Yuli Tri Suwarni and Agus Maryono, Bandung/Cilacap – State-owned forestry company PT Perhutani has increasingly come under fire for its failure to stop the rampant deforestation blamed for last week's deadly landslides that killed more than 30 people in West Java.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – The 2003 city budget, which amounts to Rp 10.98 trillion, will better serve the city administration and council, instead of the general public, critics have said.

This year's budget, which was approved by the council's 11 factions on Friday, increased by about 10 percent from last year's budget, which was Rp 9.7 trillion.

Jafar G. Bua, Palu – The arrest of student activists has not lessened the number of demonstrations. In an action today, Monday, around 1000 activists from the Central Sulawesi Poor People's Forum (Forum Rakyat Miskin Sulawesi Tengah, FRMST) demanded that President Megawati Sukarnoputri resign and proceeded to burn posters of Megawati.

A bomb which exploded at Indonesia's national police headquarters has heightened fears of new attacks in the country, the police chief said.

Berni K. Moestafa, Jakarta – Debuts by new Indonesian artists may soon become a thing of the past.

Digital piracy, through the duplication of CDs and VCDs, is rapidly taking over the market and pushing the local recording industry to the brink of extinction.

Jafar G. Bua, Palu – The Central Sulawesi Poor People's Forum (Forum Rakyat Miskin Sulawesi Tengah, FRMST) protested the arrest of 13 pro-democracy activist during a recent incident when the offices of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) were damaged.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – After a series of debates and delays, the steering committee of the House of Representatives agreed on Thursday to bring a no-confidence motion against Speaker Akbar Tandjung back to the House Plenary meeting on February 27.

Investigators in Indonesia have begun the first formal probe into mass killings that took place more than three decades ago. The massacres occurred in late 1965 and early 1966 in a period of political upheaval that accompanied the rise to power of former dictator Suharto.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The country's forestry-related industry should cut its installed capacity by more than 70 percent in order to protect the country's forests from continued overexploitation, the Ministry of Forestry has said.

The widow of one of two American teachers shot dead in Indonesia's rugged Papua province last year has been lobbying the United States administration and congressmen to halt the recently resumed training of Indonesian military officers.

Jakarta – Speaking again before supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) at her private residence in Kebagusan, South Jakarta on Tuesday, President Megawati Soekarnoputri expressed her disappointment over recent antigovernment demonstrations in which protesters stomped on her pictures.

Kurniawan Hari and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Each faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) agreed to adopt an "open-list" election system for the 2004 elections, paving the way for voters to directly choose individual legislative candidates to represent their aspirations at the House.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) disclosed on Tuesday widespread corruption in the country's judicial system, involving a wide range of players, from justices of the Supreme Court to parking attendants at a district court.

The head of Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation has rejected a breakfast invitation from the US Congress, blaming the possible war against Iraq and new US immigration rules.

"God willing I won't go," Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the moderate Nahdlatul Ulama said, as quoted by the official news agency Antara today.

Max Lane, Jakarta – On January 22, more than 300 journalists and other observers crammed into a room in the Struggle Museum to hear representatives of several political and social movement organisations announce the formation of a new opposition coalition, called the Koalisi Nasional (National Coalition – KN).

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – A retired stockbroker who once assisted Indah Kiat Paper and Pulp – considered the darling of the paper and pulp industry at one time before being swallowed up in a sea of debt – to go public says the best way to see the upside in any downside is for a company to go public.

Arpiadi Gunawan, Medan – Thousands of residents including activists from various non-governmental organizations, clergymen and ulemas again staged a protest on Monday against the reopening of a suspended pulp plant in Toba Samosir regency, North Sumatra.

Jakarta – Indonesia is considering issuing a decree to allow mining firms to operate in areas protected by the country's forestry law, Mines and Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Tuesday.

Purnomo said the 1999 law, which bans open pit mining in areas covered under the regulation, had hampered investment.

Max Lane – In the Jakarta Post, on January 27, Juwono Sudarsono is quoted as stating that there was too much political party involvement in the wave of recent student demonstrations.

Indonesian state human rights investigators have begun a wide-ranging probe of violations committed during the long dictatorship of former president Suharto.

Leo Wahyudi S – The antidrug campaign seems to be getting more intensive support from the police as drug abuse problems become more serious. There are now an estimated four million drug addicts nationwide and some Rp 800 billion is spent daily just on drugs. The Jakarta Post talked to several city residents about the issue and their response to the police attempts.

The United States is expected to bypass Congressional restrictions on funding the Indonesian military or TNI as early as this week. During the East Timor crisis, Congress passed the Leahy provisions which stopped funding to the TNI until it demonstrated clear improvements in human rights and accountability.

Denpasar – The chief of Indonesia's National Terrorism Desk, Police Inspector General Ansaad Bay, expressed his belief yesterday that Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was behind all the bombing incidents in the country, including those in Bali.

"JI has been behind them all," he said after attending a coordination meeting with officials concerned with anti-terrorism efforts.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Zakki Hakim, Jakarta – Despite staging street rallies almost every day, the current student protests against the government are insignificant mainly due to the different political interests they represent, experts say.

