Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – On Monday August 25, the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) sent a letter to President Megawati Sukarnoputri requesting that G30S/PKI(1) political prisoners who are innocent be rehabilitated. The matter was in reference to considerations made by the Supreme Court to provide such rehabilitation.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – More than 700 families staged a rally again on Monday in Bandung, West Java, to demand that they be compensated or relocated from their current residential areas beneath dangerous high-voltage transmission lines.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Apparently trying to take all opportunities available before their terms end next year, and undeterred by public criticism, city councillors will spend Rp 9.6 billion (US$1.1 million) of taxpayer money for foreign sightseeing tours this year.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Religious leaders have thrown their support behind plans to impose the tight surveillance of a number of districts in West Java – believed to be home to militants advocating sharia (Islamic law) – as part of preemptive measures against future terrorist attacks.

Former Armed Forces Commander Wiranto has re-stated his determination to run for the presidency.

Speaking at the launch of his biography, (Testimony in the Middle of the Storm) in Solo on Friday, Wiranto urged his audience not to take wild chances in electing a new president.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Yet another prehensile remnant of the Suharto regime's mismanagement of Indonesia's economy – Bulog, the national foodstuffs monopoly – is about to transformed into something hopefully not a piggy bank for whomever is in power. But don't count on it.

Increasing pressure from military hardliners to push President Megawati Sukarnoputri to give extra power to the military-backed intelligence service following the J.W. Marriott Hotel bombing has prompted former President Abdurrahman Wahid to come out against the return of military power.

Maryadi, Jakarta – The Committee to Guard against the New Order (Komite Waspada Orde Baru, KWOB) has put forward 10 conditions for presidential candidates for the period 2004-2009. One of the conditions is that a presidential candidate does not come from one of the New Order [regime of former President Suharto] political parties.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Thursday the allocation of 550 seats of the House of Representatives for 30 provinces with five new provinces securing at least three seats through the 2004 legislative elections.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Ainur R. Sophiaan, Jakarta/Surabaya – President Megawati Soekarnoputri ordered Cabinet ministers on Thursday to start emergency measures by Monday to help people who are suffering due to the drought across Java.

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – People in Papua and Aceh need to learn from Americans about the proper way of "reading" their leaders' lips.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Indonesia's plans to use nuclear power to meet its spiralling energy demands have been boosted by the Russian Government's approval of a draft agreement allowing it to build nuclear power plants in Indonesia.

Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has emotionally denied any knowledge of the terror group he is accused of leading and said the "terrorist state of America" had stage-managed his treason trial.

Bashir, in a fiery defence speech, also warned judges they will go to hell if they convict him and told prosecutors to repent for aiding "the infidel enemies of Islam."

Canberra – Australia and Indonesia will co-host a terrorism summit early next year, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer announced today.

Mr Downer met with his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirayuda in Canberra today, where the two agreed to co-host a regional meeting.

An Indonesian newspaper editor is facing criminal charges after comparing President Megawati Sukarnoputri as a cannibal and leech. The editor of the tabloid-style Rakyat Merdeka is charged with insulting the President, a charge which attracts a possible six year jail sentence. The trial has prompted concerns of a return to the days of government control.

Kurniawan Hari and A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Major factions in the House of Representatives (DPR) are to revise the Antiterrorism Law, but aside from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), they are not keen on giving more power to security authorities in the fight against terror.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – A leading figure within President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) has been dismissed, fueling tensions within the deeply troubled party.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The arrest of JW Marriott Hotel bombing suspects has not automatically made Jakarta a safer place, as the National Police admitted on Tuesday that they have been unable to track down explosives and other bombing devices smuggled into the capital from Semarang.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Police said here yesterday that suspected terror mastermind Hambali had sent US$45,000 to fellow militants in Indonesia to finance bombings in the country.

Dan Eaton, Jakarta – When Wiranto, the former head of Indonesia's powerful armed forces, lost a senior cabinet job three years ago it was seen by some as a clear signal the military was being eased out of politics.

Kurniawan Hari and A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Major factions in the House of Representatives (DPR) are backing moves by the government to revise the anti-terrorism law, despite strong opposition from religious leaders and rights activists.

They also called for an informal meeting with the National Police and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) to discuss the planned revision.

Jakarta/Bandung – The government has finally decided to dismiss some 6,000 employees of state-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia as part of a restructuring program designed to help lift the ailing company out of years of financial difficulties. The decision was made at a shareholders meeting on Tuesday.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Despite some progress, the top security minister warned on Tuesday against the reform movement's excesses, saying the poor management of reform could lead to separatism, social disorder and political instability.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Apparently without a hint of shame, the 85 already wealthy city councillors have proposed an additional allowance for themselves of Rp 985 million (US$115,882), Rp 434.78 million will be used to buy their clothes and other "souvenirs" before their tenures end next year.

Canberra's moves to resume military cooperation with Jakarta, especially with the quasi-state-terror gang Kopassus, in the name of the "war on terror", should strongly be opposed by all those who support the democratic rights of the workers and peasants of Indonesia.

