Jakarta – Indonesia's national assembly chairman Amien Rais yesterday slammed Malaysia over what he called the "inhumane" caning of several illegal Indonesian migrant workers.

The influential chairman of Indonesia's national assembly says his chances of winning the presidency in 2004 have been greatly improved by the assembly's decision to hold direct elections for the post.

"To be honest, with direct elections my chances have become much better," Amien Rais told Tempo magazine in an interview published Monday.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI)'s surrender of its seats in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has been applauded by many, but one analyst says the retreat is symbolic, noting that much of the TNI's political clout lies outside the MPR.

A new upsurge in violence in the Poso region of Central Sulawesi is believed to be not only a conflict between Muslims and Christians but more a struggle between local elites.

Tommy Suharto is among more than 35,000 prisoners – almost half of all Indonesian inmates – who have had their sentences cut to mark the country's 57th independence day.

Efforts to stem or halt the rapid disappearance of Indonesia's rich and sprawling forests are stumbling in the face of weak law enforcement in this vast and corruption-prone archipelago.

A thick haze caused by fires in Indonesia has disrupted internal air services and forced flight cancellations in Malaysia's Sarawak state on Borneo island, an airport official said.

Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund praised Indonesia's 2003 draft budget on Friday, describing it as "sound" and saying it made big headway in reducing the country's hefty debt burden.

Fitri Wulandari and Lela E. Madjiah, Jakarta – Indonesia is mobs burning alive criminals, would-be criminals and even the innocent – and taking great delight in doing so.

Indonesia is a country that frees tycoons charged with embezzling trillions of rupiah belonging to the state and the people.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – A major shake-up of courts in Jakarta and other big cities is in the offing. Judges and prosecutors will be reshuffled as public pressure builds up to wipe out corruption in the legal system.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – Poor service at public health centers in West Kalimantan has been blamed for the province's high mortality rate among babies and their mothers.

A survey conducted by the provincial health office shows that as many as 6,000 new-born babies die every year. The survey said there were 46 deaths for every 1,000 newborn babies.

[The Indonesian Government is refusing to act on requests from Singapore, Malaysia and the US for one of its leading Islamic clerics to be arrrested because of his alleged links to the al Qaeda terrorist network.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Jafaar Umar Thalib, who heads one of Indonesia's top militant groups that is allegedly involved in bloody sectarian clashes in the Malukus and Sulawesi, went on trial yesterday.

Dressed in white robes, Jafaar was trailed by over 150 supporters who demonstrated outside the south Jakarta courtroom, chanting "God is great".

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The government refuted on Wednesday a report which detailed the Indonesian Military's (TNI) involvement in establishing terrorist groups in the country, and branded it as baseless.

Jane Perlez, Unukan – Bent with the strain of balancing 12 years' of belongings, Zainal, a migrant worker who had just been expelled from Malaysia, struggled to board a navy boat that would take him back to his village. His long run of work abroad had abruptly come to an end. Two of his three children tottered along with him, clutching at his arms, their faces tight with fear.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Hundreds of hoodlums, gambling bosses and prostitutes grouped under the The Poor People's Union (SKM) went on strike on Wednesday in Kupang, capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, demanding the city administration and legislative council legalize gambling and prostitution.

Jakarta/Palu – Armed assailants involved in attacks in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso remain a mystery, but the authorities' failure to capture them or uncover their identities and whereabouts has sparked speculation that security forces may have played a role in a recent spate of attacks there.

Stephanie Mann, Washington – The United States is moving toward restoring full military relations with Indonesia after a three-year hiatus.

Jerry Norton, Jakarta – Indonesia's military must stay the course on reforms toward civilian control and respect for human rights if it wants normal ties with the United States, the top American commander in the Pacific said on Thursday.

Steven Gutkin, Jakarta – Women in miniskirts gyrate in all-night discotheques, where designer drugs circulate as freely as alcohol. Friday, the Islamic sabbath, is a regular work day. Pork is widely available in restaurants and supermarkets.

Jakarta – Indonesian prosecutors on Thursday accused the head of the best-known Muslim militant group of inciting hatred when he delivered a speech earlier this year in the strife-torn Moluccas islands.

Kuala Lumpur – Choking haze from forest fires in Indonesia has blanketed parts of Peninsular Malaysia, reducing visibility to as low as 1.5 km near the capital Kuala Lumpur, government officials said on Thursday.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will impose a quota on sand supply to Singapore from next month as part of efforts to block illegal sand mining, and at the same time, to increase revenues from the commodity.

The youngest son of former strongman Suharto was transferred to an Indonesian prison island where he will serve his 15-year sentence alongside his father's golfing buddy.

Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra Suharto was flown Thursday by helicopter to the Nusakambangan prison island off the west coast of Java, an airport official named Bambang in the town of Cilacap told AFP.

