Ellen Nakashima, Liquica – On the day he disappeared, Jacinto da Costa Canisio Pereira, a local resistance leader, stood in a priest's bedroom and prayed, his brother recalled. "I wanted to stay, to die with my brother," said Graciano Pires dos Santos.

Jakarta – The cafe looks no different from any other eatery, except that it serves as a meeting place for emerging artists and intellectuals.

Founder of Tempo magazine Goenawan Mohamad, writer Ayu Utami, poet Sitok Srengenge and progressive Muslim scholar Ulil Abshar Abdala are among some of those who patronize the place.

Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – The destruction of weapons belonging to the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has received a warm welcome. The House of Representatives (DPR) is asking GAM to be consistent and surrender weapons on time.

A recent study of 75 large export-oriented companies at four of Indonesia's largest seaports concluded that logistics services accounted for an average of 14 percent of total production costs.

Ati Nurbaiti, Jakarta – Millions of teenagers are sexually active in the country but official ignorance or a head-in-the-sand attitude is leading to a continuing neglect of their needs, an expert on public health says.

The peace process in Indonesia's Aceh province is right on schedule, according to a joint European Union-ASEAN monitoring mission. The Aceh Monitoring Mission today began supervising the disarming of Free Aceh or GAM separatist rebels, after thirty years of conflict.

Alexander Bebordelius is a spokesman for the Aceh Monitoring Mission, in Banda Aceh. He spoke to Sen Lam.

Robin Mcdowell, Peudada – Acehnese rebels emerged from their jungle camps Friday to surrender a second batch of weapons, as the guerrillas and the Indonesian government argued over what kind of guns should count under their peace deal.

Jerry Norton, Banda Aceh – Former rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province began handing in guns to foreign monitors on Thursday under a landmark peace agreement, but differences emerged over what weapons counted under the deal.

Lhokseumawe, Jakarta – Around 1,300 Mobile Brigade Police left Aceh on Wednesday as part of a peace agreement with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels which requires the Indonesian government to gradually withdraw security forces personnel from the province.

The pullout of the police strike force came a day before GAM members start handing over guns to foreign monitors.

Jakarta – Efforts by former political prisoners to seek justice for their past suffering were dealt a setback on Wednesday by the Central Jakarta District Court, which said it could not hear the class action lawsuit.

The Indonesian government has confirmed it will raise fuel prices by at least 50 per cent as early as October. As fears subside that widespread social unrest will follow a price rise, concern is now shifting to whether a scheme to compensate the very poor will hit its target.

Jakarta – Families of victims of the 1998/1999 student shootings urged the House of Representatives on Wednesday to push the government to issue a presidential decree establishing an ad hoc human rights tribunal to try the cases.

Ivy Susanti, Washington, DC – Indonesian House of Representatives lawmakers held talks with US senators here on Wednesday to seek support for a full resumption of military ties between the two countries when their delegates meet in a joint committee scheduled for next month.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – More documents detailing the practice of selling disaster aid budgets have been discovered by the House of Representatives disciplinary body after it questioned more legislators on Wednesday.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – The convoy of motorists consisted of about 50 men, whose faces looked dark while they slowly drove their motorcycles into Banda Aceh city under the watchful eyes of journalists.

Banda Aceh – The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) has decided that the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has violated the peace agreement by shooting two Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel in Lhokseumawe on September 10, 2005.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Supreme Court has upheld the acquittal of a former police officer charged with gross human rights violations in connection with two massacres in East Timor in 1999, an official said today.

Jakarta – If you can't beat them, join them. If you can't get rid of them, recruit them. That seems to be the motto of the city administration in dealing with thugs in the capital.

While the city police has tried to tame thugs by force – arresting and sending them to jail, the city administration prefers to recruit them as security guards.

Jakarta – The government will give authority to existing interfaith forums to issue permits for the establishment of places of worship, a move that is expected to help end conflict in the setting up of houses of worship. The interfaith forum is an independent grouping of leaders from various faiths set up at a regional level with a mission to settle religion-related disputes.

The UK-based Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR) has denounced last week's ruling by an Indonesian Human Rights Court that ended up acquitting two senior police officers accused of serious human rights violations.

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – With numerous corruption cases still hanging because of a lack of evidence or other "difficulties", the Attorney General was told on Tuesday to use his discretionary power to reduce or even drop charges against graft suspects willing to cooperate in investigations.

Max Lane – Over the last few weeks, the Indonesian rupiah has lost more than 10% of its value. It has "stabilised" at around 10,500 to the US dollar compared to 9500 before August. The stock market has also suffered similar declines, losing 17% of its value at one point.

Jakarta – A woman spends 12 hours a day sitting at a crossroads on Jl. Pramuka, East Jakarta, waiting for people to throw small change from their vehicles. "I came from Brebes four years ago, without knowing what I could do here," said Ngatem, who said that she could not read and had no skills to offer.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – Following a controversial fatwa by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which strongly recommends an end to liberalism, pluralism and secularism, Muslim moderates and conservatives are debating whether Islam recognizes freedom of thought.

