Jakarta – The majority of factions in Indonesia's parliament on Monday rallied behind the idea of a probe into a financial scandal with which its influential speaker has been linked, a move that could boost political instability.

Jakarta – Indonesia may generate just over half of its targeted 6.5 trillion rupiah (640 million US) in privatisation revenue for the full year, an official said Monday.

Jakarta – Four more provinces – Riau, South Sumatra, Bengkulu and South Kalimantan – have followed suit by increasing their minimum wages by 20 percent to 30 percent.

Kartika Bagus C., Surakarta – Thousands of workers employed in more than 40 textile companies in Surakarta, Central Java, face the threat of mass dismissal amid decreasing textile orders and fierce competition with other textile-producing countries, according to industry executives.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Human rights abuses across the country are on the rise this year, particularly in areas of conflict such as Aceh, Irian Jaya, Maluku, Poso in Central Sulawesi and Sampit in Central Kalimantan, activists said on Saturday. They said that abuses involved the military, the police and civilians.

[The world marks the 53rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Day today, yet, there are no signs that major human rights violations in Indonesia will be properly investigated. The Jakarta Post's Kornelius Purba talked to leading human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis about the issue.]

Question: How do you see our human rights situation?

Jakarta – The Indonesian parliament on Monday passed a bill that placed the police force directly under the president and stipulated that police violations will be judged by a civilian court and no longer by a military tribunal.

Christian refugees trekked for two days through mountain forest to escape advancing Muslim warriors armed with bombs and rifles, a Christian leader in a riot-torn district in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi said.

Jakarta/Surakarta – Well aware that the creation of a special committee to investigate House Speaker Akbar Tandjung's alleged corruption may not materialize due to stiff opposition, legislators are setting up a contingency plan.

Jakarta – Disgusted by recriminations that Golkar swindled most of the 54 billion rupiah (S$9.5 million) from a financial scandal involving a state agency, a government minister said most major political parties got a share of the money.

Bahrul Ilmi Yakub, Palembang – Environmental activists have called for a transparent investigation into the pollution on Musi River in Palembang that has allegedly originated from a factory on the river's banks owned by state-owned fertilizer company PT Pupuk Pusri.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – A team examining October's controversial verdict issued by the Supreme Court exonerating Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra from all charges has concluded that the Court violated the Criminal Code Procedures as well as its own rules and procedures.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – As whole villages are destroyed by renewed religious violence in Central Sulawesi, its local leaders blame Indonesian security forces and a team of government negotiators for failing to rein in the rampaging militias.

Kuala Lumpur – Around 2,000 illegal immigrants detained in a Malaysian camp rioted and burnt down some of their quarters overnight before police fired tear gas to re-establish control, newspapers reported on Wednesday.

Indonesia will get a 400 million dollar loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help it reform and return its state-owned corporations to private hands, the Philippines-based lender said.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Some 4,500 workers from 24 companies launched a strike here on Monday demanding better pay, fair treatment of layoff victims and higher Idul Fitri bonuses.

Canton, Mass – The Reebok Human Rights Award Program announced today that for the first time in its 13-year history, the annual Reebok Human Rights Award will be presented to four women.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Despite pressure to bring to justice high-ranking officials suspected of involvement in a number of human rights violation cases, Chief Justice Bagir Manan said on Friday that the ad hoc human rights tribunal would be delayed until early next year due to the long holidays.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Importers Association (Ginsi) estimated on Thursday that the government has been losing at least Rp 40 trillion (US$3.8 billion) a year in revenue from import duty, value added tax (VAT) and income tax due to the widespread practice of under-invoicing import prices.

Robert Go, jakarta – The arrest of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra on Wednesday capped a year-long manhunt by the police, but now the government faces its real test – putting former president Suharto's youngest son behind bars.

Chris McCall, Jakarta – The fugitive son of former dictator Suharto was officially put behind bars yesterday after a night of questioning. But outside his cell, the questions about his arrest had just started.

Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – Workers' hopes of enjoying a 38.7 percent increase in the minimum wage here next year will likely not materialize as employers have rejected the hike.

Roger Maynard, Sydney – Indonesia and Australia signalled a significant thaw in their relations yesterday, after Jakarta's Foreign Minister suggested an early resumption of military ties between the two countries.

Rob Taylor, Canberra – Australia and Indonesia are set to resume military ties frozen in the diplomatic fallout from East Timor, following a two-day visit by Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda.

Bahrul Ilmi Yakub, Palembang – More than 200 workers of state-owned coal company PT Bukit Asam held a demonstration at the South Sumatra legislative building in Palembang on Tuesday, demanding the central government annul the appointment of the company's new board of directors.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Legislators from the Golkar Party successfully foiled attempts on Wednesday to create a House of Representatives (DPR) committee to examine alleged corruption involving House speaker and Golkar party Chairman Akbar Tandjung.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Several of Indonesia's political parties appear to be backing down from a plan to investigate a financial scandal allegedly involving House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, following reports that several political parties might have also received funds from a state agency.

