Jim Lobe, Washington – Saturday's dismissal by a Jakarta appeals court of all pending cases against Indonesians indicted for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor five years ago may bolster efforts by US lawmakers to halt the George W Bush administration's normalization of ties with the Indonesian armed forces (TNI).

It was a bloody event that Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, then a human rights activist and University of Indonesia law student working part-time at the Legal Aid Institute (LBH), can never forget. Even today, as Chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), he can still recall the scent of death that day.

Max Lane – On July 27, outside the office of the Jakarta governor, scores of civil service police – the governor's security corps – attacked a peaceful demonstration as it was dispersing.

Jakarta – A former general who led the first round of Indonesian presidential polls agreed yesterday to join forces with a defeated rival, a move that could usher in a strategic alliance for the run-off vote.

The former leader of the largest Muslim group in Indonesia and possibly its next Vice President says its time for the religious group to rule the country. Hasyim Muzardi resigned as leader of Nadlatul Ulama to contest the election as President Megawati's Vice Presidential running mate.

Richard Norton-Taylor – The government approved a significant increase in arms exports to Indonesia in the first few months of the year despite serious concern from MPs, Foreign Office figures show.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – While the July 5 election proceeded orderly and peacefully, democracy may prove to take much longer to develop in the world's largest archipelagic country, analysts and an election watchdog say.

Indra Harsaputra and Blontank Poer, Surabaya/Surakarta – East Java's General Elections Commission (KPUD) is investigating a report that a number of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) clerics had received US$10,000 each to support Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running mate Hasyim Muzadi.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Police are struggling to hold Abu Bakar Bashir on terrorism charges.

Suspected terrorist Abu Bakar Bashir is still in jail, but in the past week the 65-year-old preacher has had his best chance yet to escape the legal net police have used to hold him since the Bali bombings.

Kurniawan Hari and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Despite the growing opposition toward the Indonesian Military (TNI) bill, major factions in the House of Representatives are insisting on deliberating the government-sponsored draft.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – An official of the Leuser Management Unit (UML), which manages the Leuser Ecosystem area, has stated that 25 percent of the vast 2.6-million-hectare area has been deforested.

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court has summoned three ministers of economic affairs to provide a clarification on a petition for a judicial review of Law No 20/2002 on the electricity sector, and Law No 22/2001 on oil and natural gas against the 1945 Constitution.

Abdul Khalik and Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – Water consumed by residents living near Buyat Bay in North Sulawesi, where US-based PT Newmont Minahasa Raya has a mine, contained higher mercury levels than normal, a laboratory test confirmed on Thursday.

After transporting Jakartans for nearly three decades, the city's bajaj will begin disappearing from the streets over the next few days. The city administration is determined to phase out the Indian-made bajaj in favor of locally made kancil (mini-taxi, literally means "mouse deer" in Bahasa Indonesia).

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – It was tipped to be the battle of the generals. But in the end, it was not. Incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri defied the odds with a last-minute surge that catapulted her into the second round of the presidential race with a fighting chance now for re-election.

By annulling Law No. 16/2003 on retroactivity of the Antiterrorism Law last Saturday, the Constitutional Court put the nation one step back in its fight against terrorism – and took it one step closer to establishing a viable, working democracy.

Abdul Khalik and Agus Maryono, Jakarta/Banjarnegara – In an apparent demotion, the National Police have transferred the Banyumas, Central Java, Police chief, Sr. Comr. Andi Mapparesa, to a desk job for giving a speech supporting President Megawati Soekarnoputri's bid for reelection. Andi had violated an order by National Police chief Gen.

Jakarta – Oil prices remained high on Thursday but fell from record peaks, reviving fears over a ballooning fuel subsidy and widening state budget deficit.

Reuters reported that oil prices fell after Russia's justice ministry said it was not seeking to halt production by oil giant Yukos.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – While unable to implicate Abu Bakar Ba'aysir in the Bali bombings, the National Police said on Thursday they would charge the Muslim cleric with involvement in the 2003 JW Marriott Hotel attack in Jakarta, to keep him in custody.

An ex-general who was ruled out of the running in Indonesia's presidential race after finishing third in initial round voting has petitioned for a Supreme Court review of the poll.

Jeffrey Winters, Chicago, USA – The real controvery in the recent Constitutional Court decision does not turn on retroactivity. In fact, all the judges (including the five for the majority) reject an absolute interpretation of retroactivity (which the defense team had argued for).

Richard Robison, Jakarta – When the new president is finally confirmed later in September, she or he will confront the immediate task of assembling enough power to rule effectively. More fundamentally, though, is the task of arresting a seemingly inexorable slide into the sort of 'savage capitalism' that often accompanies parliamentary systems in their early years.

Sari P. Setiogi, Jakarta – Campaign workers for the two remaining presidential candidates, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati Soekarnoputri, expressed on Tuesday what appeared to be only lackluster support for press freedom.

A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati Soekarnoputri have their work cut out for them in wooing undecided voters whose first picks fell by the wayside in the July 5 election, analysts say.

