The inadequate 10-year sentence handed down to self-confessed Bali bomber Idris, after the charges relating to Bali were dropped, is a slap in the face to victims and their families and a setback in the war against terror.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Religious leaders have asked the Indonesian Military (TNI) to sacrifice its interests – at least for the next five years – for the sake of the country's democratic development.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – The swearing-in ceremony of 75 city councillors on Wednesday was marred by a rally, involving some 1,000 people, in front of the City Council on Jl. Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.

The protesters demanded the new councillors act to prevent collusion, corruption and nepotism (KKN) practices in the council.

Millions of people nationwide are beginning to feel the effects of the dry season this year, which has led to water shortages and forest fires in many parts in the country.

Rusman, Samarinda – East Kalimantan forestry office firefighters are on high alert as forest and cropland fires spread to coal deposits. As the situation becomes worse by the day, the provincial administration has increased fire watch patrols and field monitoring, and moved in more fire-fighting equipment to fire-prone locations.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Seven months after its launch on Jan. 15, the busway has only managed to attract around 5,600 private car owners, or 14 percent of the busway's 40,000 daily commuters.

Jakarta – The Justice and Prosperity Party's (PKS) support for presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has clearly attracted a great deal of opposition. Aside from the PKS's own cadre opposition has also come from the People's Democratic Party (PRD).

Militant Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was charged under tough anti-terror laws for a deadly attack on a Jakarta hotel, but despite mounting international pressure Indonesian prosecutors say he will not be tried over the Bali bombings.

Eric Unmacht, Jakarta – Two competing perspectives have long dominated Washington when talk turns to military aid for Indonesia. On one side there are those in Congress who call the country's military brutal abusers of human rights. They want US aid to remain suspended until Indonesia's military is reformed.

Phar Kim Beng – Indonesia is a country renowned for its far-flung geography and cultural complexities. With 13,000 islands to its name, it cannot claim anything less. Equally complex is the elaborate nature of the country's electoral system, which is only gradually being simplified.

Niken Widya Yunita, Jakarta – Are you a woman? A worker? Have you experienced sexual harassment in the work place? If the answer is yes you are not alone. It is estimated that 90 per cent of women workers have been victims of sexual harassment in the work place.

An Indonesian court jailed an alleged member of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group for 10 years for his role in the deadly bombing of a Jakarta hotel but cleared him of involvement in the Bali blasts.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Representatives of more than 200 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) began a three-day national conference here on Monday to discuss their roles in society and address concerns that NGOs have failed to adapt to changes during the reform era.

Jakarta – Haze from forest fires that is fouling skies over Indonesia and Malaysia may worsen in coming months as farmers continue to torch land to make way for crops, the government was quoted as saying on Monday.

Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta – The draft law on the armed forces (Rancangan Undang-Undang Tentara Nasional Indonesia, RUU TNI) is not considered to be in accordance with the TNI's new paradigm, has the potential to bring the dual social and political function of the TNI back to life and contravenes People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Decree Number VII/2003.

Indonesia's outgoing parliament is preparing for an historic send-off. Democratic reforms which began with the overthrow of the authoritarian former President Soeharto in 1998 set a timetable for the gradual abolition of reserved parliamentary seats for the armed forces.

Heavyweight political parties have long held sway in Indonesia, but the emergence of a new breed of voter more likely to listen to media or even mystics for guidance has robbed them of their former dominance, analysts say.

Alan Sipress, Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri marched along the red carpet dressed in a brown Indonesian Girl Scout outfit. Then, stepping forward to face nearly 1000 uniformed boys and girls, she raised her right hand to her scout's cap and saluted. The television cameras rolled.

Jakarta – An Indonesian court sentenced an army captain yesterday to three years in jail and 11 of his subordinates to two years each for their roles in a 1984 military massacre of Muslim protesters in Jakarta.

Batam – The spread of HIV/AIDS in Batam has reached an alarming level, an official said on Friday.

Marwan Nusri, the head of Batam General Hospital, disclosed that last year, the number of people with HIV/AIDS treated at the hospital was only five from January to July. But, in the same period this year, 11 people with HIV/AIDS were treated at the hospital.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – A man who lost his attempt to become president of Indonesia now hopes to rule a resort town – if he can kick out the farmers who claim ownership.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – After weeks of controversy, the government-sanctioned Film Censorship Institute (LSF) pulled local movie Buruan Cium Gue (Kiss me quick) from cinemas.

Jakarta – Candidates at the presidential elections last month failed to report an estimated total of 288 billion rupiah (S$53.9 million) in campaign funds to the election authorities, said an anti-graft body.

Jakarta – Indonesian officials and businessmen have welcomed the government's plan to abolish the unpopular exit tax next year, saying it would facilitate business expansion overseas.

