Raymond Bonner, Jakarta – The Bush administration's effort to re-establish military ties with Indonesia, which has been curtailed for nearly a decade because of its army's widespread human rights violations, has some unexpected support among Indonesians.

Jakarta – PT Indomobil Sukses Internasional, the country's second largest automaker, had planned to hire some 2,000 new workers this year in response to growing demand at home for automobiles. Now it has put these plans on hold because of increasing uncertainty in employing workers here.

Max Lane, Jakarta – The debate between minister Kwik Kian Gie, who is in charge of the National Economic Planning Board, and the other ministers in President Megawati Sukarnoputri's cabinet about extending Indonesia's relationship with the International Monetary Fund is an important development in Indonesian politics.

Bernie K. Moestafa and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The collapse of all hopes of a political inquiry into House Speaker Akbar Tandjung's alleged involvement in a graft case shows that the mighty flare sent up by the 1998 reform movement has turned into a damp squib.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – Indonesian navy chief Bernard Kent Sondakh has said that the navy's 113 ships are fit to sail but not fight – a startling revelation that throws into doubt its ability to crack down on the rising piracy, smuggling and illegal-immigrant problems in the sprawling archipelago.

Robert Go, Jakarta – It's a tale of two "sisters", and of how their abilities to "keep it together" over the next two years would affect the rest of Asean.

One wears a kebaya and may not understand what "dirty float" is, while the other looks smart in business suits and has a PhD in economics.

A new book on politics in post-Suharto Indonesia says the chances of an Islamic Government taking power are stronger than ever. The book, "Reformasi" says Indonesia's military and conservative elements could use Islam to get a firmer hold on power.

Presenter/Interviewer: Graeme Dobell, Canberra

Jakarta – The Indonesian Parliament has rejected a motion to set up a special committee to investigate a graft scandal involving House speaker Akbar Tandjung.

Yesterday's decision sparked dissent outside parliament and police had to use a water cannon to disperse about 300 student protesters.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Four photographers and dozens of student activists were injured in a clash between protesting students and police officers during a demonstration at the front gate of the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Monday.

Edith Hartanto and Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – We are back to square one. Democracy is backpedaling to what it was during the Soeharto regime, experts said here on Saturday.

Concerns are being raised that Indonesia's military is once again in the political driver's seat. After the fall of president Suharto in May 1998, and the first free election of a president in 33 years, initial steps were taken to reform the armed forces.

An explosion which damaged a parking lot of a shopping mall in the Indonesian capital was caused by a large firecracker, police said.

"The explosion that took place was not caused by a bomb," Jakarta Police Chief Makbul Padmanegara said of the late Monday blast which injured seven people.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Governor Sutiyoso claimed on Monday that the Indonesia Military (TNI) had settled its dispute with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle over a bloody attack on the party's headquarters on July 27, 1996.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – The army is back in the driving seat in Indonesia four years after the fall of Suharto, flexing its muscles against separatist insurgencies and pulling the strings in domestic politics.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has overseen the first major reshuffle of the armed forces since taking over last month.

The United Nations food agency launched a program to feed 2.1 million of the poorest Indonesians, including hundreds of thousands of people displaced by sectarian and separatist violence.

The operation by the World Food Programme (WFP) will cost 65 million dollars and run until the end of 2003, the organisation said Monday.

Indonesian police will investigate former and current officers who may have helped Tommy Suharto during his year-long flight from justice.

A team from national police headquarters will carry out the investigation as soon as possible, said deputy spokesman Chief Commissioner Prasetyo on Monday.

New York – After one year in office, President Megawati's administration has restored a degree of political stability in Indonesia. But her efforts to secure support and stability have led to a retrenchment of many of the old interests of the Soeharto regime that ruled for three decades, most notably the military.

Jakarta – Corrupt Indonesian businessmen used Australia's high-rolling Christmas Island casino to launder money when it was owned by a crony of Indonesia's former dictator Suharto, a former shareholder believes.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Workers of the Sidoarjo-based plastic goods producer PT Maspion went back to work on Friday, ending a week-long stand off with the management of the factory over working days.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – Frequent cases of violence and intimidation against journalists by police personnel across the country reflects their serious lack of understanding of the freedom of the press, an activist says.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Forking out $60,000 for a five-year-old Mercedes S-Class, bound for the scrap yard is a luxury few Indonesians can afford.

Berni K. Moestafa and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Once the big brother amongst Southeast Asian military forces, the Indonesian Military (TNI) now suffers from acute budget constraints which are crippling its arsenal and diluting its might.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – A recent series of gatherings involving Muslim politicians could lead to the establishment of an Islamic alliance against President Megawati Soekarnoputri should she insist upon deterring the amendment process for the 1945 Constitution, analysts said.

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – The latest data showing a precipitous drop in foreign direct investment (FDI) should serve as a wake-up call for the government to quickly take action to improve the country's investment climate, analysts said.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Political experts criticized chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) Megawati Soekarnoputri dubbing her a "democracy killer" for defying her party's aspirations by supporting the reelection of Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso.

