Jakarta – The head of the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) department of education and propaganda, I Gusti Agung Anom Astika, was sentenced to four years minus the time he had already spent in jail.

In common letters to Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission, KOMNAS HAM, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, and the German Minister of Foreign Affairs seven Indonesian and German organizations urged on the necessity to send another independent fact finding mission to the City of Banjarmasin, the capital of the Indonesian South Kalimant

Susan Sim, Jakarta – The pressure from the human rights lobby in developed countries is getting stronger and developing countries should band together to counter it, President Suharto said yesterday.

Jakarta – Officials say communists were to blame for recent riots in East Java, and troops have been ordered to shoot troublemakers on sight, the official Antara news agency said today.

The vulgar and blatant election fraud by the government, election administrators and the military to ensure a victory for the Golkar's sole majority is no longer being tolerated by the people.

An Indonesian court has jailed two activists from the banned People's Democratic Party or P-R-D after they were found guilty of subversion.

The two men who were convicted of undermining the state ideology, criticizing the armed forces and attempting to topple the government.

Police have arrested 15 people after weekend riots on the Indonesian island of Madura in which a Muslim crowd burned shops, a Protestant church and a Buddhist temple.

East Java police spokesman Colonel Sofwat Hadi says police are still investigating the cause of the disturbance.

At least one police officer was injured during the riot.

The Muslim-led United Development Party (PPP) has announced last Friday, June 12, that it would accept the results of last month's election. This means, that the PPP leadership has yielded to the authorities' pressure, and not to their own constituency, who had demanded that the party should reject the results of the election.

Jakarta – Hundreds of people rampaged through a conservative Muslim-dominated town on the East Javan island of Madura, torching shops and a cinema as well as a church and a Buddhist temple.

"I do not know the reason behind it, but hundreds of people disrupted a ceremony at the central square of Bangkalan on Saturday night," an official said.

Earlier this week, the Australian Democrats called on the Australian government to take a public stand against continuing human rights abuses in East Timor following the US Congressional Amendment on East Timor initiated by Senator Patrick Kennedy and resulting also in the cancellation with Indonesia of the IMET defense program.

David E.

Keith Loveard, Jakarta – The outcome of an Indonesian election is supposed to be predictable and, in that regard, the May 29 parliamentary polls did not disappoint. Golkar, the long-ruling party backed by President Suharto, the military and big business, always wins. Only the margin of its victory varies a bit.

Jakarta – A Pos Makasar journalist Mohamad Sayuti known as Sandrego, died as a result of a severe beating in the sub-offices of the regency of Palopo, South Sulawasi, on Thursday June 12. The incident occurred after the journalist was confirming information about deforestation in the region.

Jakarta – France will not set any political condition if Indonesia wishes to purchase its warplanes, the French Embassy's military attache, Col M Jean Roucher, said here Wednesday.

Roucher was commenting on the departure of an Indonesian group to attend an air show in Le Bourget, France.

Indonesian authorities are reported to have moved hundreds of inmates from a jail in East Java, to other prisons in the region after rioting prisoners set part of the jail on fire.

The Indonesian daily, Kompas, said inmates of the high-security Medaeng prison in Sidoarjo, south of Surabaya, rioted on Wednesday, setting fire to the prison's office and breaking down walls.

The Indonesian president creates a comfort zone with the appointment of a new army chief, writes The Nation's Abu Rahman from Jakarta.

Indonesian President Suharto finally replaced army chief Gen R Hartono, one of the most powerful figures in Indonesian politics, after months of rumours and speculation.

Andrew Macintyre – Uncertainty hangs over Indonesia's political future. After roughly two decades of relatively smooth sailing, there are now some doubts about the stability and direction of the national political leadership.

On June 12, the private television station SCTV reported that a riot had occurred at the Medaeng prison, Surabaya (East Java). Dita Indah Sari, chair of the Center for Labour Struggle which is affiliated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) was imprisoned there.

Margot Cohen, Malang – A s village secretary, he knew every trick in the book. Presiding over previous vote counts, he would puncture ballots with a swift flick of a thumbnail, and spoil others with a rusty nail lodged under the table. He cast his own vote as many as six times at different polling stations.

The complete collapse of the PDI in the 1997 election left the Islamically coloured PPP as the only viable non-government party. Does this mean the Indonesian government now faces a Turkish, or even an Algerian scenario of popular opposition focused only on the symbols of Islam? No, it does not.

Adam Sweeting – Is there any such thing as ethical arms trading? Robin Cook has pledged the Government to a policy of not selling arms to repressive or aggressive regimes. An admirable philosophy, but boil it down logically and you're left with 'we promise not to sell weapons to anybody who might use them', or 'we'll only sell weapons to nice people'.

Washington – The US House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously approved an amendment condemning human rights abuses committed by Indonesia in the former Portuguese colony of East Timor.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government on Wednesday hit out at comments by US congressman Patrick Kennedy after Jakarta's decision to forego its planned purchase of US fighter planes were absurd and outrageous.

Kennedy's statement of a "major human rights victory" following Jakarta's decision not to buy the F-16s was "simply absurd," a foreign ministry statement said.

Jakarta – Chiefs of the Armed Forces services and National Police promoted as full generals called on Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen Feisal Tanjung here on Tuesday to report their new ranks. The newly promoted four-star generals are Navy Chief Admiral Arief Kushariadi, Air Force Chief Marshall Sutria Tubagus, and National Police Chief Gen Dibyo Widodo.

Indonesia is now perusing a shopping list of jet fighters from various countries after pulling out of a deal to buy nine US F- 16s, a high-ranking source said here Tuesday.

