Surabaya – Prominent Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) cleric and the caretaker of the Langitan pesantren (traditional Islamic boarding school) in Tuban, East Java, KH Abdullah Faqih has been chosen to lead a group opposing the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas).

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – An academic and an activist have alleged that two cabinet members implicated in the transfer of US$10 million belonging to Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra into a Justice and Human Rights Ministry bank account abused their authority in endorsing the transfer.

Under mangled branches in a dusty, untended East Java cemetery lie the remains of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

Jakarta – Indonesia could suffer losses as great as, or even worse, than those that other developing countries have suffered as a result of entering into free trade agreements, such as the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan, says an international NGO.

Bandarlampung – Teater Satu, a leading theater group in Lampung, will stage from April 13-14 Nyai Ontosoroh by the late senior writer and novelist, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, at the Taman Budaya cultural center on Jl. Cut Nyak Dien, Bandarlampung.

Jakarta – Many pro-democracy activists are beginning to play active roles in politics in an attempt to improve political representation in the country, research conducted by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (Demos) revealed Thursday.

Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – An obsolete approach that sees drug users treated like criminals instead of victims is the main cause of overcrowding and HIV/AIDS related deaths in prisons, the National AIDS Commission says.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on law enforcers to exercise caution when investigating officials from state-owned enterprises for corruption.

Yudhoyono said Thursday that in their fight against corruption, investigators should act prudently to avoid building erroneous cases and wrongly prosecuting individuals.

Jakarta, Kompas – The announcement by Indonesian police chief General Sutanto of the initials of two new suspects in the Munir murder case has raised questions among members of the House of Representatives (DPR) and activist circles. They are asking what the police actually want to solve, a case of document falsification or Munir's murder.

Jakarta – The Central Jakarta District Court rejected Wednesday a lawsuit filed by an alliance of NGOs against the House of Representatives over the draft pornography bill, stating the matter pertained to constitutional law, not civil law.

Jakarta – The police claim to have new evidence as regards declaring former Garuda Indonesia Managing Director Indra Setiawan and Vice President forAviation Security Ramelgia Anwar as suspects in the murder case of human rights activist Munir.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Many small- and medium-scale businesses in Medan have reportedly shut up shop over the past six months due to the low purchasing power of consumers there.

Head of the Medan Market Traders Association, Azri, said most of the bankrupt enterprises were those dealing in the cottage and garment industries and shop-front retail.

Jakarta – Lawyers of the six convicted murderers of PT Freeport Indonesia's employees Thursday submitted appeal documents to the Supreme Court over those sentences by lower courts.

Mark Forbes Herald, Jakarta – A Garuda policy of preserving fuel may have been why a pilot did not abort a landing in Yogyakarta last month that killed 21 people, the head of the airline's pilots association said.

Captain Stephanus said the jet's pilot, Captain Marwoto Komar, had made an "impossible" decision to continue landing at excessive speed.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – More than 390,000 Lampung children have dropped out of school this year to help their families earn a living despite billions of rupiah being set aside to provide scholarships for underprivileged families.

Ahmad Pathoni, Dili – East Timor's election commission rejected on Thursday calls for a vote recount as the tiny nation looked set for a presidential run-off between Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta and the ruling Fretilin Party's candidate.

Tony Eastley: Doubts are being raised about the fairness of the Presidential election in East Timor with claims of vote manipulation and voter intimidation.

The accusations come from five of the eight candidates. The Electoral Commission says it won't investigate though until it receives a formal complaint.

Dili – An East Timor human rights group said Thursday it had received reports that supporters of the troubled nation's ruling party had intimidated voters ahead the country's presidential election.

"We have reports from the districts and we noted an increase of violence from Fretilin members," said Jose Luis de Oliveira, of the human rights group Yayasan HAK.

Abdul Khalik, Dili – Opening his math book, Manuel da Silva, 17, discovered he had something to clarify before he could finish the homework his teacher had given him.

"I don't understand question number three," he told his teacher in Indonesian, his eyes not moving from his Indonesian-language textbook

Padang, West Sumatra – West Sumatra Police have uncovered 39 cases of illegal logging in the last two weeks, a police officer said Tuesday.

Spokesman for the West Sumatra Police Bambang Hermanto said that the 39 illegal logging cases were discovered in 19 regencies throughout the province in the period between March 23 and April 9.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Police on Tuesday named two new suspects in the 2004 murder case of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

Medan (SIB) – Dozens of people from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) demonstrated at Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) in the North Sumatra regional capital of Medan on Tuesday April 10 against the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas).

Jakarta – The majority of deaths in the country's prisons are caused by HIV/AIDS, authorities said Tuesday.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – The government has embarked on an enormous reforestation program in a bid to rehabilitate 59.2 million hectares of damaged forest throughout Indonesia, Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said Tuesday.

Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – Residents displaced by the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, said Wednesday that they were pessimistic about the new agency in charge of the disaster.

The government set up on Monday the National Mitigation Agency for the Sidoarjo Mudflow to replace the temporary national mudflow mitigation team.

Rafiqa Qurrata A, Jakarta – A panel of judges has rejected a civil suit by the Unity in Diversity Alliance (ABTI) led by Ratna Sarumpaet against the House of Representatives (DPR) in relation to the Draft Law on Pornography and Porno-Action.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Political bills prepared by the government and the House of Representatives should provide for a more rigid party system in order to move political parties closer to the people and to pursue popular representation – both at the legislative and executive level.

Ramadhian Fadillah P, Jakarta – The former deputy head of the Munir Fact Finding Team (TPF), Asmara Nababan, is calling in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's promise to provide direct information on the case to the public.

Ramadhian Fadillah, Jakarta – The naming of two new suspects in the mysterious murder of human rights activist Munir offers some small measure of hope that the case will be solved. Munir's widow, Suciwati, says that the naming of the two new suspects can be said to be a step forward in the investigation but only if it is not just for the sake of courtesy.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The House says it will endorse a bill on military tribunals requiring soldiers who commit crimes to stand trial in civilian courts, a prospect the armed forces has fought to block.

Nala Edwin, Jakarta – Thugs usually have tattoos and look scary. But one particular kind of thug is different. They wear robes and make people anxious. It is because of this that scores of housewives are calling on the national police to eliminate them.

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – There has been more hints given out on the puzzle of who the new suspects are in the murder human rights activist Munir. They are two individuals from Garuda Indonesia airlines with the initials YS and R.

Jakarta – In order to increase the chances of Indonesia being reelected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, the government must soon make a breakthrough in investigating the murder of human rights activist Munir.

Jakarta – Indonesian consumers have become more confident about the economy, while at the same time seeing risks ahead, the latest survey by the central bank shows.

A permanent government agency has been set up to help communities affected by a torrent of mud that has swamped entire villages in East Java province, Indonesia's presidential spokesman said.

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Stephen Fitzpatrick, Dili – Hundreds of thousands of East Timorese queued for hours under a blazing sun yesterday to choose a new president in the first election wholly run by the young country.

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – East Timorese voted in record numbers yesterday in a peaceful election for president. There were few signs of violence, particularly in Dili where politically motivated gangs have been fighting pitched battles for months.

Ahmad Pathoni, Dili – East Timorese streamed to the polls on Monday to vote for a new president, hoping the election can help end deep divisions after a year of instability in one of the world's youngest and poorest nations.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Dili – Jose Ramos Horta went to Easter mass at the weekend with "a host of sins" to confess, not least of which was having entertained lustful thoughts towards the film star Jennifer Lopez while presenting her with a prize in Berlin last year.

Joe Humphreys – It is the first such ballot since the country gained independence in 2002 – after 21/2 years of transitional rule by the UN, and a 24-year occupation by an often brutal Indonesian military.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jakarta – Papuan Muslims will hold an inaugural three-day congress in Jayapura beginning Tuesday, which is slated to attract 260 participants from 29 regencies and mayoralties in Papua and West Irian Jaya.

Congress steering committee member Sayid Fadhal Alhamid said the Papua Muslim Solidarity group was established on Nov. 21, 1999, in Jayapura.

Badriah, Jakarta – National Police Chief General Sutanto is still unwilling to name the new suspect in the Munir case. This is despite the fact that last week national police headquarters promised it would announce the name.

Aries Witjaksena, Jakarta – The central leadership board of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) reported the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Islamic Defenders Militia (LPI) to the Metro Jaya regional police on Monday April 9.

Riyadi Suparno, Jakarta – The number of people living below the poverty line increased last year and will most likely increase again this year, but it is yet to be determined whether or not this will have an impact on the popularity of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono leading up to the 2009 election.

Rafiqa Qurrata A, Jakarta – Once not being enough, the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) has again reported the Islamic Defenders Militia (LPI), the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) to the Metro Jaya regional police.

Imron Rosyid, Jakarta – A number of legislators are urging the police to announce the name of the new suspect in the human rights activist Munir murder case as soon as possible.

The reason is in order to show to the general public that the police are serious about solving the case.

Evidence of Indonesian military involvement in the deaths of two American citizens has been suppressed, according to a report released today by Joyo Indonesian News Service and Pantau Foundation.

John Aglionby, Dili – When East Timor's 600,000 voters head to the polls Monday for the first round of a presidential election they do so aware that their choice will resonate far beyond which of eight candidates they select to fill the largely ceremonial position.

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – Leading candidates in East Timor's presidential election have accused each other of manipulating tomorrow's vote as officials race to deliver ballot papers to 500 polling centres, many of them in remote villages.