'We're proud to be the children of GAM rebels' Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, korpur@yahoo.com Ribka Tjiptaning Prolotariyati shocked many of the elite and angered Vice President Hamzah Haz in October last year when she launched her controversial book Aku Bangga Jadi Anak PKI (I'm proud to be the child of the Indonesian Communist Party).

1 x 35 'Most gas stations fail to meet Amdal' JP/8/POLLUTE 1 x 30 People protest polluting plants JP/8/Busway 1 x 32 Busway sparks further controversy JP/8/Dana 2 x 21 City spends Rp 5.75b on Jakarta anniversary JP/8/SALE 2 x 33 Lack of publicity results in poor customer turnout for Great Sale JP/8/speakup 2 x 20 'I plan to do a lot during the holiday'

1. JOURNALIST: 3 x 22 Aceh military tells foreign journalists to leave the province 2. SYAFII: 1 x 42 Religious leader tells govt to end Aceh war 3. CHARGE: 1 x 40 GAM members to be charged with treason 4. BOMB: 2 x 28 Suspected bomber of RP envoy's home goes on trial

'Most gas stations fail to meet Amdal' Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Most of the more than 240 gas stations in Jakarta do not meet the requirements set in the environment impact analysis (Amdal), the City Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) announced on Monday. "Only 15 new gas stations out of the total 241 operating in the city meet the requirements of Amdal, while the remainder does not," said Ridwan Panjaitan, who heads the BPLHD's environment impact analysis division.

The loyalty of civil servants Nobody can rule a government for good. Even the Indonesian president is limited by the Constitution to two consecutive terms. The democratic system has indeed been designed to accommodate changes in government administration. Government authorities may come and go but one thing remains unchanged -- the bureaucratic line under which the civil servants fall.

It's never simple Nothing is as simple as it seems, especially in Indonesian politics. The procurement of Russian jet fighters and helicopters by the government was supposed to have been a simple and straightforward affair. But the House of Representatives, and a host of other interested parties, including the mainstream media hungry for political scandals, have decided differently.

Religious leader tells govt to end Aceh war Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta/Jakarta Chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif of Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest Muslim organization, reiterated on Monday his call for the government to end the war in Aceh and reopen dialog with the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM). "It would be better for the government not to make the decision (regarding Aceh) by itself. It has to ask all those involved to sit down together and talk.

Support grows for Sultan's reelection as governor Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta Hundreds of supporters of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X arrived at the provincial legislative council on Monday to express support for the sultan's reelection as the province's governor for the 2003-2008 period. Among the supporters were heads of villages in Sleman regency, members of Sleman villages' legislative council (BPD) and Sleman Regent Ibnu Subiyanto.

Rare elephants wait uncertain future P.J. Leo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Controversy has erupted over plans by the South Sumatra Tourism and Cultural Office to ship five endangered wild Sumatran elephants to a Japanese animal park that has a poor reputation. Under the plan, the elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus), which were captured in the wild two years ago and are now in Sriwijaya zoo in Palembang, will be sent to the bear park of ASO- Kuma Bokujyo, Kumamoto in Japan some time this month.

Police name PDI-P faction chairman graft suspect The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Police have named the chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction at the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Legislative Council a suspect in a Rp 15 billion (US$1.8 million) corruption case.