Jon Lamb – The June 30 election has resulted in neither of the two main contenders – the ruling party Fretilin and the recently formed CNRT (National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction) – gaining an outright majority for a new parliament. Fretilin secured 29% of the vote, followed by CNRT with 24%.

Oecussi – Sika and Siska were not born prematurely and yet between them the twins weigh a little over four kilograms (nine pounds), a testament to food shortages gripping impoverished East Timor.

Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston has defended his support for Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso over a Sydney coroner's bid to question him about the 1975 killings of five newsmen, despite fresh evidence accusing the governor of torture.

East Timor's ruling party Fretilin and an alliance led by ex-president Xanana Gusmao have agreed to form a unity government after last month's legislative elections, the country's president said yesterday.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta Post – Observers welcomed the dismissal of Maluku's provincial police chief following the recent flag-waving incident by a separatist group in Ambon.

They said it was an appropriate measure but called also for the removal of security officials responsible for the incident.

Aguswandi, Banda Aceh – The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) establishing itself as a political party is the last thing Jakarta needs to worry about right now. In fact it should be celebrated as another step in Aceh's peace process. It is a success of the reintegration – political reintegration – of former combatants fully into the society.

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Jakarta – Few issues have shaken the nation as the conflicts in East Timor and Aceh. Both have been resolved, yet their impact on our nationhood lingers on.

Jakarta Post – Eight religious-based political parties are demanding the government lower the electoral threshold from three percent to two percent in the new legislative election bill to allow the existence of small parties in the forthcoming election.

Jakarta Post – Commission I for defense and information at the House of Representatives and the government have agreed to delay the discussion of an article on military operations in the public information bill to find a better formulation for the paragraph.

Ciamis – As a fisherman wife, Saring lives a simple life. But the 53-year-old never imagined she would have to camp in a make-shift tent for more than a year.

Jakarta Post – Legal experts are recommending the government use the anti-corruption law, not forestry laws, to try illegal logging suspects.

Lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution said Monday matters pertaining to illegal logging were extremely complicated, and the use of the anti-corruption law would be the best way to fight the crime.

Jakarta Post – Thousands of workers from two shoe manufacturers rallied Monday at the Jakarta Stock Exchange building to demand Nike, an American athletic apparel company, restore contracts with the companies.

Jakarta – The Justice and Human Rights Ministry will verify the validity of political parties running in the 2009 general election only after a new law on parties is enacted, to minimize spending on administrative tasks, an official said.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Democratic Party (PD) faction in the House of Representatives has recommended House leadership be determined according the number of votes obtained by each political party in the general election, instead of through political bargaining among factions.

Iqbal Fadil, Jakarta – Mondays are usually the starting point of each persons activities for the week. Likewise also for demonstrations in the capital. Six points across the city will see the arrival of protesters from various groups with different types of demands.

Jakarta – Females must make up at least 30 percent of a political party's candidate pool for the 2009 general elections and parties that do not adhere to this policy should be financially punished and removed from the election race, sociologists and researchers said.

Few newspapers gave space for the enactment last week of the Energy Law by the House of Representatives, as its 34 articles only provide a broad outline of national energy policies.

The House of Representatives recently selected 11 new members of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). The Commission has yet to appoint a chairman, as it will be installed in September. One of the member-elects, M. Ridha Saleh, talked with The Jakarta Post's Tony Hotland about the commission's 2007-2012 vision and target.

Last week United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour paid a five-day visit here, during which she met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indonesian Military Commander Air Chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto, as well as NGO communities and other officials. The Jakarta Post's M.

Jakarta – Indonesian authorities have removed the military chief of Maluku province following a surprise separatist protest in front of the president there last month, a military spokesman said Tuesday.

Jakarta – Giving the House of Representatives more power and money to deliberate laws could curb the flow of illegal funds from ministries to lawmakers, analysts say.

Dili – East Timor's president said Monday he was pushing political parties deadlocked since elections last month into forming a unity government but they were disputing who would be prime minister.

Rafiqa Qurrata A, Jakarta – Dissatisfied with the process of reform that they believe has failed, 1998 activists are threatening to make a comeback. One of the ways will be through taking part in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said she expects the Indonesian government to quickly get to the bottom of the murder of prominent rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib.

Simon Roughneen, Dili – After spending two years in prison on terror-related charges, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, widely regarded as Indonesia's most radical Islamic cleric, is plotting his next career move: into mainstream politics.

Bandung/Makassar/Jakarta – A series of fatal land and sea accidents since last Saturday has claimed dozens of lives and further tarnished the country's public transportation reputation.

On Friday alone, at least 11 people died in a traffic accident on the Nagrek Highway between Badung and Garut in West Java.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Despite major improvements over the past few years, the country's banking sector has yet to fully recover from its worst crisis in living memory 10 years ago, the central bank's governor says.

