Sander Thoenes, Sanur – She has proved she can paint a town red, but can Megawati Sukarnoputri run the world's fourth-largest nation?

Amy Chew, Jakarta – Indonesian legislators have unanimously backed sweeping political reforms proposed by President B.J. Habibie to make the nation more democratic, officials said on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Indonesia's ministry of lands has initiated moves to seize lands owned by fallen president Suharto and his family that were obtained illegally or harmed community interests, the state Antara news agency said Wednesday.

Jakarta – Hundreds of university students protested at the Indonesian national parliament here on Tuesday demanding a fair first general assembly since the fall of ex-president Suharto in May, a reporter said.

Jakarta – The government's move to probe into high level corruption cases in the country is a half-hearted effort merely to refine its image, an American expert on Indonesia's political economy said here Monday.

Jakarta – Employees of 100 companies operating in Jakarta and its surrounding areas established on Sunday a new union called Serikat Buruh Jabotabek (Greater Jakarta Labor Organization) in a bid to improve their bargaining position. The new organization was announced at the end of a two-day congress attended by about 200 employees of the 100 companies.

Henny Sender, Washington – There were low expectations on both sides when the Indonesian delegation at last week's International Monetary Fund-World Bank talks held a breakfast meeting to present creditors with Jakarta's latest plan to deal with its corporate sector's huge debts.

Jakarta – A recent statement by a close presidential advisor that President B.J. Habibie's strongest opposition in a presidential election bid would come from within Golkar's own ranks has triggered speculation from political observers.

Jakarta – An international rights group Monday called for better protection for a group probing the rapes of ethnic-Chinese in Indonesia following the murder of a teenage volunteer from the team. New York-based Human Rights Watch also called for a full investigation into the murder here Friday of 17-year-old Marthadinarta, known as Ita, a member of the Volunteers for Humanity.

Jakarta – Indonesian police said Sunday they had arrested a common thief for the brutal murder here of a young woman activist who counselled girls raped during savage May riots here.

Derwin Pereira, Bandung – The writing is on the wall for the Indonesian armed forces (ABRI). Literally. At the renowned Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, students have written on campus walls: "Go to hell with ABRI." They are not alone in castigating the military these days.

Jakarta – Thousands of people prayed for peace Sunday at a rally in Indonesia's capital and called on the country to avoid violence as it struggles through an economic crisis.

Mike Head – Megawati Sukarnoputri, widely touted by the Western media as Indonesia's next president, pledged to uphold the "open market system" of global capitalism on Thursday, the opening day of the congress staged by her faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).

Jakarta – Rights activists have said that the grisly murder spree that took place in East Java over the past two months has now claimed 157 victims and appears to have been perpetrated by an organized force.

Jakarta – The National Police are to send officers to the United States to investigate the alleged forgery of promissory notes worth about US$3 billion by Ibnu Hartomo, former president Soeharto's brother-in-law.

Muklis Ali, Jakarta – Indonesia said on Friday it had found evidence of corruption in deals between state oil firm Pertamina and 159 companies – most linked to the family and friends of former President Suharto – and may renegotiate them.

Louise Williams, Sanur – Tens of thousands of people descended on a dusty field in the tourist island of Bali yesterday as Indonesia's pro-democracy figurehead, Megawati Soekarnoputri, launched her bid for the presidency from a makeshift stage.

Jakarta – Thousands of villagers went on a rampage at a pineapple plantation in southern Sumatra in Lampung province, looting and burning warehouses and other facilities, sources and press reports said Thursday. Angry mobs from 10 villages in Padangratu district, Lampung province, began looting the plantation shortly after midnight Tuesday.

Surabaya – East Java Police chief Maj. Gen. M. Dayat has said he suspected a mysterious murder spree in several East Java towns was the result of "organized crime". As many as 100 Islamic teachers and others accused of practicing "black magic" have been killed to date.

Jakarta – Rights activists alleged on Tuesday that military atrocities occurred in Central Aceh regency--in addition to those found recently in the regencies of Pidie, East and North Aceh – when the province was a military operation zone from 1989 to 1998.

Jakarta – Thousands of villagers looted state owned shrimp ponds on the Indonesian island of Nusakambangan, a report said Wednesday. Around 2,000 people from southern Central Java crossed the narrow strait to Nusakambangan late Saturday and looted the local state cooperative shrimp ponds, the Republika daily said.

Jennifer Lin, Bantar Gebang – Nine-year-old Wasmin beamed with pride when he came home from school one recent day lugging a big bag of rice, cooking oil, and an armful of secondhand clothes.

Jakarta – Indonesia's beleaguered rupiah broke through the key target of 10,000 to the dollar on Wednesday, reaching its strongest levels since former President Suharto resigned in May amid economic turmoil and mass unrest.

Banyuwangi – Police in Indonesia's East Java said on Wednesday there was mounting evidence that members of the military were involved in a mysterious murder spree that has claimed more than 100 lives.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – The Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI), in its first-ever public acknowledgement, has conceded that it was used as a political tool by former President Suharto to further his political and other interests when he was in power.

