[Shakedown: Australia's grab for Timor oil. By Paul Cleary. Allen & Unwin, 2007. 336 pages, $29.95. Reviewed by Vannessa Hearman.]

[East Timor: Beyond Independence. Edited by Damien Kingsbury and Michael Leach Monash University Press, 2007. 302 pages, $36.95. Reviewed by Jon Lamb.]

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – Australian troops in East Timor stole flags of the deposed Fretilin party, tore them up and wiped their backsides with them, Fretilin claimed yesterday.

Jakarta – Many of the people living under city turnpikes are anxious over the news they will soon be relocated as they have gotten no wind of alternative arrangements.

"I don't know where to live if the administration drives us away from this place," said Neng, 37, who has been living under the Jembatan Tiga turnpike, North Jakarta, for five years.

Jakarta – Chief of the Iskandar Muda Regional Military Command Maj. Gen. Supiadin A.S. defended Monday former members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM), a number of whom are in leading government positions in the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province.

Jakarta – An Indonesian court on Tuesday rejected a class action lawsuit filed by hardline cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, who had sought the disbanding of the police's anti-terror unit.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The air forces of 19 Pacific nations started maneuvers here Monday for the 2007 Pacific Airlift Rally, a joint military exercise aimed at honing the forces' ability to handle natural disasters.

As part of the commitment on the bilateral agreement that was signed by the two countries on 1 December 2006, Russia will provide one billion USD in loan for Indonesian armament procurement for the period of 2007-2010.

Jayapura – Some 300 protesters who said they were from the Coalition of People and Students Care of Papua held a rally at Papua Legislative Council on Monday demanding the provincial government, the local council and Papua People's Council reject the province's special autonomy status.

Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – The government-appointed agency in charge of dealing with the Sidoarjo mudflow disaster in East Java decided Monday to continue dumping mud into the Porong River, so it could be carried out to sea.

Activists and experts criticized the decision, arguing it would damage river water quality and cause sedimentation.

Jakarta – Labour representatives from the Workers Challenge Alliance (AMB) demonstrated at the Supreme Court on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara in Central Jakarta on Monday August 20. They brought a giant banner with their demands and gave speeches calling on the government to pay attention to the welfare of workers and to enact a reasonable national wage.

Two West Papuan men have been murdered in separate incidents in what appears to be a return of the 'mysterious killing' style of political repression, which was carried out by the Indonesian security forces during the Suharto era.

The 4th National Gathering of the Australian Coalition of West Papua Support Groups met in Sydney over the weekend of the 11-12 August to discuss and formulate campaigns to highlight the ongoing human rights abuses occurring in West Papua. The gathering also affirmed their support for the peaceful struggle of the West Papuan people to achieve their right to self-determination.

Nana Rukmana, Indramayu – A controversial proposal to conduct virginity tests on female high school students in Indramayu regency, West Java, has been dropped following strong objections from students, parents and activists.

They said the plan violated human rights and constituted harassment against women.

There is concern being expressed about the statement by the Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, linking Papuan separatists to terrorism.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – It was President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's third state-of-the-nation address, but whopping figures and complicated words go in one ear and out the other for those battling the harsh realities of life, observers said.

Nabiha Shahab, Jakarta – Indonesia and Japan inked a wide-ranging free trade pact Monday during a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is on the first stop of a three-nation tour through Asia.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Boosting infrastructure development to help drive growth and create jobs, while improving education and public health services, will be the government's priority in next year's budget.

Slamet Susanto, Gunungkidul – For Karso Suwito, Independence Day is always a time of great pride, as well as pain, as he inevitably recalls his past.

Jakarta – The Indonesian people still need nationalism, albeit of a different kind, when facing a globalization movement "fueled by capitalism", says an academic.

Fitri Wulandari and Lewa Pardomuan, Langkat – Palm oil prices might be going through the roof and making investors and businessmen rich, but the soaring prices have not improved the lot of pickers and locals working on the fringes of the palm oil industry.

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, Jakarta – Though independent for 62 years, the country still witnesses frequent attempts to disrupt religious harmony, leaders of various faiths said Saturday.

Jakarta – Foreign joint venture companies, with greater capitalization at their disposal, dominated the country's non-bank financial services last year, controlling the majority of total financing.

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, Jakarta – Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid said Thursday Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf should be held responsible for a recent incident in the province in which an Indonesian flag was burned.

There was a time when thousands of people would gather to hear president Sukarno deliver the annual state of the union address in person, and millions more across the country would be glued to radios.

Alice Coster, Jakarta – The Indonesian court system was the worst of all Indonesian government institutions and required a "complete overhaul", said a foreign lawyer speaking at a panel discussion on Indonesia's trade and investment prospects in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Today, more than sixty organisations, comprising local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies have issued a public statement condemning recent acts of violence against children in Timor-Leste.

Jambi – Most Jambi women still prefer to give birth with the assistance of traditional midwives instead of putting their trust in doctors, a survey has found.

