Don Greenlees, Jakarta – Indonesian President B. J. Habibie has conceded for the first time that he may have to speed up presidential elections after mobs angry over the killing of university students by security forces went on a weekend rampage of looting and burning in Jakarta.

Greg Earl, Jakarta – As a line of Marines suddenly broke formation on the main road to Indonesia's Parliament about 3pm on Saturday, the students pushing down the tollway erupted into cheers of joy.

Jakarta – Two people were shot dead and five others injured during a five-hour stand off between police and a rebel group in Indonesia's troubled province of Aceh, sources and press reports said Monday.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – Student protesters have switched tactics and called a three-day general strike and a period of national mourning after President B.J. Habibie ordered his armed forces chief to use any means to crush demonstrations and restore order in the riot-torn Indonesian capital.

This preliminary data was obtained from a number journalists and checked against data from Kontras (Committee of the Disappeared and Victims of Violence).

Jakarta – A number of well know figures including retired high ranking military officers have been "secured" by the police following the riots in Jakarta on Friday and Saturday last week, which resulted in the death of scores of people.

Jakarta – A former Jakarta governor was picked up by police here Sunday for questioning, the fifth opposition figure netted in a subversion probe launched in the wake of mass anti-government protests.

Seth Mydans, Jakarta – Faced with a huge student protest and a wild outbreak of rioting and arson, President B.J. Habibie said Saturday that he would take "firm action" to curb what he called subversive movements that threaten the country's stability.

Louise Williams – Tens of thousands of anti-Government protesters marched on Indonesia's symbolic Parliament building today as security forces looked on. Elsewhere in Jakarta, rioting and looting broke out in at least four parts of the city.

Jakarta – The bloody tragedy at the Semanggi bridge apparently has sparked even more extensive action than the previous days. On Saturday (14/11) action took place in 16 cities, namely Medan, Bandung, Bogor, Surabaya, Yogya, Samarinda, Jember, Pontianak, Ambon, Ujungpandang, Solo, Purwokerto, Bandjarmasin, Denpasar, Semarang and Padang.

Canberra – Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Saturday he had faith in Indonesian President B.J. Habibie implementing the reforms necessary to pull his country out of crisis.

Jakarta – Fallen Indonesian president Suharto has criticized the government of his successor, B.J. Habibie, for failing to prevent the bloodshed here by talking to the students holding daily protests in recent days, a report said Saturday

Four months after scores of Irian Jaya villagers were allegedly brutalised and murdered by Indonesian troops for raising an independence flag, the stories of the survivors begin to surface, Lindsay Murdoch reports.

Louise Williams – Inside Indonesia's imposing Parliament building the remnants of former President Soeharto's political elite were preparing to sign their own political death certificates as tens of thousands of protesting students outside bayed for their blood against lines of riot police.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – Five people were reportedly killed and scores injured after riot troops and tanks rammed student lines in at least three locations in Jakarta, but tens of thousands of protesters armed with rocks and sticks continued to ring the parliament in a tense stand-off late last night. An ABC TV crew was beaten with sticks by security forces.

Jakarta – The following are excerpts of the 12 decrees adopted by the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly on Friday.

Michael Dorgan, Jakarta – In the worst day of violence since riots brought down President Suharto in May, about a dozen people were killed Friday and hundreds more injured, many critically, as security forces attacked tens of thousands of student demonstrators.

Bhimanto Suwastoyo, Jakarta – Opposition leaders and human rights groups pressured Indonesian President B.J. Habibie and military chief General Wiranto Saturday to account for the killing of unarmed demonstrators, with many calling on Wiranto to resign.

[The following is a summary of developments in Jakarta as of Friday, November 13, which was prepared by ASIET (Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor). Notes on news developments on November 14 are included at the end of this document.]

Keith B. Richburg, Jakarta – Troops opened fire with rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon here today to disperse thousands of chanting, flag-waving student demonstrators who were trying to take their demands for political reform to the barricaded gates of the country's parliament building.

Jenny Grant – In one of the ironies of Indonesia's tightly guarded National Assembly meeting, 150 local journalists staged a protest on the front steps of the parliament yesterday, angry over military violence against the press.

Jakarta – Indonesian opposition leaders yesterday issued a joint declaration calling for a presidential election in August next year, three months ahead of President B.J. Habibie's timetable.

Jakarta – The management of an American-based oil company denied on Tuesday that it should share the blame for human rights abuses in Aceh, the country's northern-most province.

Jakarta – One day before the MPR Special Session (SS) in Jakarta, Monday (9/11), the group of supporters and opponents of the SS are competing in mobilizing masses and frictions start between the two masses with different aspirations.