Jakarta – Police in the remote Indonesian province of Irian Jaya Tuesday arrested an alleged separatist leader, the Antara news agency said. The police in Jayapura, the main town of Irian Jaya, arrested Theys H. Eluay at his home in the Sentani area around 6am Antara said.

Jakarta – Indonesian humanitarian workers Tuesday spoke of terror and pressure against them to stop their efforts in investigating violence during the May riots. "Terror against humanitarian workers have become rampant since the May riots," Ita Nadia from the Volunteers of Humanity told reporters at a joint press conference here with several human rights groups.

Jakarta – Tempo, Indonesia's leading weekly news magazine banned by the government of former president Suharto in 1994, hit the streets Tuesday with the issue of rapes during the May riots as its cover story. "There are so many stories and not too many facts about the rapes.

Jakarta – Politicians, religious leaders and observers expressed alarm at the weekend over the stated support of the National Front – an association of retired generals, officials and ex-Golkar leaders – for Student activists' 40-day campaign to force President B.J. Habibie to resign.

Jakarta – Hundreds of people protested in a town in South Sulawesi Tuesday after failing to get their money out of a financially troubled local savings agency.

Allan Thompson, Vancouver – A government lawyer has denied that Canada offered favours to an Indonesian dictator or that demonstrators were dealt with improperly at last year's Asia-Pacific summit.

Jakarta – The Indonesian economy slumped 17.4% in the third quarter of this year proving the sprawling country's downturn hasn't bottomed out yet. But analysts noted that gross domestic product and inflation data released Monday show the speed of Indonesia's economic slump has slowed markedly from earlier this year.

Jakarta – Thousands of students across Java greeted the Armed Forces' (ABRI) 53rd anniversary on Monday with street demonstrations to demand the military quit the country's political stage.

Jakarta – Hundreds of students and civilians on Monday staged two separate street protests here to demand that the Indonesian military end its law-accorded involvement in the country's politics, witnesses said Some 300 students from various universities converged on the parliament in central Jakarta to demand that the military's "dual function" be revoked.

Jakarta – The Armed Forces (ABRI) celebrates its 53rd anniversary on Monday by taking a hard look at its image, pledging solutions to some rights violations, and pleading against being seen as "cruel murderers and destroyers" who inflicted suffering on people.

Kafil Yamin, Bandung – The small, filthy and foul-smelling canal in Cikuya village in West Java is the community's ticket to earning a livelihood. Soon after daybreak everyday, women, men and children troop to the waste-contaminated canal and wash load upon load of used plastic bags, then sell them to traders who in turn reap profits from selling them to reprocessing factories.

Manila – Some 300 leftist activists and ethnic Chinese picketed the Indonesian embassy in the Philippines Monday, to protest alleged abuses against the ethnic Chinese minority in Indonesia. Waving banners saying "Justice for the rape victims" and assailing Indonesian President B.J.

Jakarta – Staff at Tempo, Indonesia's leading weekly news magazine when it was banned by the government of former president Suharto in 1994, announced Sunday they would return the publication to the newsstands this week.

Jakarta – Two people were injured as thousands of farmers in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra protested against a palm oil plantation firm which they said had polluted a local river, sources there said Sunday.

Jakarta – Indonesia's armed forces mark their 53rd anniversary on Monday amid one of their toughest battles to date – the fight to restore their honour as a defender and not oppressor of the people.

Jakarta – The conflicting political pressures of post-Suharto Indonesia have left President B.J. Habibie teetering on a tightrope – too much reform could topple his precarious government, but so could too little.

Jakarta – Indonesian Home Minister Syarwan Hamid on Saturday installed the head of an ancient local royal family as the governor of Yogyakarta, the first governor in the country to be spontaneously elected, newspaper reports said.

Jakarta – The owner of a private Indonesian radio station has closed down a popular pro-reform radio talk show and fired the six staff operating the program, a human rights lawyer said Thursday.

Jakarta – The Japanese-born wife of Indonesia's first president Sukarno has accused former president Suharto of having prior knowledge of the 1965 coup attempt and doing nothing to prevent it, a report said Thursday

Jakarta – Police in the remote Indonesian province of Irian Jaya arrested five men including two officials and a priest for suspected separatism, including calling for a pro-independence rally, a report said Thursday.

Jakarta – In its sternest warning yet, the Indonesian government said Wednesday that protesters who threaten its existence could be sentenced to life imprisonment under a harsh anti-subversion law enacted by ex-President Suharto.

Jakarta – Indonesian authorities have approved in principle an opposition party congress held by popular politician Megawati Sukarnoputri in Bali next week, police chief Lieutenant General Rusmanhadi said Wednesday.

Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesians rallied on Wednesday, the 33rd anniversary of an attempted communist coup, warning that communism was still alive and responsible for riots and looting plaguing the country.

Jakarta – Over 2,000 Indonesian Moslems gathered at Jakarta's main Istiqlal Mosque here on Wednesday in what they said was a show of support for President B.J. Habibie and his reform programs.

Jakarta – After a recent storm of public condemnation over past alleged human rights violations, the Armed Forces (ABRI) took another blow on Monday when an independent survey found its public image wanting.