Jakarta – The leaders of Indonesia's Islamic parties have reluctantly accepted the defeat of political Islam by Malaysia's dominant secular political grouping in the recent elections, but said it was far from being final.

Suwarjono, Jakarta – On Thursday March 25, scores of activists from the People's Lawyers Union (Serikat Pengacara Rakyat, SPR) and the Popular Youth Movement (Gerakan Pemuda Kerakyatan, GPK) went to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) offices in Central Jakarta.

Jakarta – Indonesia's bird flu outbreak, which has killed up to 6.2 million chickens across the archipelago, is showing signs of abating, a top agriculture ministry official said on Thursday.

Jakarta – A lawyer for former Indonesian military chief Wiranto accused East Timor prosecutors on Wednesday of trying to sabotage the general's bid for the Indonesian presidency by seeking his arrest.

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – A new Islamic fad is sweeping across Indonesia. But this time the divine message is reinforced by an amplifier and a speaker box chanting Islamic musical notes taken from the Koran, Islam's holy book, and sprinkled with modern-day pop culture that appeals even to the MTV generation in Indonesia.

Mafoot Simon – The indoor stadium turned into a sea of white. Some 10,000 supporters of the Islamic-based Justice Party (PKS) crowded into an area no longer than six basketball courts. Outside, many more jostled to get in to hear party leader Hidayat Nurwahid deliver a broadside against corruption in Indonesia.

Devi Asmarani, Makassar – For them to graduate, primary school students in Bulukumba regency, about a three-hour drive from here, must take proficiency tests in Quran reading.

Alcoholic beverages are banned in several towns, and in one regency, women public officials must cover their hair with headscarves at work.

Jakarta's governor has urged residents to be on guard against terror attacks as Indonesia heads towards next month's elections.

The warning came as police continued to question a group of Muslim radicals arrested after they accidently caused an explosion in their house in a Jakarta suburb during a bomb-making class.

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – Despite the nationwide policy of providing free medical treatment to poor dengue fever patients, some hospitals continue to charge poor patients, according to an investigation by the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC).

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta – Eight months after authorities began enforcing Law No. 19/2002 on copyrights, the government will begin using licensed software once it finishes taking inventory and negotiating prices, an official said.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Major political parties are fine-tuning their campaign strategies in order to bounce back from disastrous early indoor campaigning, party sources say. President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is working to improve its television spots.

Ahmad Fikri, Bandung – A former senior economics lecturer from the University of Indonesia, Professor Sarbini, has warned that the forces of the New Order regime [of former President Suharto] are trying as hard as possible to buy votes in the 2004 general elections. The available funds to buy these votes are estimated at 5 trillion rupiah.

Just nine days remain to the 22-day campaign period, after which there is a three-day cooling-off period before people cast their votes for legislative candidates on April 5. It will be the first of two direct elections the people of this country have ever participated, the second being the presidential election in July.

Muchus Budi R., Solo – After failing to form a new political party, in the 2004 general elections ex-members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) will channel their hopes through the National Awakening Party (PKB) and support Gus Dur [former President Abdurrahman Wahid] to win the presidency.

Jakarta/Medan – Desperate to win people's hearts and minds, political parties have openly employed dubious tactics to draw indifferent voters to largely deserted campaign sites.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The order for Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel not to vote in the upcoming election remains, its chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Friday. A few interviewed soldiers backed up the decision.

Constitutional law expert Sri Sumantri said the order violated citizens' political rights, which were guaranteed by the Constitution.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – While most political parties are united in condemning the government for failing to set out an economic program that can get the nation out of crisis, most of them have failed to offer any alternative.

Moch. N. Kurniawan and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of Information (ISAI) reported on Thursday to the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) 39 violations allegedly committed by political parties in broadcast media advertisements between March 11 and March 15.

Jakarta – The troubles surrounding the preparations for the general elections has led the Indonesian Military to put itself on high alert, Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said.

Robert Go, Jakarta – National Mandate Party (PAN) chief Amien Rais hops from one destination to another across Indonesia on a jet chartered at US$2,000 per hour.

Sometimes, helicopters rented at an hourly rate of US$450 deliver him in style to fields where adoring supporters wait for his appearance and a dose of his fiery speeches.

Matthew Moore, Surabaya – One-time Indonesian strongman Wiranto couldn't quite decide whether to take the Mercedes or the becak, one of the tiny, three-wheeled, cycle-powered rickshaws that transport the county's poor.

P.C. Naommy, Jakarta – The investigation into alleged corruption involving Attorney General MA Rachman was dealt a large blow on Friday when a key witness said he would withdraw his testimony.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) Police chief Maj. Gen. Sulaiman A.B. announced on Friday that two presidential guards had been declared suspects in a recent shooting incident and a busway traffic violation.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Despite the series of natural disasters that have ravaged vast stretches of the country in recent years, current and aspiring leaders seem uninterested in addressing environmental issues in their political campaigns.

Bambang Nurbianto and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Time is money – especially that of time-pressed women, as one campaigning political party found out.