Jakarta – A violent battle between rival Jakarta neighborhood gangs ended with a huge fire in the early hours of Sunday.

Appointed secretary of the fact-finding team in July, she now says, following the publication of its report last week, that there is not enough evidence to conclude that the rapes were organised.

Jakarta – The rupiah rose again to 8,450 against the US dollar on Friday and local stock prices inched down 0.4 percent on profit taking, currency dealers and stockbrokers said.

Jakarta – Indonesia's highest legislative body, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), will hold a special session on November 10-13 to decide Indonesia's election timetable and ratify new, more democratic political laws.

Jakarta – The number of abortions in Indonesia had reached an estimated one million cases a year, most of them carried out on teenagers, an expert told a medical meeting yesterday.

Jakarta – Thousands of students here and in several other cities staged peaceful rallies on Friday to demand the upcoming Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) arrange for the prosecution of Soeharto, expel the military from politics and prepare for a fair and honest general election.

A fact-finding team issued a report last week confirming that gang rapes did occur during the May riots in Jakarta and that the upheaval could be linked to senior military figures.

The investigation had to overcome cultural taboos, official denials and silence from its victims. Indonesia Correspondent Susan Sim, who spoke to two rape victims, reports.

As terrorised villagers turn to murder, the May riot findings have fuelled fears that disgraced Indonesian special forces are running death squads, reports Louise Williams.

Jakarta – More than a third of Indonesia's key electronics, machinery, chemical and metal-based industries have been forced into temporary closure by the economic crisis, a report said here Friday.

Jenny Grant, Jakarta – The revelation that a member of the fact-finding team probing the May riots attended a controversial meeting in the middle of the crisis undermined the team's report, it was claimed yesterday.

Beijing – Both China and the United States yesterday urged the Indonesian government to pursue follow-up investigations as proposed in a fact-finding team's report on the May riots.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – More than 10,000 Muslims yesterday gathered here to rally in support of next week's special session of Indonesia's highest legislative body which will set a date for the general election.

Jakarta – Thousands of people stormed an Indonesian police station in a West Java town where officers refused to hand over four suspected "ninja" killers, press reports said yesterday. Twelve policemen were injured in Kuningan as they fought off attackers with tear gas and rubber bullets in the disturbances on Wednesday.

Steven Greenhouse – The A.F.L.-C.I.O. and a large union of department store workers announced Thursday that they were rejecting an agreement that a group of apparel manufacturers and human rights groups had reached to curtail sweatshops.

Jose Manuel Tesoro, Jakarta – As the sun sets in the towns and villages of East Java, men hurry home quicker than usual from their evening prayers. In some areas, a bell tolls to empty the streets of women and children. Windows will be shut and doors bolted till the next morning. In the darkness, wary men with swords or sickles patrol deserted roads.

Jakarta – Students in several Indonesian cities held protests to reject an upcoming special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and its plan to assure parliamentary seats for the military, reports said Friday.

Jakarta – The Armed Forces (ABRI) has threatened to take stern action against anyone attempting to disrupt the Nov. 10 through Nov. 13 Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) as it believes the event is the "only gateway" to a democratic Indonesia.

Jakarta – A group of 50 retired military officials, former prosecutors and businessmen yesterday joined the popular faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) led by Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Louise Williams, Jakarta – Indonesia's military may reject the findings of an official investigation into May's devastating riots, which has found that some officers provoked violence so the then Soeharto government could activate extraordinary security powers to maintain political control.

Andreas Harsono – While Indonesians await the People's Consultative Assembly convention next month, State Secretary Akbar Tanjung is maneuvering within the ruling party. Andreas Harsono writes.

Jeremy Wagstaff and Puspa Madani, Jakarta – A government-appointed team of generals, activists and officials has concluded its three-month investigation into riots that swept Indonesia in May, saying more than 60 women were raped and suggesting the unrest was stoked by a power struggle within the government.

Jakarta – The government line is that the Banyuwangi killing spree in East Java, which began in August and has since spread to Central and West Java, is a purely criminal case.

Bandung – Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo vigorously defended on Monday the Armed Forces' business ventures, contending that all profits went to improve military personnel's welfare.

[The following is a translation of press release issued on October 10, 1998, by a number of Indonesian NGOS with regard to Mobil oil's activities in Aceh. For reasons of space, the full list of signatories was not included - James Balowski.]

Jakarta – Villagers in the Indonesian island of Madura have lynched three policemen to death believing them to be part of a wave of "ninja" murders in East Java, a press report said Monday.

Jakarta – Indonesian inflation surged to almost 80 percent in October from a year ago, but dipped slightly from the previous month, official data showed Monday.