 20 at the Indonesian ambassador's residence in Helsinki, thousands of miles from Aceh, provided an occasion that symbolically highlighted the success, so far, of Aceh's peace process.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – Every morning, traffic-jammed commuters throughout Jakarta get something to think about, as street vendors weave through the lines of cars, flashing posters of pouting models, posing in flimsy lingerie.

In the city's Glodok electronics center, pirated pornographic DVDs are often in plain view and the sellers yell out the movie names to passersby.

Jakarta – Malls decked out in festive red and restaurants offering special delicacies for the upcoming Chinese New Year are cold comfort when one's citizenship is still questioned, Chinese-Indonesians say.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The long-awaited labor court has been promoted as a fairer, faster and less expensive means to settle industrial disputes, which are likely to rise amid tough economic times.