Rowan Callick – Indonesian Embassy in Canberra is investigating claims by the Institute of Public Affairs that "taxpayer-funded Australian non-government organisations are supporting independence movements".

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – For more than 10 years Australians have often seen "Made in Indonesia" labels inside their sports shoes, but now there are signs that these are steadily being replaced by similar labels from China, Vietnam and Burma.

Canberra – The threat of a terrorist attack had receded enough to allow a full reopening of the Australian Embassy in East Timor, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today.

The decision to reopen the embassy came as an international terrorism expert warned Australia could be a target because it was part of the global economy.

Visitors to Jakarta's Shangri-la Hotel last week were confronted by a reincarnation of the labor dispute that closed the hotel for three months at the beginning of 2001, providing symbolic evidence of the fragile nature of Indonesia's labor relations.

A report that Muslim radicals are plotting to assassinate President Megawati Sukarnoputri was an attempt to pressure Indonesia into cracking down on militants, analysts believe.

Kuala Lumpur – Haze from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia blanketed the northern parts of peninsular Malaysia, reducing visibility to as low as three km, a newspaper and residents said on Saturday.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – An alliance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has said it uncovered numerous lies in the country report delivered by the government in the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSSD) in Johannesburg earlier this month.

Jakarta – A police officer testified yesterday that he had overheard Jafaar Umar Thalib, the leader of the Laskar Jihad militia, urge his followers to wage war on Christians in the religiously divided eastern province of Maluku.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – At least two people died and more than 200 houses were torched in a sudden flash of violence in the North Maluku islands, shattering an 18-month period of calm in the province described as a success story in resolving sectarian conflict.

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – PT Perum Angkasa Pura II (PAP), which manages the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, was declared guilty of illegally seizing land belonging to 16 residents living near the airport on Thursday.

Jakarta – Activists believe the use of condoms is the best and cheapest way to prevent the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus through sexual intercourse, but a campaign to encourage safe sex has run into opposition from groups worried it could lead to promiscuity.

Robert Go, Jakarta – They were originally meant to help the poor, who could get them for free, or at a very low cost, at government-run health clinics. But these days, subsidised vaccines – for hepatitis, tuberculosis, tetanus or smallpox – and prescription drugs, including antibiotics, are turning up for sale in the open market. Not surprisingly, corruption is again to blame.

Raymond Bonner, Jakarta – The American Embassy here said today that it had "credible threat information" that Westerners in central Java "may be targeted for violence in the immediate future." The warning did not say who was behind the threats, but the area around Yogyakarta, east of Jakarta, the capital, is a hotbed of Islamic militancy.

Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri expressed her disappointment on Thursday with the way students and youths demonstrated.

"Compared to the current rallies, those in the past were well managed," Megawati said while opening the Association of Bandung Institute of Technology Alumni congress at the State Palace.

Bill Guerin – Against the backdrop of the sudden closure of the US Embassy, violent clashes accompanying the re-election of Jakarta's widely disliked governor, Sutiyoso, and the brazen refusal of parliament Speaker Akbar Tanjung to step down, the Indonesian capital and surrounding areas were blacked out for long periods on September 12-13.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – In what was believed to be one of the largest turnouts ever of labor protesters, thousands of workers from across the country took to the streets on Thursday to oppose the labor protection and industrial settlement bill.

The workers criticized the bill, dubbed by many as a pro-labor draft law, for not providing enough protection for them.

Jakarta – Some 1,500 workers from the country's metal industry on Thursday rally in front of the House of Representatives compound here to protest against proposed labor legislation, AFP reported.

A militant Indonesian Islamic leader denied knowing reputed al-Qaeda kingpin Omar al-Faruq or being linked to terrorist acts in Indonesia.

"I don't understand any of this. I don't know him and only read about him in newspapers," Abu Bakar Ba'asyir told AFP by telephone from Central Java.

Jakarta – Indonesia plans to buy Chinese-made weapons to strengthen the country's armed forces, Defence Minister Matori Abdul Jalil said after meeting his Chinese counterpart Chi Haotian who began a five-day working visit here yesterday.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – The wily Indonesian parliamentary Speaker, Mr Akbar Tandjung, may yet manage to outmanoeuvre MPs petitioning to oust him from his post following his graft conviction this month.

Jakarta – People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais warned Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri to be alert to any pressure from the United States as it seeks support for its plan to invade Iraq.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Undeterred by public outcry, the City Council's election committee approved on Wednesday the result of the voting in the gubernatorial election and refused to examine the ballot papers, which were allegedly marked in code by supporters of Governor Sutiyoso.

Jakarta – Indonesia's state audit agency has discovered that around 6.421 trillion rupiah from the state budget has been misused by various government offices in the first six months of this year.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Convicted corrupter Akbar Tandjung has clearly lost the respect of fellow politicians as legislators frantically interrupted a plenary session he chaired on Tuesday, questioning his credibility to lead the meeting.

