Jakarta – A five-year jail term given to a prominent activist in Indonesia's rebellious Aceh was harsh and heightens the "apparent intimidation" of those trying to monitor rights abuses in the province, the US government said.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Experts criticized President Soekarnoputri on Wednesday for supporting the establishment of citizens' defense groups, saying that such moves would only heighten fanaticism and the culture of violence in society.

Moch. N Kurniawan, Jakarta – Public outrage is increasing over the government's move to allow mining in conservation forests in Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

Andrew Burrell – They may not like being lumped together, but Indonesia's radical Islamic terrorists and the nation's military commanders have more in common than they would care to admit.

Most glaringly, they are both accused of using or authorising shocking violence, often leading to the death of many innocent civilians, in the pursuit of their goals.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The Banda Aceh District Court handed an unwanted birthday present to Muhammad Nazar, the chairman of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA), in the form of a five-year jail term for "displaying hostility" to the government through his campaign for a self-determination referendum in Aceh.

In Jakarta, around 1000 people, the majority women from the Women's Claim Alliance (APM), commemorated March 8, International Women's Day (IWD), by condemning increases to fuel prices and calling for a reduction in prices and the resignation of President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday called for civilian militias to be set up in Indonesia as the military and police struggle to contain insurgencies and widespread lawlessness in the country.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The government-initiated re-registration of civil servants failed to gain momentum on its initial day on Tuesday with civil servants appearing decidedly unenthusiastic.

Jakarta – The number of students taking the 2003 state university admission exam (SPMB) declined by 12.11 percent to 350,306 students from 398,589 in 2002.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Papua Provincial Legislative Council decided on Friday that it would refuse to implement the newly endorsed bill on national education in the province, saying that the bill would only compartmentalize citizens based on religion and could further trigger national disintegration.

Lhok Sukon, Banda Aceh – The management of PT ExxonMobil Indonesia began dismissing around 1000 workers on Monday, this is the third time the company has dismissed contract workers this year.

In protest against the dismissals, employees held a demonstration in the area around ExxonMobil in Lhok Sukon on Monday, this demonstration being the fifth [to date].

Jakarta – Alleged irregularities in the purchase of Russian-made Sukhoi jet fighters are expected to come into the open slowly as lawmakers begin their investigation on Monday into the highly politicized case.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The newspaper editor Supratman is standing by his punchy page one headlines, even though they could send him to jail for six years.

Bogor – Protected forests in Bogor, such as those on the slopes of Mt. Salak, Mt. Pangrango and Mt. Pongkor, are being destroyed by illegal logging and mining, an expert says.

Jakarta – About 500 people from eight villages in three subdistricts, including Jonggol, Bogor, staged a rally over the weekend to oppose the Jakarta administration's plan to use land there as a dumpsite.

"We reject the construction of a dumpsite as it would be a disaster for locals," one of the protesters, Triasa Cahyaputra, was quoted as saying by Antara on Saturday.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Human rights activists denounced the excavation of mass graves in Aceh by the Indonesian Military (TNI), saying it violated normal investigation procedures for possible gross violations of human rights.

Lumajang – Some 15 activists of the Moslem University Students Action Group (KAMMI) from some districts in East Java were released on Sunday afternoon after police earlier arrested and held them for a couple of hours.

"They were released after we interrogate them for several hours," Adjunct Commissioner Fransiscus Sasono, chief of the Lumajang police crime unit, said here.

[The Politics of Power Freeport in Soeharto's Indonesia By Denise Leith University of Hawaii Press, 372 pp, $55.]

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Just five weeks into its renewed war against separatist rebels in Aceh, Indonesia has been accused of, in effect, banning foreign journalists from the province.

Jakarta – The media criticized on Friday new guidelines for media coverage in Aceh, saying that rules were effectively hampering the press from obtaining balanced reports on the current integrated operations in the conflict-torn province.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Politicians have blocked public demands for transparency in the campaign funds channeled to and spent by presidential candidates, casting doubt over their commitment to a fair and honest election, observers say.

The party is over but at least we have been left with some great lessons. The recent celebration of Jakarta's 476th anniversary at the National Monument square was a failure, or so say many residents. Only a few Jakartans, in fact, were aware that June 22 was the climax of the celebration.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – A group of senior Indonesian MPs is in the spotlight after media reports here said that they and their families had lived it up on a recent tour of Europe at taxpayers' expense.

Jakarta – A Japanese photojournalist has been arrested in the war-torn Aceh , apparently for working without a permit, police and the military said on Friday.

"He is now apparently being detained in South Aceh. We're checking it," Aceh police spokesman Sayed Husaini told AFP. He did not give further details.

Jakarta/Medan – Indonesia marked International Anti-drug Day 2003 on Thursday with grave concerns about the rapid growth in the drug trade.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said the fact that half the prisons across the country were housing large numbers of drug convicts proved that drug abuse was a serious challenge facing the police.

Hanoi – President Megawati Soekarnoputri deplored US Secteraty of State Colin Powell's statement on alleged human rights abuses in Papua province, especially in the Timika ambush which killed two Americans and an Indonesian.

