Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Remember the old politicians who made a scene jostling and screaming at each other at the first-day meeting of the People's Consultative Assembly the other day? The "bad men" eventually got what they fought for yesterday: Their Regional Representatives Faction will be reinstated. It will be renamed, though.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – City officials complained on Monday over the interference of city councillors in their drafting of next year's city budget and alleged that they might be tempted to seek an advantage from the planned projects.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Attorney General's Office said on Tuesday it had formally asked the country's central bank to freeze assets of 28 companies and groups suspected of having links to terror activities.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The South Jakarta District Court sentenced on Monday former chief of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) Beddu Amang to two years imprisonment for his involvement in a land swap deal causing some Rp 20 billion (US$ 20.8 million) in losses to the state. Beddu, 65, was also ordered to pay back Rp 5 billion to the state and a Rp 5 million fine.

The rupiah plunged to near 11,000 per US dollar late on Monday, the lowest level during President Megawati Soekarnoputri's three-month-old administration.

Kupang – Afghan and Iraqi asylum-seekers staying at an Indonesian police college here quietly protested Wednesday against their treatment by the Australian military and international refugee agencies.

About 100 men, women and children sat on hot ashphalt in the mid-afternoon protest with some claiming the group would go on a hunger strike.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Three Islamic parties in Parliament are pushing for the inclusion of Islamic Syariah law in the Constitution to pave the way for its implementation in Indonesia.

Dean Yates, Jakarta – The World Bank said on Monday it expected Indonesia to "muddle through" its economic woes, adding the most urgent tasks were to ensure fiscal sustainability and improve the climate for private investment.

Jakarta – The World Bank on Monday urged Indonesia to immediately defy provincial government attempts to take-over affiliates of state-owned cement producer Semen Gresik, warning the moves were endangering the future of investment.

Jakarta – A majority of factions in Indonesia's top assembly have agreed to hold the country's first ever direct presidential election in 2004, although the format is still being debated, local media reported on Monday.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesians will find out next week whether they will be able to vote directly for their choices of president and vice-president in the 2004 election, after the country's supreme legislative body reaches an agreement on the issue.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Running low on rice and other staple goods, Indonesia is mulling over a barter programme with other Asean countries to trade for those commodities using locally produced planes, trains, coal and other goods, senior officials say.

Surabaya – Around 3,000 Muslims Friday demonstrated against US-led attacks on Afghanistan in Indonesia's second largest city.

The peaceful rally in the city of Surabaya, some 800 kilometers, was the latest in a series of anti-US protests in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Jakarta – Indonesians working abroad often become victims of extortion at the airport when they return home, a minister said in a newspaper report Wednesday, vowing to replace the relevant management.

Jakarta – Central Bank Governor Sjahril Sabirin was convicted of fraud for his role in allowing an illegal payment to PT Bank Bali, said state prosecutor Jan Mere.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Former Defence Minister and military chief General Wiranto yesterday denied having misused 10 billion rupiah (S$1.7 million) from the state food logistics agency known as Bulog.

However, General Wiranto did admit to prosecutors that the 10 billion rupiah had been used to fund a security outfit in East Timor prior to an independence ballot there.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian media, assessing President Megawati Sukarnoputri's first 100 days in office, said she did not live up to expectations and that her administration was heavy on rhetoric but achieved little.

Yemris Fointuna, Atambua – East Timorese refugees living in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, have destroyed some 700 hectares of protected forests in the regency of Belu for agricultural purposes following a halt in aid from the government.

Sydney – Australian Prime Minister John Howard was forced to acknowledge Thursday the testiness of his country's relationship with Indonesia as a new diplomatic spat brewed.

Craig Skehan, Kelly Burke and AAP – Indonesia accused Australia of a failure in diplomacy over boat people yesterday, attacking Canberra's "unacceptable" practice of going public before raising problems with Jakarta.

Jakarta – Indonesia's navy said on Wednesday it would not detain any asylum seekers found on boats in the country's waters and would even feed needy refugees before they resumed their journey.

John Aglionby, Jakarta – Megawati Sukarnoputri, Indonesia's president, marked 100 days in office yesterday with the threat of national disintegration, unchecked corruption and rapidly declining natural resources top of her agenda.

Jakarta – Indonesia's state-owned electricity company, PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), is seeking foreign loans to avert a likely power shortage in the main islands of Java and Bali, a report said Tuesday.

Jakarta – Indonesia's cash-strapped state television station is to start carrying advertising for the first time since it was set up almost 40 years ago, a report said Wednesday.

Melbourne – Jakarta has failed to renew a key agreement that allowed Australian and Indonesian police to cooperate directly on stemming the flow of illegal immigrants to Australia, according to a report here yesterday.

