Jakarta – Bribery is so rife in Indonesia's parliament that legislators consider the system to be normal, a report said Friday.

Washington DC – The United States government has pledged to assist President Megawati Soekarnoputri's government in building a stable, united and democratic Indonesia, according to a joint statement between the two countries' leaders here Wednesday night.

Jakarta – Sales of T-shirts bearing the picture of Muslim militant Osama bin Laden have surged in Indonesia, home of the world's largest Islamic population, since Washington named him as its chief suspect in last week's attacks.

Jakarta – Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network has supplied money and weapons for Indonesians and other Islamic fighters waging a "holy war" against Christians in the Malukus, an expert said Friday.

Jakarta – Some 30 Muslim students set fire to two US flags outside the US consulate in Indonesia's second largest city of Surabaya Thursday during a protest against any plans to attack Afghanistan, police said.

Agencies in Jakarta and Baradan Kuppusamy in Kuala Lumpur – A radical Indonesian Muslim group said yesterday it would attack the US Embassy and seek the expulsion of Americans in Jakarta if Washington carried out revenge strikes against any Islamic nation.

Jakarta – An elite Indonesian army unit has sacked two top officers as well as 20 soldiers from the battalion following a deadly street battle with police in an East Java town. Lieutenant-General Ryamizard Ryacudu, chief of the Kostrad strategic reserve, ordered the sackings.

Jakarta – Vigilante justice rules the streets of an Indonesian city near here, with at least 42 suspected petty criminals burnt alive or beaten to death by mobs so far this year. Criminologists say the attacks reflect a widespread loss of faith in the police and the justice system. Police say they do not condone the lynchings but can do little to prevent them.

Jakarta – Muslim communities in Indonesia are playing down a call for a jihad by Taliban rulers in Afghanistan against the United States should the US attack Middle East countries.

Tangerang – Vigilantes here are increasingly regarded as more effective in curbing crime than the police.

Violent mobs have killed at least 42 criminals in the last nine months, while police turn a blind eye and even seem to applaud the bravery of residents who kill criminals.

Jakarta – Preliminary questioning of alleged bombers revealed that they planted bombs to incite terror and sow hatred between people of different religions in the country, an officer said on Saturday. "So far we've had a confession that the arrested bombers wanted to see people of different religions blaming and fighting each other," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr.

Jakarta – Two civilians were shot dead yesterday when police battled soldiers in the streets of an East Java town after a dispute at a petrol station.

Jakarta – Indonesia's vice president, a leading Muslim politician, urged the United States not to make Muslims a scapegoat for last week's terror attacks, which he said could help atone for Washington's past sins.

Jakarta – Labor unions have called on the government to ratify the international convention on the protection and rights of all migrant workers and their families to help safeguard Indonesian migrants working overseas.

Pontianak – A teenager has been sentenced to seven years in jail for inciting clashes between Madurese refugees and local Dayaks in Pontianak.

The ethnic clashes claimed four lives, injured many others, and resulted in a badminton hall sheltering 120 refugees being razed to the ground.

Jakarta – Labour activists are sceptical about the government's resolve to weed out corrupt airport officials, and believe that any plan to prevent them from extorting money from returning Indonesian migrant workers will be futile.

Jakarta – Indonesian police are under fire again, this time for using cars and motorcycles impounded as criminal evidence. During an internal raid at the Jakarta Police headquarters last month, 32 cars and 52 motorcycles were recovered as the vehicles – meant for crime evidence – were being used by policemen.

Jakarta – City police have apprehended 10 people, including a Malaysian, for their alleged involvement in the blast at Plaza Atrium, a shopping mall in Senen, Central Jakarta, an officer said on Thursday.

Jakarta – Most of the soft drinks and snacks sold in Indonesia's elementary school canteens use textile dyes and are contaminated with the E. coli bacteria, which causes worm-related diseases, a report said.

Jakarta – The agency tasked to audit the wealth of civil servants is apprehensive about looking into the wealth of top officials.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – A battle is brewing in Parliament over a move to amend the constitution to enable Indonesians to directly vote for their President and Vice-President by the 2004 elections.

Tomi Soetjipto, Jakarta – Muslim leaders in Indonesia, the world's largest Islamic nation, have joined the international outrage over the terror attacks against the United States, but warned the world to avoid an anti-Muslim backlash.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The hard-fought battle over the proposed sale of Indonesia's largest retail bank appears indicative of the concessions the Megawati Sukarnoputri government will have to continually make to win over supposedly friendly legislators.

Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday described Parliament's approval of the sale of a 51 per cent government stake in Indonesia's largest private retail bank as an important milestone in economic reforms of the country.

Maria Voukelatos – Ngadinah binti Abu Mawardi made Indonesian history on August 30 when she became one of the first workers to defend herself in a court of law and win.

