Indonesians have been voting in parliamentary elections today in a crowded contest billed as the biggest one-day vote in history. National police say there were no reports of violence despite earlier fears of election-related attacks by Islamic radicals.

Aguswandi – A high court decision last Monday could have major repercussions for the democratic development of the world's fourth most populous country, which goes to the polls in national elections today.

Surabaya – Defying mounting protests, former Army chief Gen. (ret) R. Hartono, leader of the Concern for the Nation Functioning Party (PKPB), has reiterated his calls asking PKPB supporters to be protectors of Soeharto.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Golkar leaders have chosen an apt party slogan. Drawn from the lyrics of the final verse of the patriotic anthem Bandung In The Sea Of Fire, it reads: "Let's win it back, brothers!" These are confident words from a party that was once the bastion of support of the Suharto regime.

Ruslan Sangadji and Irvan NR, Poso/Palu – Calm has been restored in the troubled regency of Poso, Central Sulawesi, on Wednesday after a series of shooting incidents that killed a reverend and badly injured an academic.

Laurel Teo – Dark clouds held the threat of rain yesterday morning. But they were a false alarm, for not a drop fell upon the thousands at Golkar's last day of rallies in the capital city.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have criticized Governor Sutiyoso administration's policies on eviction and the environmental and for delaying important projects.

Dan Robinson, Washington – In testimony to Congress, US military officials have reaffirmed their commitment to working with Indonesia in the fight against terror. But they also say there must be a resolution of the controversial question of suspected Indonesian military involvement in the killing of two American citizens in 2002.

Alan Sipress, Bandung – When Gen. Wiranto's stump speech ended, the real action began. "We should fall no more!" he exhorted the crowd. "We have fallen enough. Now we have to rise again!"

An Indonesian Muslim-based political party has accused rivals of pre-election dirty tricks by circulating a video compact disc which purports to show a key party member being baptised.

Indonesians go to the polls on Monday in what will be the third free nationwide elections in the country's history. The ballot is to be the most complex and biggest single day event ever staged by a developing country. And there are concerns that some people will be left out of the process.

Presenter/Interviewer: Marion MacGregor

Haidir Anwar Tanjung, Pekanbaru – Although Kampar has seemingly returned to normal after the recent dismissal of Kampar regent Jefri Noer, police plan to summon teachers who allegedly ordered and mobilized students to hold massive protests against the controversial regent.

Jakarta – Witness Syarifin Maloko has admitted to obtaining data on the disposal of bodies from the Tanjung Priok(1) incident which were dumped over the Thousand Islands and Snake Island [off the coast of Jakarta].

Derwin Pereira Jakarta – A dagger is pointing again at Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung's political future.

Barely a month after being freed by the Supreme Court for corruption, he is facing another damning scandal that could derail his presidential bid.

Jakarta – The government has completed a draft decree that will be issued in the event that the general election cannot be held simultaneously nationwide or must be postponed altogether.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – During the 22-day legislative election campaign period, which will end on April 1, the contesting 24 political parties have dominated the wooing of voters, leaving Regional Representatives Council (DPD) candidates with the challenge of convincing the public about the prominent role of the soon-to-be established institution.

Endy M. Bayuni, Cambridge, Massachusetts – How many people will stay away from the polling booths on April 5, or whenever the general election is eventually held? The number of people who boycott the election has always been a subject of a heated debate and speculation each time the country holds an election.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – As the political party campaigns for the legislative election draw to a close, Golkar Party presidential hopefuls seem to have set their sights against one another.

Two admonishments issued recently by the party's central executive board (DPP) are indicative of the heightened rivalry between the candidates.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The Golkar Party's political campaign has fixed its guns on President Megawati Soekarnoputri, stepping up on rhetoric that blames her for the nation's many ailments.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – In this ethnically diverse country, the ideal of national unity is an important way to peace. However, a little digging into one's roots doesn't hurt either, especially for the aspiring candidates in this city of migrants: Jakarta.

Laurel Teo – Decked out in the party colour of blood red, tens of thousands of PDI-P supporters surged into the main arteries of Jakarta yesterday. They clogged up the city's traffic and forced the traffic police to close off some roads in the capital.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) could use the recent civilian lawsuit, involving an alleged bribery attempt by Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung, to file for judicial review with the Supreme Court, but a legal expert doubted on Saturday that the office would dare to do it.

Tiarma Siboro and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Claiming that the number of military personnel remains far from enough to guard the country's vast territory, the Ministry of Defense is drafting a bill that would require youths to perform military service.

Jakarta – Approved foreign direct investment in Indonesia fell 66 percent in the January-February period to US$805.4 million from $2.4 billion a year earlier, Bisnis Indonesia reports.

In the same period, the value of planned local investment rose 19 percent to Rp 3.07 trillion from Rp 2.58 trillion, the report says, citing data from the official Investment Board.

Surabaya – The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) cannot be placed under the authority of the civilian government. The TNI must be involved in politics because the TNI is not a tool of the government.

This issue was taken up by retired General Try Sutrisno when presenting a public lecture at the Surabaya Juang Building in East Java on Saturday March 27.

