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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 – 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.

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.

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.

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.

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – As well as Jakarta, lively actions to commemorate world human rights day were also held in other parts of the country.

Jakarta – Hundreds of students staged a rally outside the Bank Indonesia building here on Wednesday to protest a meeting of the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) on December 10-12.

The students arrived at the building's gate on Jl. Budi Kemuliaan in Central Jakarta at 02.30 pm local time. However, they were not allowed to enter the Bank Indonesia compounds.

Richard Norton-Taylor and John Aglionby, Singapore – The legality of Britain's arms sales to Israel and Indonesia is to be challenged in the courts on the grounds that they breach stated government policy, the Guardian has learned.

Johann Hari – September 11 comes around once every three days. One thousand three hundred innocent people are slaughtered with conventional weapons within 24 hours somewhere in the world: by the middle of a third day, the death toll from 9/11 is surpassed.

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – Around 50 students from various different tendencies, who joined together under the banner of the Anti-Imperialist People's Alliance (Aliansi Rakyat Anti Imperialisme, ARAI), held a demonstration rejecting the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Jakarta – Some 3000 workers of state telecommunication company PT Telkom staged a rally outside the office of the State Enterprises Minister here on Wednesday to protest the sale of PT Mitra Global Telecommunikasi Indonesia (MGTI)'s shares to PT Alberta Communication.

Suwarjono, Jakarta - Around 1000 demonstrators held a demonstration commemorating world human rights day at the Presidential Palace on Jalan Merdeka Utara on Wednesday December 10. Although the palace was empty - President Megawati Sukarnoputri is currently visiting Japan - it did not diminish the spirit of the human rights activists.

Andrew Burrell – It's an alarming statistic that helps explain Indonesia's economic, political and social predicament: about 110 million people are scraping by on less than $US2 ($2.70) a day.

The country may obtain some US$2.7 billion in fresh loans from the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) to help finance next year's state budget. The amount is the same as that pledged last year by the donor grouping for the current 2003 budget.

With the official announcement by the General Elections Commission (KPU) that 24 political parties have been passed as eligible to contest the 2004 polls, the ideological affiliation of the parties and the potential for polarization between reformist versus pro status quo groups can be determined.

The majority of people eligible to vote in next year's general election here are politically alienated, intolerant and hoping for a strong leader like former dictator president Soeharto, according to a survey.

Three daughters of Indonesia's founding president Sukarno, including incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri, will contest next year's general election as leaders of rival political parties.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – After five years in political hibernation, old forces from former president Suharto's New Order regime are re-emerging in politics.

The strongest indication of this is the comeback of none other than his eldest daughter, Ms Siti 'Tutut' Hardijanti Rukmana.

Several Indonesian legislators have urged the attorney general to resume a corruption investigation into former autocratic president Suharto, one of the parliamentarians said.

"I have asked the attorney general's office to be more professional and continue its probe into the case of Suharto," said J.E. Sahetapy.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Military soldiers deployed to quell the demonstration in Tanjung Priok in 1984 opened fire at the crowd without prior warning shots, a witness told the human rights court on Monday.

ID Nugroho, Surabayan – Police here said on Monday they had detained two people and were hunting two others suspected of slaying a Muslim cleric from the National Awakening Party (PKB), following increasing pressure to bring the alleged killers to justice.

Jakarta – The return of Soeharto's eldest daughter to the political stage may backfire if the issue of the former president's ability to speak, and to face the law for charges of corruption, comes into question, an analyst says.

Robert Go, Nusa Dua – Something unexpected happened while Mr Iin Arifin Tahyan was speaking about the need for Indonesia to get more energy-sector investments during a high-profile conference in Bali on Friday.

Dan Eaton, Jakarta – Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, issued some of its harshest criticism of Washington's Iraq policy on Monday, saying the US occupation had not met objectives and was becoming a debacle.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – City police efforts throughout the year to restore their tarnished image were largely ineffective given the increase in cases committed by defiant personnel from 206 cases last year to 234 this year.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Indonesia's defense white paper puts terrorism behind separatism as the main security threat to the country, a policy that prompts the need of maintaining the military's territorial function, an official said.

Larry Johnson – Indonesia is facing criticism at home and abroad over recent developments involving two men linked to human rights abuses in the former Indonesian province of East Timor in 1999.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The police and armed forces are preparing "for the worst" as the Christmas holiday approaches and as Indonesia heads into nationwide elections next year, the country's top security minister has said.

Tiarma Siboro and Mochammad N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Sunday 24 political parties eligible to contest the 2004 polls, with analysts expressing concern of the possible revival of the New Order.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – People's support for President Megawati Soekarnoputri has continued to drop ahead of the elections but she remains the strongest candidate among existing presidential aspirants, a survey indicates.

ID Nugroho, Surabaya – The House of Representatives plans to summon National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar, as the National Awakening Party (PKB) has received reports of more death threats made to Muslim clerics in East Java.

Richard Norton-Taylor – The government is selling arms and security equipment to countries whose human rights record it has strongly criticised, according to lists of weapons cleared for export that have been seen by the Guardian.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Foreign donors make this a merry season for the cash-strapped Indonesian government.

The World Bank has said Indonesia needs to show only "incremental reforms" to deserve fresh aid worth US$450-US$850 million annually for the next four years.

Jakarta – The government will allocate Rp 11.7 trillion to build and repair infrastructure across the country in 2004.

"The budget will mainly be used to repair damaged infrastructure, build new infrastructure and meet public demand for housing," Minister for Resettlement and Regional Infrastructure Soenarnosaid.

Andi Hajramurni and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Makassar/Jakarta – A soldier and a policeman were wounded on Thursday in shoot-outs between troops and police in the town of Palopo, Luwu regency, South Sulawesi, officials and residents said.

Jakarta – State officials and politicians welcomed on Thursday former president Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti "Tutut" Hardiyanti Rukmana's plans to run for the presidency in next year's elections, stressing that democracy allowed anyone to join the presidential election.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – While the news this week that the European Union, the US and Canada are to end the current textile quota system to meet a World Trade Organization ruling is a severe blow to Indonesia's textile industry, it also has the potential to clear up a distorted production system that has led to a flourishing and shady trade in the quotas themselves.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) announced some big names among the 36 candidates that qualified for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) for next year's general election.

Jakarta – The 2004 general election are expected to become an arena for the restoration or recycling of the old powers from the New Order [regime of former President Suharto] who are getting ready to win the 2004 elections. The 2004 elections will not bring any kind of alternative because the system has been engineered not to produce the slightest change.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The World Bank has announced an ambitious new lending program for Indonesia where money will go to organisations or local governments that can show they have taken steps to wipe out corruption.

The World Bank announced plans to boost lending to Indonesia to help lift millions out of poverty but said much of the extra aid depends on greater efforts to fight rampant corruption and improve governance.

Indonesia's dilapidated infrastructure poses a greater threat to human life than terrorism and will hamper long-term growth unless there is urgent new investment, the World Bank says.