Max Lane – Despite protests by human rights groups and large sections of the legal profession, Indonesia's police are continuing their prosecution of more than 30 people for their political activities.

Jakarta – The central government's pledge to fight the practice of nepotism seems to be ineffective as some officials of the city administration and the City Council have reportedly placed their children and close relatives in some city-owned companies.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Two years ago, House of Representatives deputy speaker Muhaimin Iskandar could hardly pay for the room he was renting, his old friends say.

Jakarta – Activists intensified their demands on Tuesday for the Public Servant's Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) to investigate the origin of retired and serving state officials suspect wealth.

Jakarta – The country's two largest parties reiterated their intention to reject inclusion of the Jakarta Charter in Article 29 of the 1945 Constitution, viewing the United Development Party (PPP)'s effort to institute the doctrine for Islamic Syariah law merely an expression of responsibility to its constituents.

Jakarta – The South Jakarta District Court rejected on Monday the lawsuit filed by eight middle-ranking police officers against National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro.

Jakarta – Political analysts have hailed the increase in the defense budget in the 2002 draft state budget amid rising speculation that the 18 percent hike was to gain support from the Indonesian Military (TNI) in maintaining stability.

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said on Friday that the central government would assist certain regional administrations that were unable to pay teachers' salary back pay.

Jakarta – Legislators questioned on Friday President Megawati Soekarnoputri's policy for increasing the 2002 defense budget by 18 percent.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Each week, as a Toyota landcruiser roams the streets of Jakarta consuming half a tank or 50 litres of petrol, the Indonesian government is subsiding its relatively wealthy owner about 260,000 rupiah per week (S$50). This is about 60 per cent of a factory worker's salary.

Susan Long, Jakarta - You know surrealism is a way of life here when your mobile phone begins trilling as you peer into the smoky cauldron of the active volcano Bromo in East Java. Nothing but lava sand covers the vast emptiness between mountain peaks, but Telkomsel's reception here is even better than in the heart of urban Jakarta.

Train crashes, crumbling schools, power blackouts and children begging on crowded intersections – these are legacies of Indonesia's budget crunch in recent years. The new budget, with its stated emphasis on social welfare and regional development, aims to address some of the inequities.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – Australia has rejected an Indonesian plea to fast-track people assessed to be genuine refugees from Indonesia, despite pressuring the Government in Jakarta to do more to stop asylum seekers reaching Australia.

Jakarta - The National Police are reviving investigation of several defamation cases against former president Abdurrahman Wahid.

"We have studied all the cases and we think that the public are entitled to legal certainty with regard to the complaints they made to us," spokesman Didi Widayadi told reporters last week.

Jakarta – Thousands of public-school teachers in several regions continued their strikes on Thursday as their demands for six-months' back pay got the cold shoulder from regional administrators.

In the East Nusa Tenggara town of Atambua, a state senior high school decided to close on Friday and Saturday after its teachers went on strike on Thursday.

Jakarta – Most factions in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) turned down on Thursday the proposal advanced by NGOs for the establishment of an independent constitutional commission. The proposal was rejected based on the grounds that it would conflict with the MPR's power to amend the Constitution.

Jakarta – High expectations by the public of a thoroughgoing eradication of corruption have turned into strong criticism of the Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN), due to its poor performance.

Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro finally released on Thursday afternoon the eight middle-ranking officers who had allegedly breached police discipline, a lawyer representing the officers said.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia is already hard-pressed to meet asset-sale targets of over 33.5 trillion rupiah (S$6.7 billion) this year, but President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Budget proposals, due to be announced today, will set an even higher goal of nearly 42 trillion rupiah for 2002.

Jakarta – An avalanche of red tape caused by Indonesia's attempts to devolve power to the local authorities has left business leaders fuming. According to the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), regional administrations have issued 1,006 new regulations since being handed extended powers by a decentralisation law that took effect on January 1.

Joanne Collins, Jakarta – Indonesia's new government handed down its 2002 budget on Friday, walking a tightrope between fiscal prudence and stimulating growth in a bid to keep the debt-weary economy afloat.

Lindsay Murdoch – The smugglers' plan went like clockwork. Paid up asylum seekers were flown in small groups from Pakistan to Jakarta, transiting in Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

Jakarta – The police physically abused two student activists arrested during a demonstration protesting the recent fuel price hike, their lawyer told a court here on Wednesday.

Heppy Sebayang, the lawyer, said during the trial of the two students that several police officers had violated the students' human rights during their arrest, questioning and detention.

Jakarta – Millions of Indonesia's poorest are among the worst hit by corruption since they feel powerless to stand up to greedy local officials and policemen, according to a high-level study.

Jakarta – There is increasing concern that Saudi billionaire Osama bin Laden and his terrorist organisation are looking to Indonesia as a potential springboard for their operations.