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Indonesian police on Monday forcibly evicted 100 Middle Eastern asylum seekers, some of them screaming hysterically, who had been holed up at the UN refugee agency's office in Jakarta since late last week.

Jakarta – Former minister of defense/Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto declared on Sunday the establishment of the Garda Muda Merah Putih (Red-and-White Youth Defenders), a youth group promoting moral movement.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Police deny allegations they forced asylum seekers at gunpoint on to a boat that subsequently sank, drowning about 350 people – but they admit "rogue" officers may take bribes from people-smugglers.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – The government's city clean-up programme has put thousands of street vendors, beggars, becak drivers and traffic wardens out of work, and left many of them homeless.

Jakarta – The new US Ambassador to Indonesia said on Thursday that Washington fully understood the position which President Megawati Soekarnoputri had taken with regard to the US attacks on Afghanistan.

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – The government will write a new book on Indonesian history in a response to the public's rising demand for the truth, an official said on Thursday.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – House Speaker Akbar Tandjung said on Wednesday that protests and threats against Westerners had prompted unprecedented numbers of business travelers and holiday-makers to spend their tourist dollars somewhere other than Indonesia.

Jakarta – Indonesian police said on Thursday they were investigating a report that policemen pointed their guns at asylum seekers who wanted to get off an overcrowded boat that sank last week killing 350 people.

Jakarta – House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung met on Tuesday night with Taufik Kiemas, president Megawati Soekarnoputri's husband, to seek support to block a move aimed at establishing a House special committee to investigate a graft case allegedly involving him.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – National Assembly chairman Amien Rais has quietly begun lobbying for the coveted presidential seat in 2004, making regular tours of Indonesian provinces as part of his safari politics to broaden his grassroots appeal.

Jupriadi, Makassar – Muslim students in Makassar ignored explicit warnings from police, attacking and severely injuring two non-Muslims on Wednesday.

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – Teachers, long deploring small pay and being treated as "cash cows" by corrupt officials, are calling for a law that provides legal protection.

They say that although corruption between school administrators and government officials is very well-known, their activities have received inadequate attention from authorities.

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – Infant formula producers denied allegations on Wednesday that they had exploited breast-feeding experts to promote their products."Instead of taking advantage of these experts to promote our products, we fully support the campaign for exclusive breast-feeding," Cecep Fathoni, the secretary-general of the Association of Baby Food Producers (APMB), said.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Potholed roads, crumbling hospitals, torn school books – that is the bleak picture in store for Indonesia if the government fails to sell immediately some of its assets to investors, warned the top official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Jakarta.

A UN official of East Timor4s transitional administration Wednesday criticized Indonesia for its repeated delays in bring to trial military officers and officials indicted for human rights atrocities committed in the territory in 1999.

Shoeb Kagda, Jakarta – As emerging market assets lose their shine in the current global environment, Indonesia faces an uphill task in implementing its privatisation programme, but not going ahead with it would prove more detrimental for the country in the long term, said the International Monetary Fund's senior resident representative yesterday.

Jo Ellis, Cairuhi – Australian solidarity activists have spent nearly two weeks here helping East Timorese counterparts begin an ambitious educational program which will involve local people in discussions about socialism and democracy.

Max Lane, Jakarta – The most right-wing elements among politically organised Islam have sought to use the US "war on terrorism" to seize the political initiative in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives finally approved on Tuesday a long-awaited new oil and gas law, which will end the decades-old lucrative monopoly of state oil and gas firm Pertamina.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Vice President Hamzah Haz repeated calls on Monday to stop the anti-US rallies in the country and underlined that Indonesia may face an economic collapse should the country fail to guarantee foreign investors' security.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Parliament is set to pass seven laws this week in a plenary session starting today – although public disapproval is loud on bills including Irian Jaya autonomy and the role of the police.

Jakarta – Indonesia's parliament, under pressure from powerful labour unions, said on Tuesday it had postponed a plan to pass a draft labour law this week due to fears of fresh unrest in the impoverished country.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Amien Rais expressed his support on Monday for several legislators' suggestions to set up a special committee at the House of Representatives to probe the alleged misuse of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog)'s non-budgetary fund.

Badri Jawara, Palu – Central Sulawesi Provincial Police confirmed on Monday that six people of the 42 detained for questioning were interrogated over Saturday's sectarian clash in Tabalu village, some 20 kilometers north of Poso, in which one police officer was killed.

Apriadi Gunawan and Fadly, Medan/Batam – Five underage women identified as IM, A, FY, E and W had no idea that they would be traded as prostitutes in a red light district in Dumai, Riau, when Romantan Sinaga alias Nico or Onces, and Andi Haryanto offered them a good job with a high salary during a coincidental meeting at the Aksara Medan Plaza in August.