Banda Aceh – Truck drivers who use the Banda Aceh-Medan road have staged a strike since last Thursday in protest against rampant illegal levies along their routes, paralyzing the local economy and distribution of food into and out of the province.

Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Jakarta – When he took office in October 1999, President Abdurrahman Wahid of Indonesia described his relationship with Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri as like an "older brother and younger sister." They squabbled. He playfully taunted her. And they patched up their differences.

Vaudine England – Indonesia's politicians are eager to give the appearance that they are acting properly in following a process that could lead to the impeachment of the President. The problem is that the constitution is vague about how to go about it.

Jakarta – Persistent opponents of President Abdurrahman Wahid seemed to keep their word on Friday to continue rallying until their demand – that the President steps down – is fulfilled.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives has agreed to drop the 1999 emergency law and to provide some time for the government to draft and socialize the new emergency bill.

Jakarta – Mohammand "Bob" Hasan, the timber tycoon and business partner of former Indonesian dictator Suharto, sentenced to two years jail for corruption, will serve his term under house arrest, the state Antara news agency said Saturday.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Exuberant party politics is assumed to be a feature of post-Suharto Indonesia, making Parliament's censure of President Abdurrahman Wahid a heartening display of democracy in action. But a closer look at Mr Wahid's opponents suggests there are few new ideas in politics.

Jakarta – Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto on Friday maintained the Indonesian Military's (TNI) stance in responding to the ongoing political turmoil, saying that the military will not pledge its support for the President, but will only protect him.

Ambon – One policeman was killed and 17 police and marine personnel injured during overnight gunfights between the two groups, an officer said on Friday.

Shoeb Kagda, Jakarta – Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid's chances of staying in power appeared bleak yesterday after the country's Parliament voted overwhelmingly to accept a special commission's report that implicated him in two financial scandals.

Jakarta – As most factions of the House of Representatives (DPR) accepted on Thursday the recommendations of the special committee on the Bulog and Brunei scandals, thousands of supporters and opponents of President Abdurrahman Wahid took to the streets in various cities for the fourth time since Monday.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid's future looked bleak last night after Parliament's decision to censure him over corruption allegations, a vote that leaves him with few options.

Timothy Mapes, Jakarta – Indonesia's political crisis deepened as Parliament demanded that President Abdurrahman Wahid respond to allegations that he was involved in two multimillion-dollar corruption scandals.

Ambon – A gunfight between disputed security personnel took place on Thursday in two villages, Lateri and Passo in Teluk Ambon Baguala district some 12 kilometers east of Ambon, forcing hundreds of residents to flee the area, an official said.

Jakarta – Braving heavy rain, thousands of protesters swarmed the streets around the House of Representatives (DPR) on Thursday to apply pressure on President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid to resign over alleged involvement in two financial scandals.

Ambon – The second round of troop withdrawal from Maluku was held on Wednesday with Battalion 403 of the Central Java's Diponegoro Regional Military Command leaving Halong Naval base, some six kilometers east of Ambon, in a ceremony led by Pattimura military chief of staff Col. Syarifuddin Sumah.

Chaidir Anwar Tanjung/Fitri & GB, Pekanbaru – Around 300 residents of Bangun Sar village, Kampar Kiri sub district, Kampar regency, Pekanbaru, Riau province, rallied at PT Uni Seraya Group, Thursday. They claimed the company with extensive forestry concession rights in their village had failed to hand over one half of its rubber plantation to locals as previously promised.

Jakarta – Thousands of people, supporters and opponents of President Abdurrahman Wahid, are almost certain to flock to the House of Representatives building on Thursday when the House plenary session is scheduled to discuss two scandals linked to the President.

Jakarta – A number of test holes drilled in the vicinity of the home of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra have confirmed suspicions of more underground bunkers located under the fugitive's residence, the National Police said on Tuesday.

Jakarta – H. Wartono Karyo Utomo, the father of Budiman Sudjatmiko, chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), was accused of being an ex-member of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in relation to Budiman's activities in the PRD.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – The conclusion from a day of rumours and threats was clear. There is nothing approaching a presidential crisis yet in Indonesia but the ground has been laid for continuing destabilisation by various groups with differing agendas.

Jakarta – Military observers called on Tuesday for gradual removal of the Indonesian Military (TNI) territorial commands and demanded TNI quit its interference in the civil government's decision-making policy.

Semarang – Groups of students staged rallies here on Tuesday in support of and in opposition to President Abdurrahman Wahid. The demonstrators marched along the city's streets with dozens of police officers separating them. No clashes were reported.

Max Lane – In an end of year "state of the nation" report, the central leadership council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) described economic developments during 2000 under the government of President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri as the subjugation of Indonesia to the neo-liberal policy dictates of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (

Max Lane – On January 23, Budiman Sujatmiko, chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (PRD) led a delegation to meet the leadership of the Nahdatul Ulama (NU), the religious organisation which Abdurrahman Wahid led before his election as president of Indonesia.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Student demonstrators seem to be changing from a force that called the shots and pulled politicians into line into a force manipulated and supported by the same politicians whom they would have previously objected to.