Tiarma Siboro and Suherdjoko, Jakarta/Semarang – After failing to win support from the country's major parties, presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate Jusuf Kalla are turning their eyes to other influential nationalist and religious-based parties.

Jakarta/Semarang – The leaders of the Golkar Party and Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP) are now facing internal revolts by members who oppose their decisions to back Megawati Soekarnoputri in the election runoff in September.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday unveiled a grand alliance to support her bid for another term in office, raising the stakes in her battle with a former general in next month's election.

Thang D. Nguyen, Jakarta – As Indonesia celebrates its 59th anniversary of independence this week, it is appropriate to reflect on the democratic progress it has achieved thus far.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Leading presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono denied accusations that he and his running mate Jusuf Kalla were discriminatory against Chinese-Indonesian businesspeople, saying his future government would foster unity for the good of the country.

Slamet Susanto and Abdul Khalik, Yogyakarta/Jakarta – The Yogyakarta Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) cleared on Thursday Yogyakarta city police chief Sr. Comr. Condro Kirono of partiality charges, saying that he did not intentionally store thousands of T-shirts bearing the image of presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Transparency International Indonesia (TII), a group devoted to fighting corruption, has estimated that the presidential candidates for the July 5 election failed to report a total of Rp 288 billion (US$31.3 million) in campaign funds to the General Elections Commission (KPU).

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Leaders of four political parties threw their support behind presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri on Thursday, but doubts lingered that the move would improve her chances in the September runoff.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri forged a pact with Indonesia's largest political group Golkar to form a bloc that will dominate parliament but is seen as unlikely to ensure her reelection.

Muhammad Azis Tunny, Ambon – This is the second time that Jamaria Makattita, 79, a widow with four children, has had to take refuge when her home in Waringin village was burned down in the violence in Ambon, Maluku.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Dozens of residents vandalized the offices of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and police in two separate regencies in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). No fatalities were reported but the buildings were severely damaged.

Muhammad Uzair, Palembang – Pupils of an elementary school in Banyuasin regency here attend classes in the village hall, after strong winds leveled their school to the ground last month.

Rusman, Samarinda – Fires from forests and farmland have spread across East Kalimantan, causing haze in cities and towns around the province.

Local officials said on Thursday that farmers had lit the fires, some of which had been detected in conservation areas.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Although lthough many people complain about choking air caused by high levels of air pollution, the City Environmental Management Agency (BPLDH) has reported that Jakarta enjoyed more days with "better" air quality last year.

Jakarta – About 100 Indonesian Islamic activists on Friday protested US military attacks on the Iraqi holy city of Najaf by burning the American flag and a dollar bill outside the country's embassy.

Zakki P. Hakim and Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The next government will face the challenging task of completing deliberations of about 50 draft laws and regulations on the economy, or existing investors would flee the country, the top economics minister said on Wednesday.

Paul Barber, London – Indonesia is fast learning the lesson that while elections are an important part of the transition from dictatorship to democracy, the more difficult parts include establishing the rule of law, eradicating corruption and ensuring military accountability to civilian institutions.

The Indonesian government has ended a ban on the distribution of thousands of tonnes of rice – which had seen more than 1.5 million of the country's poorest people go hungry for the past three weeks.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – A senior economic minister warned that the economic growth target of 5.4 percent, as set in the draft 2005 state budget, may not be attainable unless the next government dramatically improved infrastructure in the country.

Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – Drought has hit some subdistricts of Cirebon, West Java, leaving some 3,000 families without clean water.

President director of the Cirebon Tap Water Company Nasija Warnadi, admitted on Wednesday that his company had been unable to meet household demands for water.

Richel Langit, Jakarta – Politicians from Indonesia's big parties are ganging up against election favorite Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono by rallying behind his rival, President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

John McBeth – Western governments and human rights groups could not hide their anger following a decision by an Indonesian appeals court to overturn the convictions of four security officials implicated in the killing and destruction that accompanied East Timor's independence vote in 1999.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Presidential candidates Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono were on the campaign trail again on Wednesday, this time attempting to convince senior citizens, especially retired military and police top brass, to vote for them in the September 20 election.

Gunawan Mashar, Makassar – Students from two different groups in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar held demonstrations, one group was calling for corruption cases in the South Sulawesi provincial parliament to be investigated and the other was rejecting the draft law on the TNI (armed forces).

Jakarta – Around 100 demonstrators from the United People Against Militarism (Persatuan Rakyat Anti Militerisme, PRAM) have again demonstrated in front of the national parliament.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Antigraft campaigners questioned on Wednesday the government's commitment to corruption eradication, which President Megawati Soekarnoputri spoke of in her national address on Monday.