Indonesia's army chief today welcomed Australian plans to resume links with an Indonesian special forces unit which has been implicated in abuses in East Timor and elsewhere.

General Ryamizard Ryacudu described the restoration of links between the Kopassus special forces and Australian troops as "important," the state Antara news agency reported.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) decided on Tuesday that an electoral district for the regional legislative councils (DPRDs) in regencies and provinces would have on average six to 12 seats.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Denpasar – Around 700 people staged a protest here on Tuesday to demand that the Bali legislative council and the central government postpone swearing in the reelected governor of the resort island, following allegations of bribery during the gubernatorial election.

Maryadi, Jakarta – A class action by the People's Lawyers Union (Serikat Pengacara Rakyat, SPR) against President Megawati Sukarnoputri over the declaration of a military emergency in Aceh has been adjourned again. The adjournment, the second one [since the action was launched], was because neither the defendant or their legal council were present.

Andrew Burrell – So that's it. Indonesia has decided that a grand total of three military men were responsible for the killing spree and destruction in East Timor that captured the world's attention in 1999.

Anna Fifield – Amid the rubble of Jakarta's shattered JW Marriott hotel, Indonesian and Australian police and forensic experts are working side-by-side sifting for evidence.

Richard S Ehrlich, Jakarta – Former Indonesian president Suharto, safe from prosecution for allegedly embezzling millions of dollars during his 32-year-long, US-backed regime, has decided to give something away for free.

Indonesia on Sunday marked the 58th anniversary of its freedom from Dutch rule under tight security after a warning of a possible attack to coincide with the celebrations.

Shirts carrying the face of Osama bin Laden, have disappeared from markets in the Indonesian garnment-producing city of Bandung as the country steps up its anti-terror efforts.

The t-shirts had been a popular item in Indonesia, world's largest Muslim-populated nation, along with those featuring former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

A move that began with pressure from several reformists within the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to replace party functionaries allegedly involved in vote buying is also being seen as a move to weaken and eventually oust President and party chair Megawati Sukarnoputri from the party leadership.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri installed on Saturday nine judges to the bench of the newly created Constitutional Court.

In a ceremony attended by high-level officials at the State Palace, the nine judges, all prominent figures in the field of law, were sworn in by the President.

As the noose tightens around the alleged masterminds of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network, Jakarta is coming under increasing pressure to close one of its most influential Islamic schools. The Al Mukim Islamic school in Solo in Central Java is headed by detained Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. And the school's alumni reads like a terrorists who's who.

Richard S Ehrlich, Jakarta – Washington has linked al-Qaeda to the bomb attacks on Bali and the JW Marriott Hotel, but Muslim extremists' demands for a strict Islamic society are not popular in Indonesia. Many Indonesian Muslims prefer to meld religious tradition with modern lifestyles and have overwhelmingly rejected fundamentalist candidates in local and national elections.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – In a response to the rampant terror attacks plaguing the country in the past year, the government has decided to give the Indonesian Military (TNI) some of its pre-reform era powers back.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Tight security is still in place at former president Soeharto's residence on Jl. Cendana 8, Central Jakarta, as was observed upon the arrival of Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso on Thursday.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – This is fiction. The October 12 Bali bombings and the attack on the JW Marriott Hotel here last week were the work of the CIA.

The spy outfit recruited and trained Indonesians to be terrorists for an organisation called Jemaah Islamiah (JI) that had the seal of approval from President George W. Bush.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Australian Federal Police were given none of the lists of potential bombing targets in Jakarta that Indonesian police say they obtained last month in a raid on a Jemaah Islamiah hideout in Semarang in Central Java.

Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund Friday praised Indonesia's 2004 budget proposal, which aims to reduce the budget deficit to 1.2% of the gross domestic product from 1.8% this year. "It's a good budget policy," David Nellor, the IMF'srepresentative in Indonesia, told reporters.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – If you worried about the economic impact of the bombing of the JW Marriott in Jakarta on August 5, you're behind the times. Enlightened investors saw the bomb as a buying opportunity and jumped into the local stock market.

Jakarta – Amid criticism of poor coordination among security agencies and their failure to prevent the latest bombing in Jakarta, the government is considering revising the 2003 antiterrorism law to give the security agencies more powers to thwart further terrorist attacks.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian government yesterday called on Muslims in the country to stop talking about conspiracy theories against the religion and start uniting in the fight against terrorism.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Former president Soeharto may have lost power but he is still important enough for Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso to be willing to visit him for a pair of his footprints.

Sutiyoso is scheduled to meet the former strongman, who led the country for 32 years, at Soeharto's residence at Jl. Cendana No. 8, Central Jakarta.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – After a two-week investigation, Navy investigators have apparently found the culprits in the assassination of PT Asaba computer firm president director Budi Hartono Angsono and his Army bodyguard Second. Sgt. Edi Siyep.

Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri endorsed the Constitutional Court Law on Wednesday, to enable the establishment of the court before August 17 as stipulated by the amended 1945 Constitution.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said after meeting the President that the law came into force immediately after the signing.

Australia would do its best to ensure Kopassus troops who trained East Timor militias would not be involved in joint activities when military links were re-established, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.