Vaudine England – After a peaceful celebration of the Lunar New Year in much of Indonesia, President Abdurrahman Wahid has further burnished his tolerance credentials by promising a greater respect of Confucianism as a religion.

Jakarta – Thousands of students across the country took to the streets on Monday with divided calls but a unified claim to uphold the reform movement. No clashes were reported in the first massive head-to-head meeting between anti-Abdurrahman protesters and his supporters.

Lukmanul Hakim/GB, Jakarta – Monday has seen the reemergence of mass action as a force in Indonesia's political development.

Jakarta – Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung on Tuesday dismissed calls to dissolve the party saying that it is a lawful organization and has the right to exist in the country.

Ananda Ismail/Fitri & GB, Jakarta – A recent survey by the Public Interest Research and Advocacy Center (PIRAC) apparently reinforces the findings of other surveys: that if President Abdurrahman Wahid got a report card as if he was a student, he would not have passed.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Fed up with Indonesia's political paralysis and craving more stability, foreign investors are not only staying away from the country, but have also started taking their operations to other Asian countries and elsewhere.

Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Monday that Indonesia should learn from Nigeria's initiative to reduce its reliance on funding from international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

[The following is a compilation of four reports by Detik on the pro- and anti-Wahid demonstrations in Jakarta on Monday. Some sections of the text were edited for readability.]

Jakarta – Disputing Shangri-La hotel management and the hotel's labor union lashed out at each other on Friday over what each claimed were illegal actions perpetrated by the other.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) and a federation of bank labor unions (Aspek Indonesia) were united on Friday in deploring the actions of Bank Panin and Bank Mayapada managements in obstructing their respective labor unions.

Jakarta – Lobbying by factions inside the House of Representatives intensified on Friday, as Monday's deadline for the submission of the report of the special committee investigating the Bulog and Brunei scandals looms.

Christina Sagat's physical wounds have healed but this 32-year-old woman is left with the deep pain of unresolved sorrow and humiliation. There is also the pain of betrayal – how could her neighbors, with whom she had lived in harmony, turn on her, and lead her to a cruel ordeal?

Lindsay Murdoch, Ambon – Hundreds of Christians, including children and pregnant women, have been forcibly circumcised as part of a campaign by extremists to spread Islam through Indonesia's war-ravaged Maluku Islands. Victims have told The Age of multiple cuttings with the same knives and razors that left many with infections.

Jakarta – A local resident was killed and two others severely injured when a bomb went off in a crowd of residents and security personnel milling about in front of the Betoamberi district office on Friday afternoon in Baubau, Buton regency, Southeast Sulawesi.

Jakarta – The government has eased immigration regulations for Chinese travelers, who during the Soeharto regime faced discriminatory and complicated procedures.

Jakarta – Anti and pro-government rallies continued on Friday ahead of the House of Representatives plenary session next Monday that will mark the delivery of the House special committee's findings concerning two financial scandals allegedly involving President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.

Jakarta – Students protested in at least two Indonesian cities including the capital on Friday demanding that President Abdurrahman Wahid resign and answer charges that he was involved in two financial scandals.

Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign minister on Friday said the government had imposed new restrictions on foreign journalists travelling to the country's three most troubled provinces, but insisted it was for their own security and was not political, a report said.

Hestiana Dharmastuti/Fitri & GB, Jakarta 00 Coordinator of the Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Munarman, has stated that the government's efforts to pass a new State of Emergency Bill should be dropped because Indonesia is not ready.

John Haseman, Bangkok – India and Indonesia have signed a military co-operation agreement to expand military contacts and training opportunities and to step up defence purchases. The agreement was signed during Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's mid-January visit to Jakarta.

Shoeb Kagda, Jakarta – Indonesian bumiputra business conglomerate Bakrie and Brothers and state-owned airline Garuda have reached landmark debt restructuring deals – but analysts say many more such deals must be completed quickly if the country's corporate climate is to improve this year.

Matdon, Bandung – Five young artists have come together for an exhibition with the provocative title "Dasar Babi-Babi. Hancurkan Sisa-Sisa Orde Baru, Golkar + Militerisme" (You pigs! Crush the remaining elements of the New Order, Golkar and Militarism).

Jakarta – Minister of Industry and Trade Luhut Pandjaitan denied on Wednesday reports claiming that some export-oriented companies had fled Indonesia in fear of rampant labor disputes. He said his ministry hadn't found evidence of any company that had decided to uproot its business because of concerns over labor disputes.

Jakarta – Central Jakarta District Court judges trying a lawsuit filed by the Democratic People's Party (PRD) against a number of former top state officials examined on Wednesday the written evidence presented by lawyers of the plaintiff.