Banda Aceh – Troops repulsed suspected Free Aceh Movement separatist rebels approaching a polling station in Pidie regency yesterday, the police said.

Pidie police chief Lt. Col. Teuku Keumala said troops were engaged in a brief shootout with rebels in army-like uniforms at 10:30 a.m. near the polling station.

Washington – The United States called for changes in Indonesia's political system on Friday, as the Asian country's ruling party swept to an overwhelming victory in parliamentary elections.

"The United States believes that parliamentary elections are tightly controlled by the government of Indonesia," State Department spokesman John Dinger said.

Richard Borsuk, Jakarta – Early results of Indonesia's parliamentary election confirmed what was known long before the tumultuous campaign – President Suharto's Golkar party will win handily.

With only about 7% of the vote counted by 10pm last night, this morning's Indonesian newspaper reports are only an indication of the final result. But the detailed regional breakdowns are too tempting to ignore. In short, Golkar is far exceeding its target of 70%, the PPP has nowhere come even near winning a majority, and the PDI is a complete wipeout.

Jim Della-Giacoma, Jakarta – Indonesia's ruling Golkar party was cruising towards its forecast landslide victory in parliamentary elections on Thursday after about half the votes were counted.

Sintra, Portugal – "Portugal does not recognise any validity in the elections that took place in East Timor on May 29, as a result of the illegal extension to that territory of the legislative elections in Indonesia", the government has said in a statement.

Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Indonesia's poll watchdog on Friday blasted violations and fraud in the nation's general elections held a day earlier. As Jenny Grant reports from Jakarta the Moslem-backed United Development Party demanded a re-vote in some provinces.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – A jittery Indonesian public prepared to vote in national elections today with 25,000 extra troops securing the capital and rumours circulating of further unrest in the wake of the nation's most violent election campaign in President Soeharto's three decades in power.

Seth Mydans, Jakarta – Something happened on the way to the thoroughly engineered government landslide that is widely expected on Thursday in a parliamentary election here in the world's fourth most populous country.

Margot Cohen, Jakarta – The partygoers brought their own weapons-rocks, bricks, knives, machetes, even snakes, were brandished in the final weeks of the general election campaign, dubbed the "festival of democracy." Riots and sporadic attacks spiralled in Jakarta and towns throughout Indonesia in the final days of the campaign before the May 29 elections.

Leslie Gevirtz, Boston – A Massachusetts state legislative committee Thursday approved a measure that would impose sanctions against companies that do business with Indonesia.

Greg Earl, Jakarta – Mudrick Sangidoe points to his colourful new hat before his third audience in as many hours: "My brother brought this back from Chechnya. I wear it to show we are part of the international Muslim struggle for democracy."

Christine T. Tjandraningsih, Jakarta – The ruling Golkar party took a commanding lead Thursday in Indonesia's general election that is guaranteed to keep the party in power for another five years, according to preliminary official returns.

Jenny Grant, Idah enjoys the weekend like any other child - playing noisy games with her friends.

But unlike most 14-year-olds, when Monday morning arrives Idah heads to work at a biscuit factory rather than school.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – When Indonesia's democracy leader, Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri, announced her decision to boycott today's election, she joined millions of people so disillusioned with Indonesia's political system that they believe the best way to use their vote is to spoil it.

For the sixth time in 27 years, the Suharto regime of Indonesia has stage-managed a mock election aimed at legitimizing itself primarily in international eves. For the people of Indonesia these five yearly rituals have little meaning.

Jakarta – Indonesian authorities blocked attempts by two activists on Wednesday to call jailed East Timorese rebel leader Xanana Gusmao as a witness in their trials on charges of subversion.

The widespread violence that has marked the campaign leading up to tomorrow's parliamentary elections in Indonesia moved editors there and elsewhere in East and South Asia to speculate on the underlying causes of the unrest.

Jakarta – Indonesia is considering the purchase of advanced Russian-made Mig jetfighters if the United States continues to block the acquisition of its F-16 aircrafts because of alleged human rights violations. Air force chief Marshall Sutria Tubagus says today it is not certain whether Indonesia will acquire the advanced U.S.-made jetfighters, "because the U.S.

Edward Alden, Jakarta - On one side of the lagoon, Arie, his wife and two children live in a tiny shack of scrap wood and rusting corrugated iron, perched on stilts above canals choked with plastic bottles and tin cans. On the other side is what Arie calls "Miami," and to the people of Muara Baru it might as well be across the world, rather than just across the pond.

Jakarta – Forty members of the Pijar non-governmental organization demonstrated their intention not to vote in the general election when they handed over their yellow cards yesterday to the National Commission on Human Rights.

Commission members Marzuki Darusman and Asmara Nababan told the youths that no Indonesians should relinquish their rights to vote.

Sharon LaFraniere, John Pomfret and Lena H. Sun – April 19, 1993, was a tense day at the White House. After a lengthy standoff, the FBI planned to pump tear gas into the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Tex. At stake were the lives of dozens of federal agents and the nearly 80 men, women and children holed up inside. The White House situation room was on full alert.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – The leader of Indonesia's largest Muslim body said his 34 million-strong Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) would back President Suharto's eldest daughter to be Vice-President next year.

Richard Borsuk and Puspa Madani, Sleman – In a campaign that often featured unpleasant surprises, some things still went smoothly for Golkar, Indonesia's dominant party.