Badri Djawara, Poso – At least five people were killed and five others were injured when two rival sectarian groups clashed in the Central Sulawesi riot-torn town of Poso late on Tuesday.

Indonesia's brief honeymoon with the international donor community appears to be over. Barely four months after President Megawati Sukarnoputri won praise for choosing an economic team packed with reformers, many aid officials, diplomats and pundits have begun to doubt their ability to match rhetoric with action.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – How the authorities deal with the subsequent legal processing of captured Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra will, of course, depend on the ability of the National Police to obtain evidence of some of his crimes.

Chris McCall, Jakarta – Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra's ability until yesterday to evade the clutches of the law was as sure a sign as any that Indonesia had failed to put behind it the dark days of legal impunity for the rich and powerful.

Susan Sim, Jakarta – Frustrated that a seemingly unrepentant Indonesian military is still being given carte blanche authority to abuse human rights in Aceh and engage in illegal logging, among other sins, American lawmakers are already threatening to curtail the limited re-engagement initiated by the US military.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – As a parliamentary body yesterday reported that up to 40 per cent of funds meant for regional governments were lost to corruption, President Megawati Sukarnoputri expressed shock that some officials and legislators had refused to comply with an anti-corruption law.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Controversial police figure Commissioner General Da'i Bachtiar is set to become Indonesia's new police chief with the backing of President Megawati Sukarnoputri and the majority of Parliament, despite criticism over his past track record.

Yongker Rumthe, Manado – An alliance of student associations in Gorontalo and North Sulawesi has called on the central government to annul the results of the recent gubernatorial election in Gorontalo on the grounds that they were not legal.

Jerry Norton, Jakarta – The United States wants to return to full military cooperation with Indonesia but it must first match words with action in accounting for the violence in East Timor, US Admiral Dennis Blair said on Tuesday.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – In a bid to prevent separatist and ethnic conflicts from fragmenting Indonesia, the government plans to rotate up to 50 battalions through the restive provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya and hotspots in Maluku, Sulawesi and West Kalimantan, security chief Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

Jakarta – A church in the eastern Indonesian city of Poso has been bombed and burnt to the ground, a policeman said on Tuesday, and an aid worker said the area was gripped with renewed religious tension.

Jakarta – The US military chief for the Pacific Tuesday said the Indonesian armed forces should account for the 1999 violence in East Timor before they can resume full military cooperation with Washington.

Jakarta – Indonesia's forestry minister Tuesday promised a clampdown on illegal logging, which he called a "crime organized by many parties."

Jakarta – The Indonesian government expects the country's current account surplus to fall significantly this year mainly due to lower oil prices, and to narrow further in 2002 with exports likely to remain weak, a document showed Monday.

Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – To some, the thought of everyday life without the assistance of domestic helpers is unbearable. The fact that human labor is inexpensive, and, at times, taken for granted, means that the services of domestic helpers are accessible to most households in the city. It also enables the latter to live increasingly self-indulgent lifestyles.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The House of Representatives is playing for time and lacks seriousness in its plan to investigate the alleged involvement of its speaker, Akbar Tandjung, in a Rp 40 billion (US$4 million) corruption case, analysts say.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Once the Permuda Pancasila comprised the strong arm of the ruling Golkar party. Its members ran everything from karaoke clubs to gambling and prostitution rackets. They inspired fear and loathing across the archipelago ruling not just the back alleys of Jakarta, but also ensuring that none of the government's opponents got out of line.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno on Monday urged local authorities to revoke dozens of regional regulations deemed to hinder the flow of goods and capital.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Life could not be harder for minimum wage earners in the capital. They are forced to struggle to make both ends meet with the current minimum monthly wage of Rp 426,250 (about US$40).

One might wonder how they could survive earning such a low amount of money while the prices of goods keep on increasing.

Dean Yates, Jakarta – Indonesia's tolerant brand of Islam has passed the test of US attacks on Afghanistan largely intact despite images of burning American flags, proving the nation will not become a breeding ground for Muslim extremism.

Geneva – The United Nations Committee against Torture said on Friday that it was concerned about a "climate of impunity" for torture committed by security forces in Indonesia.

Pip Hinman, Sydney – The November 10 assassination in Jayapura of West Papuan leader Theys Eluay drew condemnation from a wide range of public figures at a press conference in the NSW Parliament House here on November 15.

Dita Sari, chairperson of the Indonesian National Front or Labour Struggles (FNPBI) was released from police custody on the evening of November 9. She had been arrested, along with 30 workers, earlier in the day when police violently dispersed a 1000-strong rally in Jakarta by striking department store workers.