Yogyakarta – Many critics condemning a reversal of the burden of proof for corruption cases were those who had participated in construction of the web of corruption during the New Order regime, Minister of Defense Mahfud MD said here on Saturday.

Bagus Kurniawan/HD & HY, Yogyakarta – Eleven people from the Yogyakarta branch of the Anti Communist Piety Society Forum (Format) have declared war on Communism. They staged a demonstration at the Yogyakarta police headquarters (Mapoltabes).

Yogyakarta – More than 7,000 supporters of the United Development Party (PPP) attended on Saturday a mass prayer in Ngaglik, Sleman, some 12 kilometers north of here, with ulema KH Zaenuddin MZ from Jakarta as the key speaker.

Jakarta – With two weeks to go before legislators meet to censure President Abdurrahman Wahid yet again over two graft scandals, leaders of his power base, the Nahdlatul Ulama Islamic movement (NU), are taking away his strongest trumpcard – NU zealots will not be allowed to declare war on his political opponents.

Jakarta – The situation in Poso, Central Sulawesi, has heated up over the past several days, with a number of mosques and churches being set ablaze, Antara reported on Saturday.

Aras Napal – The European explorers who penetrated deepest Sumatra in the 18th century recoiled in awe at the beauty of the "dark and savage" forest that covered the Indonesian island. Today, there is hardly any of it left.

Jakarta – A suspect has reportedly confessed to having received Rp 27 million (US$2,700) in return for orchestrating the recent attack on striking workers of car upholstery producer PT Kadera AR Indonesia (KAI).

Jakarta – Referring to the ILO convention on freedom of association, the government called on labor unions on Friday to operate independently and promote harmony between workers and employers to help repair the political and economic climate.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Police announced on Thursday they would take proactive measures to prevent violence in the streets when the House of Representatives meets on April 30 to discuss a second memorandum of censure against President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Jakarta – The city administration will launch an open-ended operation against some 1,300 hoodlums, locally known as preman, in the city's five mayoralties starting from Monday, Governor Sutiyoso said on Thursday.

"We have identified the hoodlums, including the places where they hang out," Sutiyoso told reporters after a coordinating meeting at City Hall.

Sinjai, South Sulawesi – Two people were killed on Wednesday night when armed thugs clashed with members of Forbes, a public-initiated group combating crime, in Biroro village, East Sinjai district, Sinjai regency, South Sulawesi.

Jakarta – Black market activities over the past three years have contributed to the worsening of the economic crisis, former manpower minister Bomer Pasaribu said.

Bomer urged all parties to pay serious attention as the black market has grown robustly over the last three years.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – A wayang kulit, or shadow puppet, called Kumbakarna sits behind President Abdurrahman Wahid's desk in his Jakarta palace.

Warren Caragata and Amy Chew,Jakarta – Kasmiran is a motorcyle taxi driver from Gresik, an industrial town in East Java – Gus Dur country. Recently, he made the 650 km journey to Jakarta to show his support for his compatriot, otherwise known as President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Jakarta – The World Bank has warned that Indonesia's richest natural habitats could be completely obliterated by 2010 if significant measures are not taken to deal with the widespread degradation of the country's natural resources.

The World Bank has cancelled a three-hundred million dollar loan to help Indonesia's poor. The bank said the Indonesian authorities had failed to meet all the conditions for the loan, which included carrying out public consultations to decide how the money should be spent.

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – Fears are growing of violent clashes between Indonesia's two big Muslim organisations as tens of thousands of supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid prepare to fight to defend him.

Ilene R. Prusher, Jakarta – When aides would go on tour with Indonesian Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, they used to try to get her to act like a politician – or at least, a celebrity.

Jakarta – At about 10.20am this morning, the Director of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Medan, Irham Buana Nasution, was shot with an arrow while he was parking his car in the backyard of his office. The arrow was a 15 cm piece of iron, which stuck five cm into his leg.

Jakarta – Indonesia is unlikely to reach its targeted 4.5 percent to 5 percent economic growth rate in 2001 on account of lower-than-expected economic activity and investment, deputy governor of Bank Indonesia Achjar Iljas predicted here Wednesday.

Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) director for the Asia-Pacific, Anoop Singh, is optimistic that the Fund's meeting with the Indonesian government to discuss the Letter of Intent (LOI) will run smoothly. "We have conducted good meetings," he told the press yesterday.

Khairul Ikhwan/HD & HY, Medan – Around 5,000 people from the Anti-Communist Front Across Indonesia (Faksi) staged a rally at Benteng field, Medan, north Sumatra, Thursday. In the rally, attended by North Sumatra governor T Rizal Nurdin, they demanded the People's Democratic Party (PRD) be dissolved because it has legalised Marxism and Leninism in Indonesia.

Jakarta – The US government, under President Bush has shown a renewed willingness to open the access for military equipment and military training to Indonesia as long as the Indonesian government commits to setting up and executing the trials in a professional manner, for those officers and leaders involved in murder, rape, torture, arson and gross human rights abuses in East Timor.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia's Parliament and government are close to splitting control of the Central Bank and unravelling the bank's politically independent status, a move that is set to bring a head-on collision with the International Monetary Fund.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – In the style of ancient Javanese royalty, Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri is refusing to say whether she would like to be president, while watching power come to her.

