Marianne Kearney – When members of East Kalimantan's timber mafia, or cukong, need some illegally logged timber smuggled through the province's forests and rivers, they usually contact Pemuda Pancasila, or another group of well-connected thugs for hire.

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – When a troubled commercial bank in Indonesia needed to improve its standing with the public and the business community, it turned to Landor Associates, considered one of the world's foremost authority in image building and branding.

The first trial of a Bali bombing suspect began in the Indonesian resort island amid a huge security clampdown.

Australia and the US reasonably expect their ally to deliver justice for victims of atrocities.

Richard Bingley – Soon after Labour came to power in 1997, its approach to arms sales to Indonesia became the litmus test for the new ethical dimension to foreign policy expounded by a former anti-arms campaigner himself, the incoming foreign secretary Robin Cook.

Jakarta – Twenty companies in the Tangerang municipality have stopped operations due to the slow business over the past few years, causing 36,108 people to lose their jobs, an official said.

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – The business sector has demanded that the government continue working with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through a post-program monitoring system, saying the fund's presence is still crucial to maintain international confidence in the country.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) has found financial irregularities worth about Rp 820 billion (US$97.62 million) in the selected city administration offices and city-owned companies (BUMD), but the City Audit Agency (Bawasda) seems to be taking the news lightly.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Some of the most contentious issues across Indonesia involve ngebor, drilling. In the far eastern province of Papua, the division of the wealth from gold mining and mitigating the ecological impacts of extraction figure prominently in the province's movement for independence.

Jakarta – The speaker of the Bogor municipal council has admitted to receiving Rp 1.59 billion of taxpayer money in late February from Mayor Iswara Natanegara and distributed the money to council members – Rp 30 million each.

Richel Langit, Jakarta – The harmonious relations developed before and during the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies seem destined to be short-lived for Muslims and Christians in Indonesia, the world's biggest predominantly Muslim country.

[Indonesia's special forces have tarnished that country's human-rights record. Yet, they weren't always maligned, writes John McBeth KOPASSUS: Inside Indonesia's Special Forces, by Ken Conboy. Equinox Publishing. $14.99]

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Three tycoons, two former generals, a revered Javanese sultan and an icon for religious tolerance – these are some of the men whose names are in circulation for the coveted post of the presidential nominee for Golkar, Indonesia's second-largest political party.

Susan Austin, Jakarta – About 10,000 people marched on May 1 in a colourful display of opposition to the anti-worker policies of the Indonesian government. Organised by the May Day Action Committee, the demonstration drew together contingents from many unions.

Sonya De Masi – Indonesia has a growing drug problem. Some research suggests there are up to a million intravenous drug users and the numbers are increasing daily. Now under a bilateral agreement between the Australian and Indonesian governments, a training program is underway towards the development of a national action plan.

Leo Wahyudi S. – Thousands of workers staged rallies to mark International Labor Day on May 1 in an attempt to voice their rights, which they said were often overlooked by employers.

Indonesian prosecutors will bring subversion charges against 129 separatist supporters arrested in Maluku province, a police officer said.

Maluku head of detectives Chief Commissioner Usman Nasution said Monday the suspects will be charged with plotting against the state, a charge carrying up to 20 years in jail.

While President Megawati Sukarnoputri keeps silent in the choice of her running mate in the 2004 direct presidential election, her husband Taufik Kiemas has taken a provocative stand by signaling the readiness of the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to join forces with Golkar, the political vehicle of former dictator Suharto.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Despite having opposed the United States' invasion of Iraq, Indonesia will probably not be among those countries that suffer trade punishment by the US, analysts here believe.

A mob has attacked and ransacked a police post in Indonesia. The incident happened in Palimanan, in West Java, a day after a policeman allegedly shot dead a bus driver following a traffic accident. The company's bus drivers went on strike today to protest the shooting.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Despite mounting criticism against Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) forging a coalition with Golkar, PDI Perjuangan leader Taufik Kiemas said on Friday that the ruling party was ready to join forces with the political vehicle of former dictator Soeharto.

Jakarta – Amien Rais, the Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, here on Friday urged President Megawati Soekarnoputri to curb the influence of her businessman husband, calling him "a disservice to this nation."

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The illegal sales of the city administration's nine-hectare site in the subdistrict of Tebet Barat, South Jakarta, to private companies was another example of how the city lost its assets.

Matthew Moore. – She cried often, fainted once and she lied a lot. But mostly Adistia just laughed and laughed with a mother's irrepressible delight at being reunited with kids she thought she would never see again.

Mataram – Around 305,000 people in West Nusa Tenggara are illiterate, according to estimates by a local official on Friday.

Head of the West Nusa Tenggara office for education, youth and sports affairs Zaini Arony said that the 305,000 illiterates were in the 10 to 40 age group. The province has a population of around 3.8 million.

Tim Johnston – If the shipping lanes of South-East Asia have their dangers, doing business on land can be just as fraught. Western oil and mining companies have discovered to their cost that the locals are not always welcoming. BP is the latest multinational to test the area's resolve.

