Jakarta – Indonesia's military chief has resigned and President Megawati Sukarnoputri has replaced him with a hard-line general known for his xenophobic remarks and criticism of rights activists, officials said Saturday.

Bill Guerin – As incoming president Susilo Bambang Yudhyono prepares to step into the palace, a mercurial dispute between US-based Newmont – the world's biggest gold producer – and Indonesia's local authorities and environmental activist groups yet again highlights the difficulties of mining in the country.

The World Health Organization insisted that a strain of bird flu that has killed millions of birds in Indonesia is potentially deadly to humans, contrary to claims by Indonesian officials.

Jakarta – Indonesia's first democratic presidential poll has helped distance the country from its days of authoritarian control, but it has also intensified calls for justice as the wounds of military atrocities and dictator Suharto's rule remain open, Agence France-Presse reported.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Last month's bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and next week's anniversary of the 2002 bombings in Bali are reminders of the serious terrorism threat in the world's largest predominantly Muslim nation.

Gede Suardana, Denpasar – The commander of the Udayana territorial military command, Major General Supiadin AS, has accused the United Opposition Front (BOB) who have been rejected militarism at demonstrations of being communists. He also believes they want to sow discord within the TNI (armed forces).

Muhammad Atqa, Jakarta – Earlier today the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (Komite Pembebasan Napol/Tapol) submitted a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) over violence perpetrated against their activists in three different cites, Denpasar (Bali), Yogyakarta (Central Java) and Kupang (West Timor).

Max Lane – On October 1, Indonesian president-in-waiting Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he would study and possibly review a controversial military bill that was adopted by the outgoing House of Representatives on the last day of its five-year term on September 30. The law will take effect on October 30, with or without presidential consent.

Gede Suardana, Denpasar – Around 15 people who were just about to end an anti-military action were attacked without warning by scores of heavily-built men. One of the demonstrators was beaten black-and-blue.

Gede Suardana, Denpasar – The United Opposition Front (BOB) is to take legal action over an attack perpetrated by a gang of heavily-built men and police when they were holding a recent demonstration.

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – Coinciding with commemorations of the 59th anniversary of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), hundreds of Yogyakarta students from a number of different groups held actions on Tuesday October 5 calling for soldiers' wages to be increases and rejecting militarism.

Fabio Scarpello, Jakarta – While the Indonesian military, or TNI, for the first time will not hold any seats in the new House of Representatives, Indonesian legislators, however, with only hours remaining in their mandate approved a controversial new law cementing the TNI's political power.

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – A demonstration rejecting militarism and demanding the abolition of the military's territorial commands(1) by activists from the National Student League for Democracy (LMND) ended in a clash after it was broken up by members of the Indonesian Anti-Communist Front (Front Anti Komunis Indonesia, FAKI).

John McBeth – TB Silalahi was an instructor at the Indonesian army's General Staff College when he first encountered a young Javanese army major called Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "I saw him even then as a potential president," says the former two-star general.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's promise this week to put national reconciliation at the top of his government's agenda once he is installed as president on October 20 could not have come at a more opportune moment as, today, history once again comes knocking at the door of the nation's collective conscience.

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – Who is willing to help a poor woman end her 39-year search for her missing father, and to restore her civil rights, which were taken from her by the state, merely because she is the daughter of a communist?

US-based environmental watchdog Sierra Club has criticized the US Embassy in Jakarta for chiding Indonesian police over the detention of five executives of a subsidiary of Denver-based gold mining giant Newmont for questioning over alleged pollution.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The House of Representatives and the government finished on Monday deliberating the bill amending the current autonomy legislation, with the final version of the new bill maintaining the ban on independents from freely contesting direct elections for chief executive posts at the local level.

Muhammad Atqa, Jakarta – Hundreds of people from the Bekasi Social Forum (Forum Masyarakat Bekasi, FMB) and the Islamic Youth Movement (Gerakan Pemuda Islam, GPI) are calling for the controversial draft law on the armed forces (RUU TNI) to be enacted immediately. The strange thing is they admit that they don't even know the substance of the law.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Dozens of expatriates were shocked by the recent visit of officials of the Jakarta administration to their apartments at Taman Rasuna in Kuningan, South Jakarta. The officials carried forms that they were required to be filled out.

Nana Rukmana, Ambon – After a three-day investigation, the Cirebon Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) has ruled Cirebon Mayor Subardi violated election rules by campaigning for incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Jakarta – The US Embassy's election observation team said on Monday Indonesia conducted the direct presidential election orderly and peacefully, without disruption to voter access to the September 20 polls.

"Our observers acknowledged significant improvement in electoral logistics and election administration over previous rounds," the observation team said in a statement.

Mochtar Buchori, Jakarta – While the official vote-count may still be ongoing, it is almost certain that the Megawati Soekarnoputri-Hasyim Muzadi pair has lost the presidential race, and Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) will become the country's sixth president along with his running mate Jusuf Kalla as vice president.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Likely president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had little qualms making this promise during his election campaign: There will be no fuel price increase for the poor in Indonesia this year if he takes over office.