Jakarta – An independent political research organization predicted here Tuesday that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), winner of the first round of Indonesia's first-ever direct presidential election last July 5, will also prevail in the runoff poll on September 20.

The Indonesian government has sent a delegation, led by representative from the Ministry of Industry and Trade Directorate General of International Cooperation Pos M. Hutabarat, to the World Trade Organization (WTO) general council meeting in Geneva.

Jakarta – Amid regional autonomy, state-owned PT Jamsostek has begun forging cooperation with regions to enlarge the coverage of the social security scheme not only for workers in the formal sector but also for those employed in the informal sector.

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta – A controversial harm reduction program that was introduced by the government on Friday has split opinion among activists over how effective it will be in containing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Jakarta, Antara – Army chief of staff General Ryamizard Ryacudu has suggested that opposition against the draft law on the TNI (armed forces) within a number of circles is because of interference by foreigners who want to divide and weaken the Indonesian nation.

Jakarta/Semarang/Yogyakarta – While President Megawati Soekarnoputri again distanced herself from the tragedy of July 27, 1996 – which identified her as then president Soeharto's political victim – the eighth commemoration of the incident on Tuesday was marked by an attempt to link her opponent in the election, Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to the tragedy.

Max Lane – On the evening of July 22, more than 300 people gathered at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Democratic Party (PRD).

Richel Langit, Jakarta – Indonesia's fledging democracy has come under threat as the country's power-hungry military is seeking to regain its old powers lost to reform movements since 1998.

Triono Wahyu Sudibyo, Semarang – Two student groups have held actions to commemorate July 27(1). One of the groups presented the Central Java National Election Commission (KPU) with a gift of rotten tomatoes while another group brought flowers. Both condemned the repressiveness of the military and demanded that cases involving the shooting of students be investigated.

Jafar G. Bua, Palu – If July 27 commemorations are usually identified with President Megawati Sukarnoputri, this was not the case in city of Palu, Central Sulawesi, where the commemorations was instead marked by actions rejecting Megawati and presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY).

Risna – On July 27, 1996, a bloody tragedy occurred which began with an attack on the headquarters of the Indonesian Democratic Party headquarters in Central Jakarta by a group organised by the military.

Indra Shalihin, Jakarta – An action commemorating July 27 in front of the city's government offices in Jakarta has ended in clashes. Students who were demanding that Jakarta governor Sutiyoso be tried in relation to the July 27 attack(1) were involved in a clash with Pamong Praja security guards after they forced their way onto the grounds.

Jakarta – Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid turned down a judge's suggestion on Monday that he settle his dispute with the General Elections Commission (KPU) out of court.

"There will be no amicable settlement," Gus Dur said at the Central Jakarta District Court.

Abdul Khalik and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Police admitted on Monday that a video compact disc (VCD) recording of a police meeting in Banyumas, Central Java, was genuine but denied accusations that they had sided with Megawati Soekarnoputri in the July 5 presidential election.

Tiarma Siboro and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The final results of the presidential election announced on Monday show that the number of people who did not use their right to vote on July 5 increased to 32,044,063, or about 20.9 percent of registered voters.

Kurniawan Hari and Evi Mariani, Jakarta – An explosion halted the finalizing of the presidential election vote count by the General Elections Commission (KPU) for several hours on Monday afternoon.

Jakarta – Hundreds of supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) reaffirmed on Tuesday their stance against any candidate with a military background, following Monday's announcement of the ballot results.

Jakarta – All convictions of the Bali bombers remain in force despite a legal decision that the law under which they were tried is unconstitutional, the head of the court which made the ruling said yesterday.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – A recent study conducted by the Asian Labor Network on International Financial Institution (ALNI) has shown that a number of ongoing projects financed by the World Bank in Bali, infringe on core labor standards.

Nana Rukmana, Indramayu – The Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) said on Monday it was investigating a boycott of a presidential election revote at the Al-Zaytun Islamic boarding school in Indramayu regency, West Java.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – The tragic events of July 27, 1996, were instrumental in Megawati Sukarnoputri's path to the Indonesian presidency. With the release of official results from the July 5 elections on Monday showing her in second place, Megawati hopes that the events of this seventh-anniversary week will pave the way to her re-election.

Palu – Around 100 protesters grouped in the Cross-religious Forum for Central Sulawesi, staged a rally here on Monday to demand that the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) probe a recent church shooting.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – A bomb exploded inside the headquarters of Indonesia's Election Commission yesterday just as the members were preparing to announce the results of the July 5 presidential poll.

Fadli, Batam – The Batam municipal government will soon launch a raid against unmarried couples living together.

The plan will be executed in August this year, following the recent order by Batam Mayor Nyat Kadir, said Rayanis Aminah, the spokesman of the Batam social affairs office.

Former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is still favourite to win Indonesia's presidential election run-off in September but the race will be close, analysts say.

Monday's explosion at the General Elections Commission (KPU) office aside, there was not a lot of excitement to mark the announcement of the official results of the July 5 presidential election.