John Gauci Sydney – On April 6, 140 people gathered in the Resistance Centre to hear speakers discuss the political crisis in Indonesia. The event was organised by Action in Solidarity

with Indonesia and East Timor. "In May 1998, Indonesian dictator Suharto was forced out but the tremendous suffering continues", said Max Lane, ASIET national chairperson told the meeting.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Mr Andi runs a small stall selling Muslim caps on the edge of one of Jakarta's most notorious markets, Tanah Abang. Every stallholder around him is forced to pay protection money to various preman gangs, who visit their stalls on a regular basis.

Budi Sugiharto/FW & HY, Sidoarjo – Around 600 workers of PT Prima Aloi Steel, a company producing wheel rims, at Sidoarjo, East Java staged a peaceful rally at Sidorajo Municipality Legislative Council, Tuesday, asking the councillors to facilitate talks with their employer regarding annual leave and recreation funds.

Hestiana Dharmastuti/FW & HY, Jakarta – The People's Democratic Party (PRD) says the arrest of former minister of mines and energy, Ginandjar Kartasasmita for fraud by the Attorney General office, was seen as a means to threaten the Golkar party and political concession of the erratic President Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid.

Jakarta – Indonesia's second-largest party in parliament said on Tuesday it would support Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri if she were to take over from the embattled incumbent and serve out his term.

Lindsay Jakarta – After months of indecision amid a damaging power struggle in Jakarta, Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri has finally set conditions for taking over from the besieged President Abdurrahman Wahid.

Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Monday that the Indonesian Military (TNI) must remain vigilant and refuse to succumb to the tribulations faced as a result of the embargoes it is facing.

Sampit – The East Kotawaringin regency capital of Sampit turned into a battlefield again on Monday afternoon as police clashed with hundreds of Dayak protesters who demanded total withdrawal of Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) troops from the area.

Jakarta – A former Indonesian economics minister under ex-president Suharto on Tuesday took the attorney general's office to court for his alleged unlawful arrest and an illegal probe.

Lawyers of Ginanjar Kartasasmita, 60, who served in several cabinet posts under both Suharto and his successor B.J. Habibie, read out their pre-trial complaints to the South Jakarta court.

Jakarta – The trial of last year's bombing of the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building, which claimed 10 lives, began on Monday at the South Jakarta District Court.

Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid blasted the United States Monday for its embargo on weapons sales to Indonesia and said the military would procure arms elsewhere to deal with the multiple crises threatening the country's unity.

Jakarta – Three policemen and six locals were killed in a clash during a police sweep for weapons in Indonesian Borneo, national Police Chief Surojo Bimantoro told reporters on Saturday.

Kusrini, Yogyakarta – Steadfast and unyielding in the face of ordeals – these are the two qualities one can find in Mardiyem, a former jugun ianfu, or comfort woman, a euphemism for a sex slave during the Japanese occupation.

Jakarta – Violence marred an anti-Soeharto protest held by the City Forum (Forkot) group in Central Jakarta yesterday. Police had to disperse the protesters with tear gas. Four protesters were wounded after being beaten by the police.

Jakarta – Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said on Thursday data processing was an obstacle in investigating alleged corruption cases involving conglomerates.

"There are no legal obstacles, only problems in processing data because there is so much data spread across so many institutions," Marzuki said.

Surabaya – Pledges to defend President Abdurrahman Wahid to the death continued to pour in here on Thursday, with claims that over 20,000 people were ready to die for the President in a holy war.

Palembang, South Sumatra – The provinces of South Sumatra and neighboring Jambi are urging the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations to hand over reforestation funds amounting to more than Rp 15 trillion (some US$15 billion).

Robert Go, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will step up tax-collection efforts, including the targeting of foreigners now living in the country, to boost revenues and control a mounting budget deficit.

Jakarta – An 18-year-old migrant worker said on Thursday that she had been taken hostage by a labor export company for a month because she failed to pay the compensation demanded by the firm after she was sent home by her dissatisfied employer.

Palu – Police fired warning shots Thursday as a stone-throwing Muslim mob outside a court house where three Christians were sentenced to death for inciting a massacre and other religious violence that killed hundreds.

Vaudine England – The politicians presiding over Jakarta's latest political crisis, currency tumble and perhaps national disintegration are doing so from lavish homes and luxury cars. Many attend self-promoting seminars in designer batik and shoes, sign deals with gold-tipped pens, clock up VIP jaunts to Mecca, toying with excess food and mistresses all the time.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid yesterday cast doubt on Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri's ability to run Indonesia as he fought to hold on to power.

Jakarta – The third-largest faction in Indonesia's national assembly yesterday did an about-face and called on President Abdurrahman Wahid to consider resigning if this would help to solve the country's political stalemate.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – The Marine Corps is to investigate the death of one of its own in a shootout in central Jakarta which arose after East Javanese supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid were involved in a dispute over payment of hotel bills.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Clerics supporting Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid will decide today whether it is justifiable under Islamic law to kill those who have been attacking his presidency and attempting to unseat him.