Ministers from around the Asia Pacific region have wound up a two day conference on people smuggling and other trans-national crime in Bali. The meeting was co-hosted by Indonesia and Australia, and both countries describe it as a positive first step on which to build further co-operation.

Jakarta – Golkar Party has expressed concern over the Indonesian government's program to privatize and divest a number of state companies, as it has led to the selling of state assets, which could undermine the country's economic independence, its chairman has said.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Despite opposition from minor labor unions, the government has enacted Law No. 13/2003 on industrial relations and labor protection to develop harmonious industrial ties between employers and workers.

There have been some economists who have argued that exiting the existing IMF programme while simultaneously devising a new economic strategy puts Indonesia's macro-economic stability at risk. They also argue that without the IMF, the government could stray from maintaining economically prudent policies.

Linda Silaen, Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund said Friday that Indonesia's economy in 2004 could grow by more than the government's forecast of between 4% and 5%.

Jakarta – Thousands of workers took to the streets in Jakarta and other cities across the country on Thursday to commemorate International Labor Day, which falls on May 1, demanding improvements in legal protection and their welfare.

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is almost certain not to extend its contract with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which will terminate at the end of this year.

Aside from forming a team to review the most suitable exit strategy, the government has also set a team tasked with reviewing policies to be applied after the program ends.

Jakarta – Some 200 students from the Student Movement for Anti-Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism (Gema KKN) demonstrated in front of the Supreme Court (MA) here on Thursday.

The students demanded that the head of the court, Bagir Manan, send Akbar Tandjung, the chairman of the Golkar Party and the speaker of the House of Representatives, to prison or resign.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The first person charged in connection with the Bali bombing was yesterday found guilty of illegal possession and sale of explosive materials and sentenced to seven months' jail.

Becky Lipscombe, Jakarta – Indonesians have a new idol – a hip-swinging singer who's gyrated her way into fame, fortune, and a whole lot of trouble.

Inul Daratista has achieved the level of success where a second name becomes unnecessary. Inul is what her legions of fans scream, it's what the chat show hosts gossip about; even those who denounce her call her just Inul.

Thousands of Indonesian workers staged May Day protests in several cities on Thursday, calling for wage increases and the resignation of President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

In Jakarta, about 2,000 workers representing various trade unions gathered at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle before marching to the presidential palace.

A Malaysian-owned plantation firm whose director was ordered jailed for causing smoke haze on Indonesia's Sumatra island has agreed to pay more than one million dollars in compensation, an official said.

Wayne Miller, Bali and agencies – Indonesia has lashed out at Australia, the United States and its allies for "a gruesome war" in Iraq, saying it had brought human suffering to a new level.

Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir began his defence against accusations that he leads a deadly Islamic terror network, saying God would be his judge.

"I testify that there is no other absolute ruler, protector or judge except Allah," the white-robed Bashir, who allegedly heads the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network, told the five judges.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Tempo magazine journalists Ahmad Taufik and Karaniya Dharmasaputra testified on Tuesday that defendant David Tjioe, alias A. Miauw, an aide to tycoon Tomy Winata, had physically attacked the weekly's chief editor, Bambang Harymurti, at the Central Jakarta Police station.

Arya Abhiseka, Jakarta – Indonesia's role in drug trafficking has increased significantly in recent years as it has not only become a transit port but also a major producer.

Tony Sitathan, Singapore – The giant Indonesian archipelago enjoys enormous potential fishery resources, as yet under-exploited by the legal fishing industry. However, illegal fishing is threatening this potential.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The debates on whether the government should continue the existing International Monetary Fund program in the country were brought back to life again on Monday when prominent economists aired the need for an extension of the program to help instill investor confidence and avoid damage to the economy.

Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office has appointed 14 prosecutors to handle the case of the 1984 Tanjung Priok shooting incident in which at least 33 people died.

At least 14 active and retired military officers, including the incumbent commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), Maj. Gen. Sriyanto, have been named suspects in the case.

First to Indonesia, where security has been stepped up across the country following yesterday's bomb attack at Jakarta's international airport. Eleven people were injured after a pipe bomb exploded near an airport restaurant. It was the second bomb attack in three days. Jakarta is pointing the finger of blame at local separatists or the Jemaah Islamiah terror group.

Kathy Marks, Sydney – Eleven people were injured, one seriously, when a bomb exploded yesterday in a crowded terminal at the main airport in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.

Jakarta – Indonesia's safety standards remain the worst in Southeast Asia, as it has the greatest number of workplace accidents, a report says.

Shefali Rekhi – Indonesia's plan to buy a floating nuclear power plant from Russia is raising concerns about pollution, terrorism and accidents.

When and if a deal is signed, the floating power plant could be in place sometime between 2015 and 2017, Research and Technology Minister Hatta Radjasa has told reporters.

Jakarta – The situation in Maluku is calm following the separatist South Maluku Republic (RMS)'s 53rd anniversary on Friday, which saw the arrest of more than 300 supporters of the outlawed group.