Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – In an apparent attempt to elude unwanted public interest in the February 3 bomb blast in the National Police's Wisma Bhayangkari building, the police issued on Wednesday a statement that negated a previous one.

Women's groups in Indonesia have welcomed a new law that paves the way for more women to enter parliament.

Jakarta – Indonesia has won universal praise for the nimble footwork its police have shown in investigating the Bali bombings and arresting nearly 30 suspects. But the job is only half-done.

Jakarta – Six student protesters were in police detention after police cracked down on an anti-government demonstration involving about 60 students overnight Tuesday.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Top leaders of Indonesia's ruling Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) yesterday called on one of their own ministers to resign after he charged that the party was the most corrupt in the country.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – The International Labor Organization (ILO) called on the Indonesian government to work more seriously to uphold workers' rights to freedom of association as Indonesian workers have to face hurdles in exercising their rights.

Jakarta – A lawyer for the jailed youngest son of former Indonesian president Suharto will soon face charges of bribing a witness at his trial, a prosecutor said yesterday.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Urban activists criticized the city administration's plan to evict Angke river squatters in North and West Jakarta, warning that it could spark social unrest.

Richel Dursin, Bekasi – "We're Indonesians. Why do we have to get a citizenship certificate proving that we're Indonesians?" asked Tjiong Tjoei Liong, 70.

Rachel Harvey, Jakarta – The Indonesian parliament this week passed measures designed to reform the electoral system, but regular street protests may be a sign that many people are still not ready to trust their politicians.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Golkar, Indonesia's second-largest party which once ruled the country's politics for thirty years, is preparing to strike back after nearly a year of adversity.

As hopes grow that a US war with Iraq may be averted, much attention is being paid to the Justice Party (Partai Keadilan, PK), which has demonstrated strong grass roots support during the campaign against a war.

Jakarta – On Monday February 17, hundreds of workers from PT Elaine who have been left in the dark by factory owners, complained to the National Coalition. They were received by National Coalition representatives Eros Djarot, Jusuf Lakaseng and Ricky Tamba.

Jakarta – Delays in planting some 413,343 hectares of rice in a number of areas have resulted in a drain of farmers' income sources.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday took civil servants to task again, saying they performed badly and were frequently absent from work.

Her comment followed a proposal for a rise in civil servants' salaries to up to 10 million rupiah (S$2,000) a month.

Jakarta – The US Embassy here is now full of praise for Indonesia's fight against terrorism, in a marked departure from the sharp criticism levelled by US officials at the government here for nearly two years.

In Jakarta, President Megawati Sukarnoputri's PDIP party has come under fire for continuing the corruption that has long been a part of Indonesian political life. But this time the criticisim comes from within her own ranks. Long serving PDIP member and National Development Planning Minister Kwik Kian Gie says the president's party is the most corrupt in the country.

Jakarta – The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) is the most corrupt party in Indonesia and will crumble during the next elections, PDI-Perjuangan's very own State Minister of National Development Planning Kwik Kian Gie said Monday.

La Remi, Palu – Reinforced security forces were on alert in North Lore sub-district, part of the conflict-torn regency of Poso, on Monday after a rampaging mob attacked a local police station after police refused to hand over a suspect in the killing of a local resident.

Robert Go, Jakarta – There is no love for Mr Saddam Hussein in Indonesia. Members of the educated elite view him as a dictator who has waged war against other Muslims, both beyond and within his own borders. The unschooled masses know only that he has a moustache and often wears a beret.

Jakarta – Indonesia's economy probably expanded in the fourth quarter as Muslim holy days and other festivals spurred spending on food and gifts, analysts say.

Dennis Shanahan, Jakarta – Aid agencies operating in Indonesia using Australian government funding face scrutiny after John Howard offered to investigate if any of the funds were being spent to undermine Indonesian control in the rebellious provinces of Aceh and Papua.

More troubles surfaced last week in the government and Bank Indonesia's (BI) efforts to cover the costs of the disastrous bank bailout of the late 1990s just as many of those responsible for the catastrophe put their names forward for the position of central bank governor.

Bill Guerin – Indonesia has some 200 pharmaceutical manufacturers and 1,600 pharmaceutical distributors. Several international pharmaceutical companies have manufacturing plants and offices in Indonesia, including Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Glaxo Wellcome and Schering. State-owned pharmaceutical giants PT Indofarma and PT Kimia dominate the domestic market.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Four thousand workers of Bandung-based aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) went on strike on Friday to protest the company's reported plan to lay off 3,500 workers.

The workers, organized by the Communication Forum for PT DI Workers (FKK), laid down their tools for two hours and picketed outside the company's front office.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The chief of Indonesia's largest Muslim organisation has warned that an attack on Iraq would spark street riots and the resurgence of radicalism in the world's most populous nation.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Six of the largest political parties qualified for the general election scheduled for 2004 following the House of Representatives approval of electoral threshold on Friday.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Stealing the nomination start, the Golkar Party, a political machine that backed the former, repressive New Order regime, has nominated five political figures in its race to return to power in 2004, from whom one will be selected as the party's presidential candidate.