Jakarta – Hundreds of students demonstrated outside the South Kalimantan provincial legislative assembly on Tuesday, demanding Governor HM Sjachriel Darham resign for his alleged involvement in corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN), Antara state news agency reported.

Bob Burton – The Australian government has defended its embassy officials in Jakarta who lobbied Indonesian security forces and officials to deal with "illegal miners" at an Australian-owned mine. In three separate incidents after the lobbying commenced, two people were killed and another five injured.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso yesterday refused to share the stage with other political hopefuls, including a becak or pedicab driver, by not turning up at a much-awaited public debate over who would earn the right to be the capital's next governor.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The number of unemployed people increased by 400,000 to around 8.4 million during the first half of this year, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said in its latest quarterly survey.

However, independent experts say the figure does not reflect the true picture of the pressing unemployment problem in Indonesia.

Doctors who examined former Indonesian dictator Soeharto to determine whether he was fit to stand trial said yesterday he was suffering from a brain disease which left him barely able to speak.

Jakarta – Air pollution has cost Indonesia billions of US dollars in economic losses, deputy minister for Technical Infrastructure of Environment Management of the State Ministry for Environment Masnel Yarti Hilman says.

Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta – Some 800 local fishermen staged a demonstration at the North Sumatra legislative council on Monday to protest the recent abduction of fishermen and extortion, an indication of poor security in the waters adjacent to the province.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The latest review team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) left Jakarta on Sunday with some praises for Indonesia's economic reform progress.

But it warned that investor confidence remained fragile and the recovery process could be derailed by future government mistakes.

Five people were killed and hundreds of houses were burned to the ground during an attack on three Christian villages in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi, residents and the military said.

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Tensions flared anew between Muslims and Christians in Indonesia's troubled region of Central Sulawesi after one person was found dead and three people were reported missing over the weekend, police said on Monday.

Slobodan Lekic, Jakarta – Despite a $50 million US aid package and a push by Washington to renew military ties, a new report suggests Indonesia's military created the network now said to be Southeast Asia's most serious terrorist threat.

Jakarta – Some 3000 workers belonging to Forum Lima (the Forum of Five) staged a protest on Sunday demanding that the House of Representatives (DPR) stop deliberating bills on worker protection and the settlement of industrial relations disputes.

Jakarta – At least 100 residents from Susukan in Ciracas district, East Jakarta, protested on Sunday against PT Jayamix's plan to build a factory in the village.

Ciracas Police Second Brig. Sudino said the residents had staged their protest peacefully.

What will generals do after the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) decided to remove military and police representatives from parliament? Simple, they can join mainstream political parties, as evidenced by the appointment of retired Lieutenant General Budi Harsono as Golkar Party's new secretary general.

John Aglionby, Jakarta – Indonesia's supreme legislature has expelled the once virtually omnipotent military from the national assemblies and surrendered its right to elect the president and vice-president.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed on Saturday reviewing the country's economic situation and the implementation of economic reform measures here, according to a senior government official.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's opponents may have wanted the just-concluded national assembly session to be a referendum on her one year in office and a chance to unseat her. It was anything but.

Jakarta – Indonesia's parliament closed a two-week session today in which legislators introduced sweeping constitutional changes designed to shrink the military's role in politics and boost presidential powers.

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – The newly amended Constitution now gives more power to the people through political parties, but still lacks one thing: a proper system of checks and balances.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The vast majority of Indonesian lawmakers squashed a move to insert the racially-charged term "pribumi" – meaning indigenous or native – into economic recommendations to be made this year by the nation's top legislative assembly to the government.

Jane Perlez, Jakarta – Indonesia's highest legislative body, after rebuffing calls to impose Islamic law here in the world's largest Muslim country, closed its annual session today with constitutional changes aimed at enhancing the democratic nature of the state.

Indonesia's highest consultative assembly wrapped up its 10-day annual meeting, approving its fourth series of constitutional amendments since 1999, including on direct presidential elections and ruling against imposing sharia law for Muslims.

Jakarta – In an effort to push the reform agenda, at least 2,000 students staged a protest by joining hands to create a human chain, linking the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) complex to Hotel Mulia Senayan, where legislators are staying during the ten-day Annual Session.

Students have nominated four legislators to receive the "Traitor of Reform" award for their political stance.

The Association of Student Executive Boards from universities in Greater Jakarta is set to present the award in a ceremony on Saturday, when the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is formally closed.

Jane Perlez, Jakarta – A militant preacher, who returned to Indonesia after years in exile, became the fulcrum for an even more radical network that wanted to establish a pan-Islamic state of several countries across Southeast Asia, according to a new report.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Indonesians could get to elect their next president directly in 2004 after the country's highest legislative body yesterday approved a change to the Constitution.