Kendari – Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare Jusuf Kalla warned on Friday that if Jakarta continued to disregard development in the eastern part of the country, it would lead to the disintegration of Indonesia.

Indonesians are hiring themselves out to attend campaign rallies as parties struggle to drum up enthusiasm before next month's general election.

"Accept campaign orders from any political party," read one sign erected by motorcycle taxi drivers in the capital, according to the Jakarta Post.

Fadli, Batam – Around 1,600 workers of PT Foster Electric Indonesia staged a protest on the industrial island of Batam, Riau province, on Thursday to demand the increase of their salaries.

Amid the three-week campaign period for the legislative election on April 5, involving 24 political parties, the protest was the biggest to hit the island this year.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – When Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardijanti "Tutut" Rukmana recently came forward as a possible challenge for President Megawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of first president Sukarno, some political parties, including Soeharto's former party, Golkar, played down its significance.

Rusman, Samarinda – Eighteen holders of forestry licenses who had evaded paying a total of Rp 229 billion in reforestation and resource fees last year should have their forestry concessions revoked, a non-governmental organization said on Thursday.

Jakarta – The public's lackluster response to election campaigns has forced political parties to draw up new strategies to attract people to their campaign sites.

Rully Chairul Azwar, Golkar's campaign team secretary, said on Thursday that his party had prepared different approaches for various situations in order to draw a large crowd of people.

Surakarta/Surabaya/Yogyakarta – The violent behavior on Thursday by the campaign participants in several cities sent an alarming message to the 24 political parties that they needed to keep a handle on their supporters and improve their street campaign strategies to ensure that the April 5 legislative election would proceed peacefully and democratically.

Jakarta – The country's investment climate remains in a poor condition despite claims by the government that it has carried out various reform measures as set out in the White Paper, according to the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

Jakarta – Here come the ballot papers: A few million are damaged, thousands contain mistakes or are missing and millions more have yet to arrive.

Jamie Wilson – Waiting for the first shards of light to break through the night sky, the two inflatable speedboats were running without navigation lights. The lead boat flashed a torch twice, and the two ribs powered up and began cutting through the swell of the English Channel.

John Vidal – Late last year more than 200 people were killed and 400 houses destroyed when hundreds of illegally felled trees in the Leseur national park in northern Sumatra crashed down a mountain side, smashing their way into the town of Gunung Leseur.

Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tanjung has warned he will instigate legal action people suspected of setting fire to the party's symbols during the election campaign.

Tanjung was speaking Thursday in Ambon, the capital of Maluku province, where dozens of Golkar flags were torched last week.

Dean Yates, Bojong Gede – Indonesia's most famous novelist, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, nearly totters over from age and illness.

Grabbing the arm of a visiting reporter to steady himself, Pramoedya, 79, sits down at a table inside his comfortable villa in the leafy province of West Java before reaching for a packet of Indonesia's clove-scented cigarettes called kreteks.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Seven of Indonesia's most senior judges have retired to consider their verdict in a case that could result in convictions against all leading Bali bombers being overturned.

The verdict also has implications for soldiers convicted of gross human rights abuses.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Police here said on Tuesday they had named four more suspects charged with involvement in last week's deadly protest that killed four people in Manggarai regency on the eastern island of Flores.

Manggarai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Wasiran Robert said the four brought the number of suspects to 14 people, all civilian locals.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – With the House of Representatives in recess, and campaigning for seats in the new legislature heating up, a cabinet meeting chaired by President Megawati Sukarnoputri issued an administrative order allowing mining companies with contracts in place before 1999 to resume activities in protected forests.

Robert Go, Jakarta – They think that the tougher-looking they are, the better. And so, members of Indonesian political parties' youth wings wear dark sunglasses, bandanas or berets and military boots and fatigues.

Jakarta – The lackluster reception since last Thursday's kick-off of the 22-day campaign period vanished on Tuesday – at least in part, as indicated by severe traffic jams and accompanying moods caused across the city by a vigorous show of force by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Don't be fooled by the apparent enthusiasm for giveaways from political parties – including money – many people are aware of what party and who to vote for, an analyst here said.

The major parties might think their campaigns are successfully erasing the collective memory of their past performance, said Mochtar Pabottingi on Tuesday.

Indra Shalihin, Jakarta – Scores of students from the University of Indonesia (UI) Student Action Front (Front Aksi Mahasiswa, FAM) held an demonstration against New Order [regime of former President Suharto] political parties. They burnt United Development Party (PPP), Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Golkar Party paraphernalia.

A. Junaidi and Rusman, Jakarta/Samarinda – Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) candidates are running the campaign gamut from mass gatherings, publications to mobile phone messages as they compete on rough terrain, not only against other candidates, but also against concurrent party campaigns.

Moch. N. Kurniawan and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Amid the growing trend among most of the 24 political parties to distribute money or staple food to entice voters, the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) warned them on Tuesday not to offer money during the campaign period.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Another list naming "rotten" politicians would be released to the public soon, the group behind the publications said on Tuesday.