Damien Kingsbury – The push by the Australian Government to renew its association with the Indonesian military's feared Kopassus special forces is perhaps the most doubtful proposition in what has been a history of questionable arrangements.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The central government is set to revise Law No. 22/1999 on regional administration, known also as the regional autonomy law, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said, citing its ineffective implementation over the past three years.

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – The current drought will not create a rice supply problem at home, but could potentially send millions of farmers into poverty, experts said.

Padang – Dozens of farmers from Kapa village in West Sumatra filed a police report on Wednesday, complaining about alleged intimidation against them by security personnel. The farmers say they were victims of intimidation when asked to move from their ancestral lands.

Jakarta – Economists and labor analysts warned the nation of a possible higher unemployment rate in 2004, due to the heightened security issue and the upcoming general elections.

Jakarta – Analysts, politicians and top government officials have joined the chorus of opposition on Tuesday to reject the proposed adoption of the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) as a measure to preempt terrorist attacks.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – The Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network continues to survive in Indonesia even after carrying out two of the bloodiest attacks in the country's history.

Jerry Norton, Jakarta – Indonesia said on Wednesday it would probably strengthen anti-terrorism regulations to prevent attacks such as last week's bomb blast at a Jakarta hotel, as the US ambassador warned more attempts at attacks were likely.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Conservation International (CI) warned on Tuesday that Indonesia would lose its coral reefs in 10 years if the government was unable to conserve them and people continued to use fish bombs.

Richard S. Ehrlich, Jakarta – Accused Bali bomber Imam Samudra welcomed on Monday prosecution demands for his death, claiming it would bring him "near to God", amid an international debate about whether or not executing terrorists makes them martyrs.

Jakarta – A hardline Indonesian Muslim group agreed yesterday to retain suspected terror group chief Abu Bakar Bashir as its leader for another five years.

The Indonesian Mujahedin Council (MMI), closing its congress in the Central Java city of Solo, also urged the government to acquit the detained Bashir of all charges.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – A farmers union criticized on Tuesday the water resources bill for allowing private companies to exploit springs, which it said would harm farmers who rely on free groundwater.

The water resources bill, which the House plans to discuss at its next session, would allow private companies to take control of springs for business purposes.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Low-ranking military personnel have given mixed reactions to an instruction by the Indonesian Military (TNI) banning enlisted members from taking side jobs to augment their income.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment-Friends of the Earth Indonesia (WALHI) has called for protests against major banks around the world with investments in PT London Sumatera Indonesia Tbk (Lonsum).

John Kerin Sian Powell – The US would not renew its ties with Indonesian special forces arm Kopassus until it resolved alleged military involvement in the unsolved murder of two US citizens in 2001, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said yesterday.

Vannessa Hearman – The United States and Australia are moving closer to restoring full military cooperation with Indonesia, including with the discredited Kopassus special operations unit of the Indonesian armed forces (TNI).

Australia's willingness to engage internationally on the war on terror has led it recently to re-engage with the military here. But the US has not been so willing.

Jakarta – Investment activity in the country remains in the doldrums with the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) revealing a bleak picture of investment during the first seven months of this year.

Jakarta – After completing its 10th review of Indonesia's economic reform program, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) praised the stable performance of the country's financial markets despite the recent bombing at a Jakarta hotel.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Alleging that the labor dispute settlement committee (P4) was plagued by corruption, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea strongly urged employers and workers to settle their industrial disputes between each other, without going to P4.

Jakarta – In the era of reformasi a national leadership crisis has developed, including among the younger generation. Therefore the younger generation needs to hold a youth congress which can then give rise to a future leader. This leader must have a spirit of leadership and prestige.

Australia has announced it will renew military ties with Indonesia's special forces unit, Kopassus, just four years after severing links following allegations that Kopassus had co-ordinated the East Timor massacres.

Jakarta – If the forces of peace are winning over the forces of violence in the "war on terror", it is far from obvious in Indonesia.

Kurniawan Hari and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Following last week's Marriott bombing, the government is mulling the adoption of a draconian law to preempt terrorist strikes, but House of Representatives' leaders appear to be having none of it.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The much-publicised three-day meeting of the Indonesian Mujahideen Council (MMI) was meant to show that the radical Islamic movement is very much alive despite the fact that its leader Abu Bakar Bashir is on trial for terrorism.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has ordered all military units across the country to crack down on soldiers involved in criminal activities.

Matthew Moore and Karuni Rompies, Jakarta – The terrorist suspected of blowing up Jakarta's Marriott Hotel was a member of a new suicide brigade of up to 15 bombers who are preparing more attacks, Indonesian police have warned.