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – Indonesia is hoping to improve its image as a safe haven for foreign direct investment, especially after the Bali bombings. That task will evidently include a tough battle to win the hearts and minds of workers, who account for almost one-third of Indonesia's 220 million population.

Bogor – Floods and killer landslides that followed each other in quick succession in Indonesia – flood warnings reached a peak this month – are the latest reminders that the country has a long way to go in correcting past environmental mistakes.

Suwarjono, Jakarta – Although [President] Megawati's supporters have come out into the streets, students are not trembling with fear. This afternoon (Monday), 1000 students from 12 organisations will be calling for the "Tritura" (*) at the presidential palace. Tritura is the three demands of the people (*), reduce prices, try the corrupters and build a self-reliant nation.

Thousands of Indonesians hit the streets of Jakarta on Sunday, staging a peaceful demonstration against the looming US-led war on Iraq.

Organized by the relatively small Justice Party (Partai Keadilan), it was clearly the biggest ever anti-American protest in Indonesia, involving students, Muslim activists and families carrying babies.

It was a palace insider, Brutus, who stabbed Julius Caesar from behind, not any external enemy. President Megawati Sukarnoputri also knows that it is highly likely the organized action to pull down her government comes not from outside, but from within her inner circle.

Jakarta – The Riau chapter of Koham (Human Rights Commission) will sue 11 plywood and pulp and paper companies operating in Riau for allegedly causing the recent flooding in the province, Antara has reported.

Indonesia is gradually winding back the elaborate system of discrimination against its Chinese citizens.

Foreign travellers arriving in Indonesia are still asked if they are carrying pornographic magazines or more than a litre of liquor, but the question asking if you possess material printed in Chinese has suddenly disappeared.

Jakarta – An estimated 140,000 out of 583,000 current tuberculosis sufferers in Indonesia die every year compared to 2 million worldwide, Sri Astuti Suparmanto, the Health Ministry's acting director general for contagious disease control and environmental health, said here on Friday.

Bill Guerin – Jakarta has officially announced that regional governments can now borrow from foreign sources if certain conditions are met.

Joanne Collins, Jakarta – A UN investigator examining Indonesia's legal system called on the government to take urgent and drastic action to tackle corruption in the country's judiciary, or see badly needed investment dwindle.

Jakarta – The Indonesian military (TNI) is undertaking a major reshuffle of 120 strategic positions, including the three deputies to the chiefs of staff of the army, the navy and the air force.

Moch. N. Kurniawan and Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Workers and employers have inched closer to a workable agreement with regard to several contentious and crucial issues in the labor protection and development bill, which is expected to be endorsed by the House of Representatives this month.

Several hundred protestors scuffled with police during a rowdy demonstration outside President Megawati Sukarnoputri's official residence in Jakarta.

The protestors were calling on the president to resign, and carrying signs showing her as the devil.

Police cordoned off the area, but had to resort to a baton charge when the crowd failed to disperse.

Kafil Yamin, Jakarta – The market is dirty, is chaotic and reeks of animals. Called the Pramuka pet market, its bazaar-like atmosphere, punctuated by the calls of creatures in distress, camouflage well the fact that this untidy sprawl in the eastern part of Indonesia's capital is a key part of a multimillion-dollar smuggling operation.

Jakarta – About 1,000 Indonesian students staged a rowdy protest outside the home of President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Thursday calling for her to step down.

Hundreds of police formed a cordon to stop the protesters approaching Megawati's official residence in central Jakarta.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The World Bank is calling on the government to proceed with its higly criticized plan to actively involve the private sector in managing clean water services to help improve people's access to water.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – As demands from within Golkar grow for chairman Akbar Tandjung to quit his post, party leaders are now scrambling to save the organization from falling apart by diverting attention away from Akbar's corruption case.

Dadan Wijaksana and Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – In an apparent bid to appease public criticism, the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) started another round of legal action against five former bank owners who have been deemed uncooperative in settling their debts to the state.

Indonesia's exports rose 1.2 per cent to $US57 billion ($97.3 billion) in 2002 from a year earlier, helped by higher oil and commodity prices as well as a boost in overseas orders for machinery and other manufactured goods.

Warren Fernandez, Jakarta – Brace yourselves – the next 18 months are going to be tense and turbulent as Indonesia heads down a bumpy road to the 2004 polls.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The country's export performance turned out last year to be better than many had expected, thanks to stronger exports of agriculture and low-end manufacturing products.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Monday that the value of exports rose by 1.21 percent to US$57 billion last year, compared with the level in 2001.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Indonesia's national police headquarters was rocked by a bomb blast early yesterday.

While the explosion injured no one and caused only minor damage, it sent shockwaves through the country's campaign to convince the world that it has implemented effective security measures in the wake of the Bali bombings.