John Colmey, Surabaya – On the day Dita Sari was to be sentenced, the 24-year-old student walked into court with a red ribbon in her hair and handed out 200 rosebuds to each member of the audience. With a big smile she placed garlands of flowers around the necks of her three stern-faced judges.

Ong Hock Chuan, Jakarta – Indonesia ended 27 days of electoral campaigning on Friday with yet another surge of violence in several spots throughout Jakarta and other parts of the country.

[The attendance in court of two defence witnesses (a de charge), namely Mr Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao and Mr Sri Bintang Pamungkas did not eventuate on May 26 as scheduled.

Michael Shari, Kebumen – Abdurrahman Wahid starts the day with "good morning" instead of "salam alaikum." He wears street clothes and doesn't bother with an Islamic prayer cap unless he's actually praying. He has only one wife instead of the permitted four and asks that she cover her head with a scarf only on rare formal occasions.

Anthony Spaeth – No one doubts that Suharto will win big in next week's election, but volatile Indonesia already is starting to plan a political future without him

Michael Shari, Jakarta – Two indonesian election officials were paddling down a river in Borneo's Central Kalimantan province during the 1992 general election.

Banjarmasin – The number of dead in the Siola Mitra Plaza shopping complex, in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, which burned in the riots which befell that town last Friday (23/5), continues to increase.

The Antara news agency mentions that until 18.00 on Sunday yesterday (25/5), already 131 totally burned corpses have been found on the second floor of the shopping complex.

An Indonesian election monitoring group says the government must share responsibility for widespread violence and unrest during the campaign for this week's general election.

More than 130 people have died in a blaze set by rioters in the Indonesian province of South Kalimantan.

Michael Maher reports the fatalities are the result of the worst election violence seen in Indonesia in decades.

Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Indonesian officials have confirmed that at least 130 people died in a massive shopping center fire on the island of Borneo on Friday. As Jenny Grant reports from Jakarta, the blaze began during a riot on the last day of campaigning ahead of Thursday's general election.

Seth Mydans, Jakarta, – The Government displayed its power today, using tear gas, rubber bullets and an overwhelming armed presence on the streets of Jakarta, the capital, to quash attempts by its opponents to hold rallies on the last day of campaigning for next week's parliamentary election.

The 1997 general elections campaign ended with the occurrence of a number of riots in some fringe areas of the Capital. Riots also swamped Tangerang, Bekasi, Bangil (East Java) and Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan).

Keith B. Richburg – President Suharto gained a new distinction last week: With the fall of strongman Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire, the Indonesian president's 30 years in power now rank him second in tenure, just behind Cuba's Fidel Castro, among the world's leaders.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – Indonesia's deposed democracy leader, Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri, announced yesterday she would boycott next week's national elections.

Her announcement came as the armed forces deployed 20,000 additional troops to secure the capital against further campaign violence.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – The Indonesian Armed Forces (Abri) has denied any involvement in the country's election violence, suggesting instead that the banned People's Democratic Party (PRD) was behind the recent unrest.

[Response to the slander by ABRI Social and Political Affairs Chief Syarwan Hamid, that the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) has masterminded the riots and unrest during the election campaign.]

The election campaign of the United Development Party (PPP) of the 14 May, 1997 succeeded in mobilising the critical masses on a broad scale. [Estimated at 1.5 million in Jakarta.] This campaign action was also characterised by the participation of supporters of the Megawati-PDI.

12.30 - Rain poured on the Cawang area and its surrounds. At this time, PPP masses were not yet visible in the areas of Otista, Dewi Sartika or Kalibata. The armed forces [ABRI] themselves had prepared three anti-personnel vehicles and wore stripped clothing and were fully armed, dispersed around the area of the Cawang toll road.

Indonesian military authorities say at least 73 people have been killed in clashes and traffic accidents associated with the campaign ahead of the country's general election.

Brigadier General Slamet Supriadi says despite the tensions and ongoing violence, military authorities guarantee Indonesia's security in the lead up to the May 29 general elections

Jakarta – Renewed outbursts of campaign violence in several Indonesian towns, including the capital, left scores of people injured, reports said yesterday. In Jakarta, scuffles involving supporters of the ruling Golkar party and backers of the two opposition parties, broke out in at least three places, the Kompas daily said.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – An elaborate scheme to grant Government employees two votes each in the coming national elections has raised fears that the Soeharto Government plans to cheat to maintain its majority in the face of growing opposition.

Strasbourg – The European Parliament on Thursday urged the European Union to speak out against the Indonesian government, which it accused of stepping up repression in the run-up to national elections on May 29.

Lisbon – The Canadian Government is studying insistent Indonesian requests for closer relations between the military of the two countries. Jakarta is seeking training for its army and police, regular exercises with the Canadian Navy, and a military attachZ in Ottawa.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – Indonesian security forces have announced a crackdown on supporters of the democracy leader Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri after her backers and the main Muslim party moved to forge an opposition alliance for the coming national elections.

In Jakarta, hundreds of workers at the troubled Busang gold mine in East Kalimantan province, have taken four people hostage to back up demands for severance pay. Two Indonesian executives of Canadian-firm Bre-X Minerals and two Filipino geologists are being held.

Jakarta – Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters of a Muslim-based minority party in two Indonesian towns, as tension rose ahead of the May 29 general election, residents and newspapers said yesterday. In all, clashes were reported in four towns in central Java on Sunday, all involving campaigning supporters of the United Development Party (PPP), they said.