Linda Mottram: Though domestic issues are resurgent with the resumption of Federal Parliamentary sittings, security remains dominant, and the matter of how best to fight terrorism in Indonesia is fuelling a heated debate here in Australia.

Prime Minister John Howard has defended plans for Australia's military to resume links with Indonesia's notorious Kopassus special forces troops.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) plans to resume contact and possibly counter-terrorism training with Kopassus, despite its suspected support for the militia carnage in East Timor in 1999.

Canberra – Australian Prime Minister John Howard yesterday defended a controversial plan to renew military links with Indonesia's elite Kopassus unit to help fight terror in the region – despite previously banning work with the group due to its questionable human rights record.

Jakarta – Indonesia can still achieve its growth target for this year despite last week's deadly bombing at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, a senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) official said yesterday.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The State Intelligence Body (BIN) has asked for more power in the war on terror, but an analyst on Friday suggested that coordination among the country's intelligence institutions was a better solution to prevent terror attacks.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Four national figures – Abdurrahman Wahid, Nurcholish Madjid, Adnan Buyung Nasution, and Salim Said – will testify before an inquiry of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) investigating the 1998 May riots.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Foreign infidels may have been the targets but nine of the 10 people killed in the Jakarta bombing on Tuesday were Indonesians just going about their daily life in the Indonesian capital.

Jakarta – Indonesian newspapers have welcomed the death sentence handed to Bali bomber Amrozi even as they took President Megawati Sukarnoputri's government to task for being too laid back in tackling terrorism.

Bandung – Hundreds of students from various organizations staged a demonstration on Friday afternoon in front of the Domestic Administration College (STPDN) in Jatinagor, Sumedang district, West Java, where President Megawati Soekarnoputri attended a student inaugural ceremony.

Bryan Lee – The bomb blast in Jakarta earlier this week may have left several dead and many injured, but investor sentiment in Indonesia seems to have been largely unscathed.

Fund managers cited a host of reasons that work in favour of the Indonesian market. Among them: A huge market, a country with vast resources and cheap stock valuations.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Close to tears, veteran politician Akbar Tandjung handed in his application form to contest the race for the Golkar party's candidate for the 2004 general elections.

Jakarta – Although the hopes and interests of society with regard to the 2004 general elections are very positive and indicate an attitude of enthusiasm, society feels pessimistic about whether the elections will be able to change their lives.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) concluded its Annual Session on Thursday with a call for President Megawati Soekarnoputri to create a clean government.

MPR chairman Amien Rais also reminded both the government and lawmakers that some reform agendas had not been attained, more than five years after the movement was launched in 1998.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – A survey by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre last December revealed some startling facts about Muslim attitudes in Indonesia towards terrorism. It suggested some 25 per cent of 220 million Indonesians felt terrorism was a legitimate weapon in defending Islam.

Ari A. Perdana, Jakarta – The wounds have yet to heal. The pain caused by several bombing incidents in the last few years had yet to become relief while yet another explosion hit the country. The issue here is not about where it happened – it was in one of Jakarta's business districts.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Indonesia is bracing itself for more hardship following Tuesday's Jakarta hotel bomb attack. As well as the death toll of at least 14 Indonesians and one foreigner, there may be serious consequences for an economy that had been on the mend.

As the Bali verdicts begin to unfold, the investigation is still fresh into the bombing of the Marriott hotel in Jakarta this week. While Indonesian police are saying they believe it was the work of Jemaah Islamiah, an investigation has been launched into the possible involvement of the country's armed forces.

A severed head found at the scene of Jakarta's deadly hotel bombing belonged to a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah extremist network, Indonesian police said.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The city administration is doing almost nothing to prevent Jakarta's rivers from becoming industrial and household dump sites. City Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) environment impact protection head Ridwan Panjaitan claimed the condition of the rivers was worsened by the absence of a sewerage system in the city.

Indonesia, hit on Tuesday by its second high-profile terrorist bombing in less than a year, is acquiring a reputation as a soft target for international terrorism. The country's oil, large Muslim population and strategic location are all contributing factors. But as important as anything are the cumulative effects of chronic misgovernment.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Two weeks ago, I received a phone call from a long-standing and well-placed informant in Indonesia. He passed me critical information that the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist network was planning a major strike in Indonesia this month.

Bandung – West Java Governor Danny Setiawan asked workers from state-owned aircraft company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) on Wednesday to cease their daily protest rallies against their suspension to curb potential security disturbances.

Indonesia's police chief linked the deadly bombing of a Jakarta hotel to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror network and warned of fresh attacks by the al Qaeda-connected group.