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.
Sebastien Blanc, Dili – With a new president and parliament, East Timor is poised for reconciliation after more than a year of simmering political tension. But one schism remains: language.
Aboeprijadi Santoso, Jakarta – State responses and the row over flag incidents in Maluku and Papua suggest little has been learned from Indonesia's rich experience with conflicts in East Timor and Aceh.
Jayapura – Police have questioned 14 witnesses in connection with the unfurling of a separatist Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag during the opening of the Papua Customary Community Congress here last week.
Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The people should throw their weight behind the government, no matter how disorderly it is, and turn away from any attempts to have it prematurely removed, a noted politician says.
[The following is a compellation of abridged translations from Detik.com on reactions to the establishment of the GAM Party by former members of the Free Aceh Movement in Banda Aceh on July 7.]
Banda Aceh police protest use GAM logo and flag as party symbol
Jakarta – The government denied Monday that it had given the go-ahead for ex-members of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) to use the flag of the former rebel group as symbol for a local political party.
Men and women from the Papua Tribal Council have been arrested yesterday in Jayapura at the end of the Peoples Congress held by the Papuan Presidium Council to elect its new set of officers.
Only days after the Indonesian Government banned U.S Congressman Eni Faleomavega from visiting West Papua, the Indonesian police, military and local government in Yogyakarta have teamed up with Islamic militias and hardline nationalist groups to crack down on West Papuan activists.
Jakarta – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour began her five-day visit to Indonesia during which she is expected to visit Aceh and meet with the President.
Bhimanto Suwastoyo, Jakarta – A 1.5-billion-dollar civil suit filed against Indonesia's ex-dictator Suharto is a political move to appease government critics and comes too late to retrieve missing money, analysts said Tuesday.
Ken Yunita, Jakarta – The government is being asked to be on guard against the arrival in Indonesia of human rights representatives from foreign institutions. This is related to the reemergence of separatist movements in various parts of the country.
Gede Suardana, Jakarta – The United Nations is being asked to support Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in efforts to solve the murder of human rights activist Munir. This support will give Yudhoyono more confidence.
Andi Haswidi, Jakarta – After four months of improvement, consumer confidence fell in June amid concerns about cooking oil, milk and other food-product prices, a survey reveals.
Jakarta – A recent survey conducted to commemorate the National Police' 61st anniversary found that the public wants more female police officers, despite the discrimination they face.
Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Having learned the hard way from the financial crisis about the importance of managing lending risks, Indonesia's banking sector has now improved significantly, and is well capable of weathering potential shocks, according to the central bank governor.
Fabio Scarpello, Dili – Democracy is taking hold in East Timor, but the inconclusive result of recent parliamentary elections is raising the specter of new political confrontation rather than resolution.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – East Timor's court of appeals will ratify today the results of the country's parliamentary election, setting the stage for a potentially brutal showdown between former ruling party Fretilin and the powerful coalition opposing it.
Tito Belo, Dili – East Timor's ruling party, Fretilin, plans to form a minority government if attempts to link up with coalition partners fail after recent parliamentary elections, the party's secretary general said on Monday.
Police in Central Maluku, arrested Leonard Hendrik, an alleged activist of the secessionist Republic of South Maluku (RMS) in Aboru village, Haruku Island, Sunday.
Bambang Dwi, Jakarta – Indonesian prosecutors on Monday filed a civil suit against former dictator Suharto, seeking more than 1.5 billion dollars in damages over funds he allegedly stole during his three decades in power.
Canberra – An Australian warning of possible terrorist attacks in the final stages of planning in Indonesia was based on intercepted militant communications, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Monday.
Jakarta – An Indonesian judge on Monday ruled that the arrest of a senior member of the Jemaah Islamiyah extremist network was lawful and he should remain in custody.
Jakarta – A former military chief turned politician said Sunday the authorities should consider allowing independent candidates run for president.
Former Indonesian Military chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto said recent suggestions that independent candidates be allowed to participate in elections could be accommodated.
Statesmanship is in short supply in Indonesia. Our political elite just doesn't have it.
Paula Makabori – More Papuans are being questioned by Indonesian police in Jayapura over a flag-raising incident. This follows the arrest of eight Papuans at the end of the four-day Papuan Tribal Congress meeting in Jayapura last week.