Jill Jolliffe, Baucau – A top-ranking Indonesian official at the centre of a bitter diplomatic dispute last month has been identified as a key figure in the systematic torture of military prisoners after the invasion of East Timor.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Australian troops have surrounded East Timorese military rebel Alfredo Reinado in an attempt to head off deadly clashes with disgruntled supporters of the former ruling Fretilin party.

East Timor's president Jose Ramos-Horta met Friday with political parties deadlocked over forming a government in the wake of elections last month and set a date for their first parliamentary session.

Idham Gofur, Jakarta – Scores of housewives and children held a demonstration in front of the State Palace on July 13 calling on the government not to surrender the distribution of milk and sembako (nine basic food items including rice and other staple commodities) to the market.

With the regional assembly (DPRP) now preparing to issue a regulation about cultural symbols, such as the Morning Star, the song Hai Tanahku Papua some time this month, the Commander of Korem 172/PWY, Colonel Burhaniddin Siagian, said that the DPRP and the MRP should "act wisely" bearing in mind that the Morning Star flag, Tanahku Papua and the Mambruk bird symbol were not regional

Siswanto, Jakarta – Around 100 residents from Cengkareng in West Jakarta held a demonstration in front of the State Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara on Friday July 13. They called on the government to issue a policy to provide subsidies for milk and sembako (nine basic food items including rice and other staple commodities).

Zainal Fikri, Banjarmasin – More and more regencies and municipalities across the country have adopted sharia-inspired bylaws. Many of them are quite controversial, such the prohibition on alcohol and gambling, the closure of public roads during Friday prayers and the restriction of women's movement at night.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – A Canadian Muslim intellectual has questioned whether the rise of sharia-based ordinances in Indonesia has been driven by a desire for harmony and people's welfare or political gain.

M. Taufiqurrahman and Nani Afrida, Jakarta/Banda Aceh – Vice President Jusuf Kalla shrugged off the possibility of the former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) starting a new separatist movement by forming a local political party.

Jakarta – Teachers in the Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI) held a rally in the capital city once again. Last Monday, PGRI deployed hundreds of members from East Java. Yesterday (12/7) the organization had teachers from Central Java.

Ary Hermawan, Jimbaran, Bali – Indonesia will continue to adopt a society-oriented economic system aimed at guaranteeing an equal distribution of wealth to all citizens but remaining open to globalization, the President says.

The secretary-general of the Dewan Ketahanan Nasional (Council for National Resilience), Lt. General M Yasin said that Indonesians must be vigilant about the emergence of separatism in their midst.

Strategic issues that threaten national resilience such as separatism, extreme movements, fanaticism, terrorism and federalism must be crushed.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The government is upbeat that Indonesia's economy will continue to pick up momentum this year, with growth of between 6 and 6.11 percent year-on-year anticipated in the second quarter, on higher investment, exports and domestic spending.

The current brouhaha over the establishment of a local political party in Aceh raises a more important question about the exercise of democracy and equality in Indonesia: Shouldn't other regions be allowed to form their own regional parties to contest national and regional elections?

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The urban poor made it clear Wednesday that casting their ballots in Aug. 8 election was their only way of having a say in how the city is run.

"If you exercise your right to vote, there is hope for a better future," said Saiman, a street vendor in Jatinegara, East Jakarta.

Banda Aceh – The case of RCTI television reporter Ersa Siregar, who died during a fire fight between TNI (Indonesian military) soldiers and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) during the period of martial law in Aceh has been reported to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour.

Banda Aceh – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has been asked to pressure the Indonesian government to resolve cases of human rights violations that befell the people during the Aceh conflict. This was conveyed by 12 Acehnese civil society organisations during a meeting with Arbour at the UN representative offices in Aceh on Thursday July 12.

Udin, Banda Aceh – United Nations High Commission for Human Rights Louise Arbour is particularly interested in women's issues in Aceh. She is asking the Aceh government under the leadership of Governor Irwandi Yusuf to pay attention to gender equality at all decision-making levels in the Aceh government.

Hariyanto Kurniawan, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech stating other economic systems have failed and so they have chosen an open economic system that incorporates social justice is nothing more than political rhetoric. The reality is that the government is accelerating the process of economic liberalisation on a massive scale.

The Indonesia Human Rights Committee has faxed an urgent letter to the Prime Minister calling on her to raise issues of human rights in West Papua when she meets with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono next week.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has praised Indonesia's progress in applying human rights principles in recent years, and says the country should play a leading role in the establishment of human rights mechanisms in the region.

The US$1.5 billion civil lawsuit filed by state attorneys against former president Soeharto at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday – more than nine years after his fall – could simply be a political public relations maneuver to assuage the public's frustration over the government's indecisiveness regarding the former dictators's alleged crimes.

Paul Cleary – A potentially unstable coalition government with few detailed policies and weak administrative ability is now certain to emerge after East Timor's first post-independence poll resoundingly rejected the party which had championed the country's long struggle for independence.