Max Lane, Jakarta – Indonesian police used tear gas and water cannons to attempt to subdue a large demonstration outside the parliament of the Jakarta special province on September 11. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered to blockade the parliament building. They also set up check points at surrounding intersections to check vehicles heading towards the parliament.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Hundreds of fishermen from several regencies in North Sumatra province staged a rally in front of the legislative building in Medan on Monday, demanding that the government ban the use of trawlers in the province's waters.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Mr T. Gumolo, who runs a diving outfit in North Sulawesi's famous Bunaken National Park, is supposed to pay around $2,000 in import duties for the thousands of dollars worth of scuba gear and components that he buys each year from abroad.

Jakarta – Ending a 15-day whirlwind tour of six countries, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri returned home on Sunday to face critics who say she is no different from her predecessor who liked to travel instead of dealing with problems at home.

Jakarta – Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea revealed here on Monday that a total of 66,367 accidents at the workplace in 2000 had left 4,142 workers dead, 20,970 seriously injured and permanently handicapped, and 87,390 unable to work.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – United States Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce urged the Indonesian government on Monday to "do even more" in countering terrorism as no suspects linked to the al-Qaeda network had so far been arrested by security authorities here.

Jakarta – Unidentified attackers raided three remote Christian villages in eastern Indonesia, killing two people, ransacking churches and homes and forcing thousands of people to flee, an official said on Tuesday.

Tony Sitathan – Benny Winoto Salim was a businessman dealing with palm oil and its by-products in Medan, Sumatra. In 1997, he set up a chemical trading and distribution company in Jakarta dealing mainly with asphalt and later the supply of an oil-based additive from overseas.

Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) commander General Endriartono Sutarto denies the military has been masterminding violence in several regions to maintain its political power.

[A leading Indonesian analyst says it will take decades to push the Indonesian military out of Indonesian politics. The former foreign policy advisor to former President B.J. Habibie says getting proper civilian control over Indonesia's army will be crucial to the transition to democracy.

Dadan Wijaksana and Musthofid, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has denied charges that the military's foundations generated enough profit to cover 70 percent of the TNI's budget requirement.

Dadan Wijaksana and Musthofid, Jakarta – Legislators recommended on Monday that the Indonesian Military (TNI) maintain the nation's dignity and sovereignty by seeking other sources of military aid to end dependency on the US and to curb the resulting US interference in Indonesia's affairs.

Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Organized criminals, comprising government officials as well as military officers, were the likely culprits behind the widespread illegal logging in the country, an official said on Monday.

It also seemed likely that they were involved with an international network, according to the ministry's data.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Sadum, a semi-employed 55-year-old man, lives with his wife and five children in his five meter by seven meter semi-permanent home on disputed land on the Tembok Bolong coast, Penjaringan district, North Jakarta. To support his family, he works as a porter at Sunda Kelapa port, one kilometer from his house.

Jakarta – It's a David versus Goliath tale, except that in this case, Goliath, the freshly re-elected Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, looks set to steamroll over his detractors.

Washington – President George W. Bush on Monday talked about Iraq and the war on terrorism with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri a week after the United States closed its Jakarta embassy, the White House said.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Activists demanded on Sunday the results of the gubernatorial election be suspended following the recent confession by a candidate who admitted paying Rp 200 million (US$22,222) to 40 councillors.

Berni K. Moestafa and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – As disgraced House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung continued to turn a deaf ear to the mounting calls for him to step down, representatives of dozens of legislators will submit on Monday their petition against him to the House's steering committee.

Don Greenlees, Jakarta – A plan to train Indonesian military cadet officers at the Australian Defence Force Academy has been scuttled because of objections by senior commanders at Jakarta's armed forces headquarters.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Used garments smuggled in from all over the world are flooding the Indonesian market, riling local producers who are unable to compete with the extremely low-priced goods.

Jakarta – A US-led attack on Iraq would fuel radicalism and anti-US sentiment among Muslim communities, putting western interests, particularly that of the United States, across the country further at risk, analysts warn.

Cairo – President Megawati Soekarnoputri has said the support she gave to Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso had nothing to do with his reelection victory.

"If he was reelected as governor, it was not because of me. Never relate it to me," she told a press conference here Thursday night, winding up her state visit to a number of African and European countries.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Choking haze in central and west Kalimantan reached its worst levels this season, with visibility down to only a few metres yesterday.

A scientist from an international forestry research centre said the pollution levels, that are now being described as "extremely dangerous", were predictable, given the dry El Nino season.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – A widespread blackout in the Indonesian capital and the surrounding West Java towns has underscored Jakarta's failure to build power infrastructure to keep pace with the growing demand.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Activists hailed on Friday a bill on witness and victim protection, but demanded that it not only provide protection for witnesses in criminal cases, but ensure leniency for those people involved in criminal cases willing to testify against fellow defendants.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government has delayed plans to pass a controversial new media law that would bar local broadcast outlets from relaying foreign news programmes and allow the government to temporarily shut down news broadcasts deemed to violate the law.