A former rock star has led three-thousand Indonesian protesters in a rally outside the British embassy to condemn a possible war on Iraq.

Women wearing white headscarves hoisted signs in downtown Jakarta proclaiming their opposition to American and British plans to invade Iraq.

Reports from Jakarta say large numbers of rare and protected animals are being smuggled out of Indonesia with the complicity of officials.

The Kompas newspaper, citing its own investigation, claims people from countries such as Japan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Malaysia and Iran visit Indonesia regularly to buy wildlife at two main animal markets in Jakarta.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Deforestation of the country's already much-depleted natural forests has accelerated as local administrations are currently in a race to give businesspeople hundreds of timber concession licenses in order to help fill the regions' coffers.

Jim Lobe, Washington – The administration of US President George W Bush has moved a major step closer to normalizing military ties with the Indonesian military (TNI), which it hopes will be a key ally in its war against terrorism in Southeast Asia.

Jakarta – Drug trafficking and abuse in Jakarta are increasing at an alarming rate due to big supplies and easy access to it in the market, an expert said.

There are warnings today about a negative fallout in the region from the Howard Government's decision to deploy forces to the gulf before any United Nations decision on war against Iraq.

Transcript:

Imanuddin, Jakarta – The general elections is still a year ahead, but prospective candidates for the next presidency, who have their roots in the top ten political parties, have either secretly or publicly launched their pre-election campaigns by visiting their constituents across the country.

Jakarta – About 1,000 Muslims chanted anti-American slogans outside the US embassy in Jakarta on Sunday saying any war against Iraq would be an attack on the entire Islamic world.

Jakarta – Indonesia's former armed forces chief, General Wiranto, denied yesterday that he has tried to seize power from President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

"I definitely will not allow myself to be trapped in such a game," the retired general told reporters.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – One of Indonesia's most senior politicians, Parliamentary Speaker Akbar Tandjung, yesterday declared that three of the largest political parties in the country still backed President Megawati Sukarnoputri as he brushed aside speculation that there will be a new regime before elections in 2004.

After fervently voicing support for alleged terrorists last year in the name of Islamic brotherhood, Vice President Hamzah Haz has ventured onto safer ground by braying about the dangers of communism.

Forget the big problems facing Indonesia, such as corruption, terrorism, religious extremism, poor law enforcement and human rights abuses.

Moch. N. Kurniawan and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – US senators voted down on Thursday an attempt to limit US military training for Indonesian soldiers, a move that Indonesian activists said would further dampen efforts to promote human rights in the country.

Jakarta – In another effort to curb illegal logging, the government has issued a joint ministerial decree on the transportation of logs and a minister of trade decree on the exports of logs.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Complicated procedures have put an early damper on moves to show House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung the door as the steering committee (Bamus) that was scheduled to discuss the issue on Thursday failed to reach a quorum.

Bill Guerin – A key Indonesian Christian leader working for an end to the violence in the Spice Islands (Malukus) is reported to have been poisoned while in police custody in Palu, the capital of his native province of Central Sulawesi.

Jakarta – With war looming in Iraq, Quds Production garment workshop owner Syahrul Arief mass produces tee-shirts supporting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Should war break out, sales of the shirts bearing the Iraqi leader's face and the words "Ready for War" and "We Support You", could take off, Arief hoped.

Jakarta – Jakarta Police released on Friday 20 protesters who staged a rally in front of the residence of President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Wednesday, El Shinta radio station reported.

The protesters, mostly studets, were arrested late on Thursday for allegedly violating "law of freedom of expression before public", said Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo.

Jakarta – Human rights groups reacted angrily Friday to a US Senate decision not to block military ties with Indonesia over reports that army troops killed two American schoolteachers in Papua province.

"The problem is that the Republicans don't care about human rights," said Asmara Nababan, a leading Indonesian rights activist.

US senators voted down an attempt to limit US military training for Indonesia, triggering outrage from campaigners striving to bring East Timor war crimes suspects to justice.

The Senate voted 61-36 to reject an amendment to omnibus spending bills that would have restricted a program for Indonesian military officers to come to the United States for training and education.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – A group of religious leaders publicly condemned abortion on Wednesday, saying it was against the teaching of all religions and against human values.

In a joint statement, representatives from five religions denounced abortion in the country and all attempts to legalize the practice through an amendment to the 1992 Health Law.

Robert Go, Nusa Dua – International donors have pledged US$2.7 billion in fresh aid to cash-strapped Indonesia this year, despite ongoing concerns about its inability to implement crucial economic reforms.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Noted scholars warned the government on Wednesday of social upheaval that could explode at any time as people were fed up to the teeth with rampant injustices.

"Today's Senate floor vote against an amendment offered by Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) to restrict International Military Education and Training (IMET) for Indonesia is an outrage which jeopardizes the rights of Indonesians, East Timorese and Americans living in Indonesia," said Karen Orenstein, Washington Coordinator of the East Timor Action Network (ETAN).

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri fired the opening salvo in her campaign for next year's election by challenging her rivals to 'fight' her at the ballot box.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – A group of women legislators have taken the lead in the movement to force out House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung over his conviction in a Rp 40 billion corruption case.