Jakarta – A number of political leaders belonging to a loose grouping of Islamic parties, plus some Golkar Party legislators, met at the residence of deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Cholil Bisri on Jl. Kemanggisan Ilir 2B, Slipi, on Thursday evening, with the host denying that the gathering had any political agenda.

Cirebon – Hundreds of bus owners grouped under the West Java and Central Java Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) demanded on Thursday the release of 117 buses currently impounded by the Jakarta office of the Ministry of Transportation, apparently without good reason.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – In an effort to lower book, newspaper and magazines prices, editors and legislators on Thursday agreed to demand the government remove the imposition of value-added tax (VAT) on reading material.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – As part of the campaign to put an end to the long list of assaults against the Indonesian media, Kompas daily vowed on Thursday to proceed with the legal process against the police for beating one of its reporters while reporting the Maspion worker strike in Sidoarjo, East Java.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – All 11 members of the General Elections Commission (KPU) have threatened to resign en masse if the House of Representatives passes a new election bill that would effectively undermine the commission's independence.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – Calls are mounting for the government to revamp or scrap altogether the Ministry of Religious Affairs following a recent proposal to establish a joint religion office to promote interfaith harmony.

Jakarta – The prosecution appeared to throw in the towel on Wednesday during the cross-examination of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of Supreme Court Justice M. Syafiuddin Kartasasmita.

While Chief Prosecutor Hasan Madani normally asked probing questions, this time he seemed to skip from one question to another.

Jakarta – An armed Indonesian civilian group had held military training exercises outside Jakarta, the country's top security minister said yesterday.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives is expected to pass soon a long-awaited bill on the settlement of industrial disputes, which will allow workers and employers to take their disputes to labor courts.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri's overriding concern with securing her future through political deal-making is causing ripples in Indonesia's most hotly contested political race after the national elections.

Around 150 Islamic extremists armed with sticks and swords rampaged down a street popular with foreign tourists in Jakarta yesterday, forcing their way into cafes and smashing beer bottles, police and witnesses said.

Berni K. Moestafa, Jakarta – Widespread criticism of the government is growing as transportation fares are set to go up by 40 percent following its earlier fuel price increases.

Critics slammed the decision as a slap in the face of the poor, and called into question the government's unilateral approach of raising the fares.

Jakarta – Taking the stand for the first time, Tommy Suharto told a packed courtroom yesterday that Indonesia's security forces had protected him while he was on the run for a year.

The son of former president Suharto denied that he had killed a Supreme Court judge but admitted that he had tried to bribe associates of a former president to clear him of corruption charges.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Education Ministry plans to hire 366,630 temporary teachers next year to overcome shortages in schools around the country.

Education Minister A. Malik Fadjar said during a parliamentary committee hearing on Tuesday that his ministry was seeking a budget allocation of 2.3 trillion rupiah, or 200,000 rupiah per teacher, for the plan.

Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of Indonesia's former dictator, testified for the first time in his murder trial and accused the then-president of interfering in his earlier corruption case.

Max Lane, Jakarta – Natalia Scholastika was a student activist in Bandung, West Java, when the first arrest warrant against her was issued in 2001. A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD), she had helped organise a protest by thousands of workers in Bandung and there were clashes with the police. Several activists were arrested and put on trial. Natalia was not captured.

Jakarta – Five workers from PT Maspion Unit I in Gedangan area, Sidoarjo regency, East Java and a reporter who was covering the workers demonstration, were injured on Wednesday after a clash broke out between workers and the police, a report said.

Jakarta – Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea slammed employers and law enforcers for the rampant restriction of labor unions, saying workers had the right to strike as a last resort to put pressure on management to meet their demands.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – A number of legislators admitted on Tuesday that they had largely ignored their constituents, but shifted the blame for this neglect to Indonesia's electoral system.

Tim Shorrock (Inter Press Service), Washington – As US officials lobby Congress to approve a US$16 million package of military aid for Indonesia, they are stressing the need to support political stability in the world's largest Muslim nation while downplaying Jakarta's role in the global war against terrorism.

Jakarta – The death toll from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases in East Java has now officially reached 30.

East Java Deputy Governor Imam Supardi said there has been an increase in HIV/AIDS cases because of local people's lack of awareness.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – As the army manoeuvred behind the scenes to return to a position of power in Indonesia, the navy slowly distanced itself from such attempts as its new commander made clear that it would not dabble in domestic politics.

Novan Iman Santosa and Yogita Tahilramani, Jakarta – This nation seems to have a huge stock of shocking legal violations. One ongoing case involves no less a figure than Comr. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb, a former Jakarta Police chief.

Indonesia's Vice-president, Hamzah Haz, has won the backing of a powerful group from his Islamic party for a possible presidential challenge in 2004.

The chairman of the United Development Party's in East Java, Hafidz Ma'shum, says its 38 branches have all agreed to push for the nomination of Mr Haz as the party's presidential candidate.