Russian Sukhoi-27s, British Hawk 200s and the French Mirage-2000 were all under scrutiny by military authorities, said the Indonesian source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Jakarta – Russia is offering advanced jet fighters to Indonesia without any political conditions, a Russian embassy official said in Jakarta Tuesday.

Moscow's offer was part of Russia's marketing of its aircraft in the Asia Pacific and Southeast Asian region, an embassy information officer, Iouri I. Naskov, told the Indonesian news agency Antara.

Michael Evans and Edward Yates, Jakarta – Britain wants to persuade its European partners to sign a new code of conduct on arms exports to prevent weapons from reaching regimes that might use them for internal repression.

Richard Borsuk, Jakarta – President Suharto's surprise appointment of a new information minister may herald tighter control of Indonesia's media. The abrupt replacement of long-serving Information Minister Harmoko with retiring army Chief of Staff Gen. Hartono also could provide clues about the country's political succession.

A report in Britain's Independent newspaper claims as many as four-thousand people in Indonesia's Kalimantan province were ritually murdered in an ethnic war in January and February this year.

Philippa Adam reports from London that the death toll is sharply at odds with official Indonesian estimates.

We are inside Jakarta's fortress-like Cipinang prison for a Sunday afternoon potluck lunch. The families and friends of the political prisoners have brought specially prepared home-cooked dishes for the day's celebration. Anom Astika, arrested last year along with the entire leadership of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), has just turned 26 and his sister has recently married.

President Suharto's right hand man, Bob Hasan, was awarded the prestigious Indonesian environment prize – the Kalpataru – by Environment Minister Sarwono on World Environment Day (June 5th).

[Interview between Mirah Mardika. Coordinator, Central Leadership Committee, Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) and Liberation, June 7, 1997 - ASIET]

Liberation: The election seemed to have been a success, even though there were some small disturbances, What happened to the Election Boycott?

Ian MacKenzie, Jakarta – Indonesia struck back at U.S. congressional critics on Friday, dropping its participation in an American military training program and scrapping plans to buy nine U.S.-made F-16 warplanes.

Jakarta – The armed forces headquarters (Mabes ABRI) has begun putting pressure on the Indonesian press. During a meeting of military heads in Cilangkap, last June 3, it was concluded that the mass media, especially those who covered the general elections were considered to have criticized the government.

Canberra – Australia's labor federation will support Indonesia at an International Labor Organisation (ILO) conference to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, next june 12, a visiting Indonesian labor leader said here Thursday.

Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) termed the announcement that Indonesia has cancelled a deal to purchase nine F-19 fighter planes from the United States, due to the pressure he has applied on the Indonesian government, as a "major human rights victory".

ASIET has received information, still to be confirmed, that there are plans to move Budiman Sujatmiko, President of the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD), to Nusakambangan prison.

Budiman was recently sentenced to 13 years prison for leading the PRD in its struggle against the Suharto dictatorship.

A quite surprising reorganisation of the cabinet and changes in the leadership of the army by the president were announced on Wednesday. This was announced by the State Secretary Moerdiono and armed forces chief Faisal Tanjung.

The record margin achieved by Indonesia's ruling Golkar Party in parliamentary elections in that country last week moved foreign analysts to weigh in with their assessments of the vote–which most saw as less than fair–and to comment on prospects for the future of yet another five-year term for President Soeharto.

Sampang – Indonesia held an unprecedented re-vote on Madura island yesterday following violence in last week's general election, but many in the area appeared to have stayed away from the polls.

The re-vote of more than 40,000 voters was held in Sampang district on the island off East Java yesterday amid tight security.

Jakarta – The French government has decided to award Indonesian Research and Technology Minister BJ Habibie with the "Grand Officier de la Legion d'Honneur" medal in appreciation of his contribution to the promotion of relations between the two countries.

On June 16, 1997, the Indonesian Government will introduce the Manpower Bill to parliament and force its passage into law, thereby consolidating its repression of the labour movement.

On Tuesday June 3, around 50 youths from the Megawati Supporters Group (Gerakan Pendukung Megawati, GPM) held an action at the national headquarters of the United Development Party (PPP).

Jakarta – All of the predictions and results of research said that the Golput figure would increase in the 1997 elections, now it has come true. Prior to this, the results of polling of Indonesian University students and KNPI research in Malang [which indicated large percentages of students would Golput - JB] was completely rejected by the authorities.

Jakarta – The alliance between the puppet Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) lead by Soerjadi and those who have so far supported them, the government, has already split. This is indicated by the possibility that the PDI will withdraw all of its legislators from the parliament for the period 1997-2002 because they are deeply disappointed.

Jakarta – The votes obtained by Golkar skyrocketed leaving the United Development Party (PPP) trailing behind at the end of vote counting. In Jakarta, a region PPP expected to mark a victory, Golkar achieved almost one million votes.

Rob Stokes – "Made in Britain - used in faraway places to kill dissidents". The government is being challenged to ban UK arms and related sales to Indonesia after the programme World in Action uncovered evidence that BAe, Rover and others are supplying the dictatorship there.

Sampang – At least 11 United Development Party (PPP) supporters were wounded when shot by the military during a riot which occurred in the villages of Sampang and Pemekasan, Madura. The masses emotions rose because they were prevented from voting last May 29.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – The Government-backed Golkar Party has won a sweeping victory in Indonesia's national elections, but it was overkill.

The cost has been to virtually destroy the carefully managed political balance which has channelled and diffused opposition during President Soeharto's three decades in power.

Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Riots and protests at alleged vote-rigging yesterday greeted the ruling Golkar party's triumph in the legislative election.

The Muslim-backed United Development Party (PPP) demanded a new poll in areas where election counting was done secretly, while a poll watchdog blasted election violations.