It is an issue that will return to haunt him as he aligns his pledges with the difficult task of addressing the country's chronic problems.

Max Lane – Former Suharto-era general Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono and former Golkar official Yusuf Kalla have been elected as president and vice-president in the second round of Indonesia's first direct presidential election. Yudhoyono won 61% of the vote against outgoing President Megawati Sukarnoputri's 39%.

Jakarta – The next government has been told to revise the Law No. 22/1999 on regional autonomy and Law No. 25/1999 on the fiscal balance between regional and central administrations to arrest the widening gap between rich and poor across the country.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri signed on Monday a decree that set the maximum price of a residence for former VVIPs at Rp 20 billion (US$2.22 million).

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – Jakartans had just commemorated the 1st anniversary of the JW Marriott Hotel blast in Kuningan business and residential area in South Jakarta last month, when the capital was shaken by another similarly motivated bomb blast near the site of the former on September 9.

ID Nugroho, Surabaya – More than 1,500 workers, who were dismissed by shoe firm PT Kasogi Internasional tbk last July, descended again on the East Java legislative council building in Surabaya on Monday, pressing ahead with their demand for severance pay.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The House of Representatives and the government have made substantial changes to the much-criticized bill on national social security, which was due to be endorsed on Wednesday.

Abdul Khalik and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – American Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce held talks with President Megawati Soekarnoputri and the police on Monday as Washington aired concerns over the detention of five executives of United States-based Newmont Minahasa Raya mining company.

Ivy Susanti, Jakarta – Indonesia's success in promoting democracy and peace both at home and internationally has bolstered its confidence in pursuing a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

It is a bitter irony that the first direct presidential election to be held in Indonesia has resulted in another general taking power.

Although the official results will not be made public until 5 October, it is already clear that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won comprehensively against Megawati Sukarnoputri. The reasons are not difficult to fathom.

Muhammad Qodari, Jakarta – Victory for presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is almost certain. According to a quick count method by credible institutions and electronically recorded vote counting by the General Elections Commission (KPU), Susilo is likely to win the presidential race with 60 percent of the vote.

A direct appeal to Indonesian President Megawati has been made by the US Ambassador to Indonesia over the jailing of four employees of the Newmont mining company. The four executives were detained without charge five days ago over allegations of pollution causing serious health problems around the company's mine operations in Sulawesi.

Harry Bhaskara, Jakarta – "Change" has been Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's campaign mantra, which brought him into the top position using the tiny and little-known Democratic Party as his springboard.

With extraordinary swiftness the National Police are pursuing the alleged pollution case in Buyat Bay, North Sulawesi.

Jakarta – A number of worker, student, urban poor and political movement organisations have come together under the banner of the People's United Action to urge the government and the people's representatives to honour their promises to implement reform.

Triono Wahyu Sudibyo, Semarang – Often you hear the news that the state owned electricity company PT PLN is loosing money. After investigation, it turns out that many people use electricity without paying, that is stealing it. After further study, the highest level of electricity leakage is at military complexes.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia's powerful military will bow out of politics for good after losing its reserved seats in the country's top legislative body, armed forces chief General Endriartono Sutarto said yesterday.

Although slashing fuel subsidies should be at the top of president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's economic agenda during the first 100 days of his administration, raising fuel prices in November as recommended by the outgoing House of Representatives (DPR) could be political suicide for the new government.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – A week after his apparent landslide victory, the policies of presumptive president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono remain unclear. People still don't know what the former general and cabinet minister known as SBY will do with his mandate to succeed President Megawati Sukarnoputri, but it's becoming clearer how he'll do it.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The government expects this year's non-tax revenue to increase by more than 60 percent from the original allocation in the 2004 state budget, due mostly to the soaring oil prices.

Dean Yates, Bogor – From across Java island they have travelled. Farmers, widows of soldiers, mothers with babies, some seeking a favour from Indonesia's next president or telling him which of the country's problems he should tackle first. Others just want to shake his hand.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta – Jakarta stock prices are expected to further consolidate this week as the bullish sentiment stemming from last week's smooth presidential election has already been discounted by the market, according to stock analysts.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The likely president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must uphold legal certainty and security, and phase out the high-cost economy to encourage investment and create jobs, investors and employers say.

They said the next government must work to restore security and guarantee legal certainty if it wishes to attract foreign investment.

Jakarta – Political parties that supported Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the Sept 20 run-off poll are accusing him of breaching a pre-election agreement.

Heather Draper, Denver – Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) isn't concerned about its operations in Indonesia, despite the arrest there last week of executives from rival Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM) on pollution allegations.

Umar Juoro, Jakarta – The early results of last Monday's presidential election clearly show that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will win the presidency convincingly with about 60 percent of the vote. We see again the overwhelming expression of the voters for change.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Women activists have criticized the state for intervening in people's personal affairs using religion as a justification, which they say has led to discrimination against woman in countries where the majority of people are Muslims.