The survey was conducted by the National Economic Census (Susenas) in July last year and the results were released by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in Jambi.

Andi Haswidi, Jakarta – Mixed verdicts greeted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech on the 2008 state budget bill Thursday, which highlighted figures and assumptions many analysts deemed as being overly optimistic.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Thursday the four basic pillars of the state – Pancasila state ideology, the 1945 Constitution, the unitary state (NKRI) and pluralism – were non-negotiable.

Jakarta – The State Intelligence Agency (BIN) has been implicated in the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib after prosecutors submitted new evidence in the case review of Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto at its first session Thursday.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Indonesia has demanded Malaysia investigate and punish employers suspected of killing or abusing Indonesian workers after another Indonesian maid was allegedly tortured to death in the country.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has warned his Government will not tolerate interference from those who want to slow down the development of Papua. The President issued the warning in his annual address to Parliament.

Erica Vowles – The rights and revenue that were supposed to flow from West Papua's Special Autonomy Law – implemented by the Indonesian Government in 2001 – are yet to transpire for the majority of West Papuans, according to delegates at a conference in Sydney last week.

Mark Forbes Herald, Jakarta – The Indonesian intelligence agency BIN ordered several assassination attempts against the human rights activist Munir Thalib, including the use of black magic, before poisoning him on a trip to Europe, a police investigation has found.

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – The 62nd anniversary of Indonesian independence failed to prevent student and non-government organisations from demonstrating. An action in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta even became quite heated.

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Workers had their own way of commemorating the anniversary of Indonesia's independence. Around 80 protesters from the Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI) held an demonstration among the factories in the Nusantara Bonded Zone (KBN) in Cakung, North Jakarta on Friday August 17.

'Not a violation of human rights,' says army

A shadow has been cast over today's anniversary celebrations of Indonesia's independence by reported threats by the security forces to shoot on sight anyone attempting to pull down the national red-and-white flag.

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court's ruling to let independent candidates run in regional elections has gained momentum with prominent citizens expressing their support for the ruling.

But leaders cannot agree on whether the ruling should be immediately imposed or not.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Environmentalists on Wednesday renewed calls for the city administration to stop an ongoing land reclamation project that allegedly threatens the livelihoods of thousands of people.

Dozens of members of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) staged a rally in front of City Hall to protest the project.

Agus Maryono and Yuli Tri Suwarni, Purwokerto/Bandung – Serious drought in the past month has forced residents in Banyumas regency, Central Java, to use unsanitary water for cooking, and pushed West Java farmers to the brink of harvest failure.

Purwokerto, Central Java – Hundreds of taxi drivers grouped in the Kobata Taksi cooperative in Purwokerto to stage a rally Wednesday demanding fairness from Banyumas Transportation Office.

The protest, commenced at the city's old terminal and continued to the local Transportation Office, before it ended at the Banyumas Legislative Council building.

Craig Skehan – The diplomatically sensitive Morning Star independence flag was flown outside the Australian Parliament yesterday by a group of West Papuans – some of whose successful asylum applications last year infuriated Indonesia. Flying the same flag in West Papua would probably mean jail.

Jakarta – Politician and patron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Taufiq Kiemas, said the central government's lack of authority had seen the Acehnese take down hundreds of Indonesian national flags.

"This proves the country is not yet stable," Taufiq said. "There should have been no taking down of national flags."

Cpl. Juan D. Alfonso, MCB Camp Butler, Camp Cilandak – Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force's Special Operations Training Group conducted Enhanced Marksmanship Familiarization training and classes on Marine Air-Ground Task Force operations with the Indonesian Marine Corps' 2nd Brigade Aug. 7-8 at Camp Cilandak, Indonesia, and aboard USS Harpers Ferry.

Mohamad Rayan, Banda Aceh – Two years have passed since the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Aug. 15, 2005. Several significant developments have taken place in Aceh since, including a successful and widely respected democratic election and the swearing in of a democratically elected government.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Despite political obstacles, the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam provincial administration is considering establishing a truth and reconciliation committee (KKR) to settle unresolved human rights abuse cases.

Indonesia, which received the second highest number of votes in elections to the United Nations Human Rights Council earlier this year, will celebrate its sixty second Independence Day on August 17, 2007. Given these election results, we could imagine that Indonesia is considered as being a moderate nation which consistently promotes and protects human rights.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sent Wednesday his warm greetings to former president Soeharto through the latter's grandson Wiratama Hadi Ramanto Pratikto.

Wiratama was at the Merdeka Palace as part of a ceremony to make official the flag hoisting team (Paskibraka) for the August 17 Independence Day celebrations.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The economy grew 6.3 percent in the second quarter compared to a year ago, the fastest level in two years, on continued increases in exports, consumption and investment.

The latest figures from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), which were released Wednesday, showed that second-quarter growth was the fastest since the first quarter of 2005.