"I think Mr.Colin Powell exaggerated things somewhat," the Indonesian head of state told a press briefing at Melia Hotel here Thursday evening.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Sobbing witnesses, lawyers walking out in protest against the judges' decision, and a defendant who never looked up from a book he was reading throughout the trial – even courtroom scenes in television soaps are rarely this exciting.

How would you characterize a typical government worker in Indonesia? If Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno has his way, a typical civil servant would be loyal to the cause of the unitary state (however the minister defines "loyal"), but would still be corrupt. You can throw in lazy for good measure, to complete the picture.

Jakarta – Indonesia's parliament is to summon President Megawati Sukarnoputri to explain the loss of two islands to Malaysia, reports said yesterday.

Parliament wants Ms Megawati to elaborate on the loss of Sipadan and Ligitan islands following a World Court decision last December, the Jakarta Post and the state Antara news agency reported.

Zakki Hakim, Jakarta – "We chose to go to court because we didn't want to bribe the traffic police officer. But it turned out that people here ask for more money than the police do," a 66-year-old man, who was accompanying his son, said angrily in front of the East Jakarta District Court.

An Indonesian Muslim cleric accused of leading a terror network accused the United States of orchestrating his treason trial to stop him fighting for the establishment of Islamic law.

Alan Sipress, Jakarta – Five years after Gen. Suharto was ousted and a newly democratic Indonesia pledged to reform the military, the ambitious effort has largely stalled and the generals are resurgent, according to Indonesian and Western analysts.

Journalists who are based in Lhokseumawe boycotted on Wednesday a press briefing at the military operation center in protest over unfair treatment they received from military operation commander Brig. Gen. Bambang Darmono.

Kasparman, Padang – Hundreds of people in Padang, West Sumatra clashed on Wednesday with security officers over a housing dispute, causing 20 people to be arrested by the police.

Jakarta – An international ratings agency said Thursday it may upgrade Indonesia's credit ratings but warned that the country remains vulnerable to "unforeseen shocks." Moody's Investors Service said in a statement it is reviewing four ratings for a possible upgrade following a substantial cut in government debt ratios and reduced external vulnerability.

John Aglionby, Jakarta – Indonesia's government risks poisoning a large proportion of the population unless it alters its attitude to the environment, the World Bank warned yesterday as it launched its first environmental report on the world's fourth most populous country.

Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to release $US486 million to Indonesia as part of its ninth review of Indonesia performance.

The executive board of the IMF announced yesterday the completion of its latest review, which opens the way for release of a further US$486 million in loans.

Tokyo – President Megawati Soekarnoputri said Tuesday the Asia Development Bank (ADB) will likely play a key role in reforming Indonesia after a major IMF programme expires at the end of the year.

Megawati, on the third of a four-day official trip to Japan, met Japanese Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa at the state guest house.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Millions of Indonesian civil servants nationwide will be subject to government screening starting next month to prove their loyalty to the nation.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – It comes as no surprise that Indonesian legislators are crying foul over the government's decision to buy Russian fighter jets.

Jim Lobe, Washington – Some 90 human rights, peace, and church groups around the world are calling for an international military embargo against Indonesia in light of its current counter-insurgency campaigns in Aceh and West Papua provinces and military-backed violence in other parts of the country.

Up to 90 human rights organisations, anti-arms trade and anti-war groups have demanded an international embargo against selling arms to Indonesia

The British-based Indonesia Human Rights Campaign says the appeal, which includes groups from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, is a response to Indonesian military campaigns in Aceh and Papua.

Jakarta – For the first time since violent clashes broke out between Muslims and Christians on Indonesia's Ambon island in 1999, members of both communities are jointly cleaning mosques and churches.

About 400 Muslims and Christians from Ambon's Sirimau sub-district joined soldiers and officials to clean churches and mosques, the state Antara news agency reported.

The man accused of masterminding the Bali bombings has alleged that police interrogators tortured him into confessing a role in the attacks.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Hazardous industrial waste is becoming an increasing threat to the country's biggest cities, including Jakarta, Semarang in Central Java, and Surabaya in East Java, according to an expert.

Jakarta – The government will administer a nationalism test to all civil servants throughout the country from July 1 through July 31 to ensure that all state employees are completely loyal to the unitary republic of Indonesia, the home affairs minister disclosed on Sunday.

David Hencke and Rob Evans – Britain is threatening to refuse export licences for spare parts for Hawk jets to Indonesia, after growing government concern about human rights abuses by the military in the suppression of rebels in Aceh.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Press defenders voiced strong protests over the killing of Banda Aceh-based TVRI cameraman Jamaluddin, 30, saying that the Aceh martial law administration should protect journalists, instead of restricting news seekers from covering the ongoing war in the troubled province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Indonesia has an image problem, that much is agreed. And with the pace of war quickening in Aceh province, and the terrorist trials rolling on in Bali, there are few signs that things are about to get better.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Prestigious state-run universities are being criticised for their decision to admit students who fail entrance exams, as long as the students fork out millions of rupiah in donations.