Dan Eaton, Jakarta – Slumped on a couch and clutching his walking cane, Indonesian presidential hopeful Abdurrahman Wahid, one of the country's most revered Islamic figures, is clearly annoyed.

Campaign time is ticking away as April 5 legislative elections approach and he is facing a barrage of what he considers irrelevant questions from a foreign journalist.

Suherdjoko and Rusman, Semarang/Samarinda – The number of tuberculosis sufferers increased to 36,820, with 12,000 fatalities, in Central Java province this year and that number is expected to go higher due partly to poverty, a local health official said on Friday.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Most voters know how to properly perforate their ballot papers, but they remain so indifferent to the candidates that many of them are likely to vote for anybody, a survey reveals.

Robert Go, Jakarta – A former government prosecutor has accused presidential candidate Akbar Tandjung of reneging on promises to make under-the-table payments in exchange for inside information about the Golkar leader's graft trial.

Charlotte Denny – Mohammed Soeharto, Ferdinand Marcos and Mobutu Sese Seko ripped off up to $US50 billion from the people of Indonesia, the Philippines and Zaire, equivalent to the West's entire annual aid budget, anti-bribery campaigners say.

Haidir Anwar Tanjung, Pekanbaru – Work at the Kampar district administration in Riau returned to normal on Friday after three days of paralysis caused by protests against its much-derided regent.

Sian Powell, Jakarta – Two Supreme Court judges have risked high-level political opprobrium by criticising Indonesian armed forces' crimes in East Timor in 1999.

In only the court's third dissenting opinion, the two judges ruled against Indonesia's ad hoc tribunal on East Timor, finding five senior army and police officers guilty of gross human rights abuses.

Jakarta – Indonesian Muslims reacted angrily to the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin by Israel, with rallies held in several major cities on Java island on Friday in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. Most of the rallies turned into verbal attacks on the United States, Israel's long-standing ally.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Though now defunct, the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) remains prominent in the current two-month changeover period to a new way of managing debt restructuring and asset sales.

The Straits Times Indonesia bureau chief Derwin Pereira spoke to Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday on her administration's successes and her plans, if re-elected. Here are excerpts from the interview.

Q: What are the successes of your administration?

Suwarjono, Jakarta – The results of a survey by the Institute of Research, Education and Information of Social and Economic Affairs (LP3ES), show that the Golkar Party has the largest amount of public support.

Haidir Anwar Tanjung and Tiarma Siboro, Pekanbaru/Jakarta – Joyful celebrations erupted in Kampar regency, Riau province, on Thursday, shortly after Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno finally bowed to the people's adamant demand to dismiss the district chief and his deputy.

Jakarta – Indonesian police have enough evidence to bring new charges against jailed militant cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is scheduled to be released from prison next month, a senior intelligence official said on Friday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung is facing a fresh court case after a self-confessed middleman filed a lawsuit against the speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) at the South Jakarta District Court on Thursday.

Steven Gutkin, Jakarta – Indonesian police have obtained a letter that allegedly identifies jailed militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir as the leader of the al Qaida-linked terror network Jemaah Islamiyah, a senior intelligence official said Friday.

Jakarta – Indonesia's government said yesterday it would pay its civil servants a special bonus in June but the finance minister has denied the move is linked to the presidential election the following month.

A Finance Ministry spokesman, Mr Syamsul, said the one-month bonus would help civil servants pay school fees at the start of the education year.

Nurul Hidayati, Jakarta – Arbi Sanit, a political observer from the University of Indonesia, is of the view that the a report by Transparency International (TI) which says that former President Suharto is the richest corrupter in the world, will indeed benefit the Cendana [Suharto's Central Jakarta neighborhood, the relatives of of the Suharto clan] clique's political party, the Nat

The Constitutional Court, established on the basis of the decision of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), is currently engaged in reviewing the legal contradictions that are affecting the province of Papua.

Jakarta – Most of the 24 political parties contesting the upcoming elections are not concerned with public demands, the Forum of People's Concern for the House says.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – For many young people in Jakarta's kampongs, the 22-day official campaign period this month is manna from heaven – free T-shirts and money.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – The National Police have sent another team to further investigate the recent shooting incident in Manggarai regency on the eastern island of Flores, which killed five people and injured 28 others.

Devi Asmarani, Makassar – Indonesia's most consummate politician, Mr Akbar Tandjung, was clearly in his element.

Standing before more than 10,000 yellow-clad party supporters in the town square of Takalar, a 1 1/2-hour drive from Makassar, the Golkar chairman showed a side normally obscured by his soft voice and composure.

Laurel Teo – In a country where two in three watch television almost every day, the goggle box has turned into a fierce battle- ground for Indonesian politicians.

As Indonesians prepare for general elections next month, there are allegations that as election fever heats up, political parties have resorted to taking over the media to control it.

Presenter/Interviewer: Adelaine Ng

The smiling daughter of Indonesia's former dictator Suharto is waging a high-profile electoral campaign – less than six years after her father was forced to resign amid massive civil unrest.

Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, known as Tutut, is campaigning for a party led by a retired general who proudly calls himself a Suharto lackey.