A discussion here on Tuesday showed that Muslim scholars still strongly differed over this controversial issue.

Jerry Norton, Krueng Raya – As he impales coconuts on a sharp blade and twists them to remove the husks, M. Nur Taib says things are looking up.

The 35-year-old father of three lost his house and his job when last December's tsunami slammed into Indonesia's Aceh province. He and his family still live in a makeshift shelter of plastic sheets, canvas and wood.

Free Aceh Movement rebels, who've fought a guerilla war for almost thirty years, will tomorrow begin handing over a quarter of their weapons as part of a landmark peace agreement reached between them and the government

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Aceh Working Group (AWG) has urged authorities to disarm and dissolve civilian militias in Aceh province, for fear that they could disrupt the peace process there.

The group accused certain security personnel of mobilizing and recruiting Acehnese civilians as members of the armed militia groups.

Nani Afrida, Pidie – In line with the peace deal earlier signed by the Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM), GAM members have begun gathering weapons and have said they are ready to hand them over to the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM).

Nani Afrida, Pidie – Distrust and fear still runs deep among members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as the date for the decommissioning of weapons is drawing near. As the disarmament between Thursday and Saturday nears, GAM members are still apprehensive about a possible backlash from Indonesian Military personnel, whom they have fought for almost 30 years.

Marguerita Choy, Paris – Australia expects to finalise a deal with East Timor in the next few months that will split the revenue from the disputed Greater Sunrise gas field, a government official said on Tuesday.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Skepticism prevails among human rights activists over the capability of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) in handling unresolved rights abuse cases because the law dealing with it is considered far from workable.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – General Elections Commission (KPU) member Mulyana W. Kusumah and acting secretary general of the commission Sussongko Suhardjo were declared guilty by a court on Monday of attempting to bribe a state auditor in a high profile case linked to alleged corruption during last year's general elections.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Despite extensive international-standard safety regulations governing Indonesia's air traffic sector, last week's disaster was the third major air tragedy in less than a year. There have been 14 air accidents so far this year and more than two dozen since early 2004.

Jakarta – The government has decided to again delay replacing Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, despite repeated calls from the House of Representatives to speed up the replacement.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – An aggressive attempt by Muslim hard-liners to evict the Liberal Islam Network (JIL) from the Utan Kayu area in East Jakarta has received a major blow as local residents have begun to show support for the group there.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Labour Struggle National Front (FNPBI) is of the opinion that the government has yet to side with laborers, the Indonesian news agency Antara reported.

In a demonstration launched at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle here Monday, 150 FNPBI members rejected the low-wage policy and the elimination of subsidies for the people, including fuel subsidy.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The defense ministry is preparing a revision of the draft bill on intelligence, as the initial draft was criticized for being detrimental to human rights protection in the country.

The UK government's decision to invite Indonesia to an arms fair in London, despite ongoing concern about the country's human rights record, has been condemned by TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign.

Jakarta – A member of Muslim hard-line group Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) along with senior figures from other religions declared on Saturday a national movement against terrorism.

John Roberts – Just a year after former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won the Indonesian presidential election, skyrocketting global oil prices are compounding the country's economic difficulties and placing his administration under serious political strain.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Following his death due to arsenic poisoning, human rights activist Munir won recognition as a martyr.

It was a posthumous salute that elevated him to saint-like stature, someone who was murdered allegedly by those who grew restless with his campaign to expose wrongs in society, namely state-sponsored violence.

Jakarta – About 100 students and youths staged a rally here on Sunday to demand the resignation of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's economic ministers from his cabinet.

Ant/Edj, Jakarta – The Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI) believes that the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla (SBY-Kalla) are pursuing economic polices that support foreign interests and which fail to side with the interests of workers.

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – It might not have been the kind of birthday present that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wished for, but nonetheless hundreds of protesters, led by former President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, staged a rally against his Aceh policy on Friday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Ministry of Defense said here on Friday it would propose a 7.56 percent increase to its budget next year to Rp 23.6 trillion (US$23.6 billion) from the current Rp 21.9 trillion.

The increased budget would partly be used to finance defense programs aimed at maintaining Indonesia's sovereignty and unity, it added.

Jakarta – The acquittal of two senior police officers from all charges of gross human rights violations in Abepura, Papua province, drew public condemnation on Friday.

AK-42, Bireuen – The public flogging of nine convicted gamblers, which took place on the grounds of the Bireuen Grand Mosque on Friday September 9, failed to attract spectators.

Sunariah, Jakarta – Former army chief of staff, General Ryamizard Ryacudu, has warned that there is a potential threat that could undermine the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) being posed by a number of neighbouring countries such as Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – It is still difficult to claim that Indonesia has a true bicameral legislature with its seemingly weak "senate", which has done nothing significant in nearly a year since it was first set up.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Closing budget talks in the House of Representatives to the public enables lawmakers to engage in corruption, it was concluded at a discussion held following reports of the alleged "sale" of government relief funds.