Mark Dodd – East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has signed a $US14.4 million ($14.9 million) food security contract giving sole import rights to the vice-president of his political party – a deal that is ringing alarm bells at the UN and among the impoverished country's main donors, including Australia.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The Indonesian financial intelligence unit has warned of financial violations and money politics during next year's legislative and presidential elections unless monitoring efforts are enhanced.

Erwida Maulia, Depok, West Java – Speakers at a seminar in Depok on Saturday said drug laws needed to place more of an emphasis on rehabilitation for users and stop treating addicts the same as traffickers and dealers.

Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – UNICEF has renewed calls for donors to refrain from sending formula milk as humanitarian assistance to victims of disasters, saying it could cause even more deaths.

A UNICEF study found rates of diarrhea in Yogyakarta in the aftermath of the 2006 earthquake increased sixfold as the consumption of formula doubled.

Jakarta/Brussels – An Indonesian government decree restricting activities of the Ahmadiyah sect demonstrates how hardline Islamic groups, which have little political support, have been able to use classic civil society advocacy techniques to influence government policy.

Dili – Police in East Timor's capital fired tear gas Monday to disperse students protesting a plan by lawmakers to buy themselves new cars with state funds, authorities said.

Officers detained 21 students during the rally in Dili for "investigation purposes," said National Police Chief Inspector Afonso de Jesus. He did not elaborate.

Five Indonesian convicts are about to be executed within this month, according to the Indonesian Attorney General Office. The Asian Human Rights Commission and The Indonesian Community Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat) urge the President of Indonesia to place a moratorium on them, and to demand the Indonesian government to halt such inhuman punishment.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) alarmingly said last week while international oil prices continued to surge closer to US$150 per barrel that rising oil prices had reached a critical point and that they could cause fuel and electricity subsidies this year to explode to more than $30 billion.

Khairul Ikhwan, Medan – The G8 Forum Ministerial Level Meeting that is taking place in Hokkaido, Japan, has been condemned by student groups in the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan.

Ramadhian Fadillah, Jakarta – A number of protest actions will greet the Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations meeting that is to begin today in Hokkaido, Japan. The Japanese embassy on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta will be 'rocked' by two anti-liberalism demonstrations.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – Government opposition figures gathered at the Century Park Hotel in the Senayan area of Central Jakarta on Saturday July 5 to discuss the problems of the nation, which may possibly become an arena of lobbying by the political elite in the lead up to the 2009 general elections.

Adianto P. Simamora and Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – It seems the government has developed a fondness for exploiting the hot topic of climate change to secure foreign loans, then channeling the money elsewhere – and environmentalists want it to stop.

Andra Jackson – As they settle into their new life in Melbourne, tomorrow brings a poignant reminder for a group of West Papuans of why they fled their country.

It is the 10th anniversary of what they call the Biak massacre, when Indonesian soldiers shot and injured 200 islanders after they raised the Morning Star, symbolising West Papuan independence aspirations.

Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – Education activists in Yogyakarta on Friday set up monitoring posts to ensure the enrollment of new students in junior and senior high schools was carried out fairly.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Six weeks after the government's direct cash assistance scheme was launched, only 13.8 percent of the 19 million families targeted have received their aid.

PT Pos Indonesia's director for financial services Arief Supriyono said Friday that only 119 of the country's 440 regency and municipal administrations had distributed the aid.

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – The rebel named as having shot East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta was apparently not the shooter after all, deepening the mystery that still surrounds the February attacks in Dili.

The Age can reveal that Mr Ramos Horta realised that Marcelo Caetano was not the gunman when he met him in Dili after he surrendered in April.

Novia D. Rulistia, Jakarta – A survey of Asia-Pacific countries carried out on the Internet reveals 77 percent of the respondents believe Indonesia is in a recession, despite first-quarter economic growth.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Political parties and candidates might resort to smear campaigns and dirty tricks during the nine-month campaign period that starts next week, the General Elections Commission (KPU) has warned.

Andy Hajramurni, Makassar – Makassar mayoralty in South Sulawesi has issued a local ordinance banning people from giving money to beggars in a bid to stem the recent sharp increase in beggars in the city.

There are currently 2,600 street children and beggars in Makassar, up from 870 in 2006.

Angela Flassy, Jayapura – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has breached a 2001 on special autonomy for Papua by issuing a 2008 government decree to amend the law, Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) chairman Agus Alue Alua said Thursday.

Richard Brunton – Concern has been raised about the poor living conditions among a group of Papuan refugees squatting in a public park in Papua New Guinea's capital.

The group of about 100 is currently camped at Boroko's Apex Park after being evicted from four different public locations over the past nine months.

Lucy Williamson, Dili – "That's him," our guide told me. The man in the sagging brown vest was sitting at the entrance to his home, enjoying the morning sun. A mundane moment of freedom for a man convicted of the most serious crimes.

Andra Wisnu, Jakarta – In what was called a "grave for press freedom" in Indonesia, a court here ruled Thursday in favor of a pulp and paper firm in a long-standing dispute with Koran Tempo daily newspaper.

Dicky Christanto, Denpasar – Bali General Election Commission (KPUD) chairman Anak Agung Gede Oka Wisnumurti on Wednesday said he had received the wealth list of all the candidates participating in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

He received the list from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The public has lost faith in the House of Representatives, believing its members put their parties' interests first, a recent survey has found. Instead, people are looking to the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) to voice their concerns.

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – Jakartans may like to think of their hometown as a prominent 21st century world-class city.

But several subdistricts in North Jakarta municipality still exist in a mid-19th century Gangs of New York-type era where thugs are the kings who provide bread and meat for residents.

Jakarta – The latest reshuffle within the Indonesian Military (TNI) has dragged on following the appointment of Vice Adm. Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno as the new Navy chief.

The reshuffle, signed by TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso on June 30, affected 29 jobs, including the TNI chief of general affairs and three military command chief posts.

Harry Bhaskara, Jakarta – The anti-corruption commission has been unusually active in recent weeks but its work may vanish into thin air unless a crucial bill is passed into law this year.

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – Anti-terror police arrested 10 suspected Muslim militants and seized a large cache of high-powered bombs, foiling a major attack targeting Westerners in the Indonesian capital, police and media reports said Thursday.

Olivia Rondonuwu, Jakarta – A group of 10 suspected Muslim militants detained in raids on Sumatra island by Indonesia's anti-terrorism unit was plotting to attack Western targets, a police source said on Thursday.

Tangerang – Dozens of members of the Tangerang Journalists Working Group protested at the regency office in Tigaraksa on Tuesday to demand the regent apologize for threatening a reporter.

Mr. Rudd's recent Jakarta visit was obviously a success, paving the way for a more informal and creative relationship between Canberra and Jakarta. However, this successful encounter should be seen as a basis for a more positive and creative relationship, not as an end in itself.

Dili – The East Timor Students Forum is threatening hunger strikes because its members feel deceived by the National Parliament about the agreement to purchase luxury motor vehicles being reduced from 65 to 26 vehicles.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Since the municipal government shut down the Saritem prostitution area in the Andir district of Bandung, West Java, residents have struggled to find work.

One resident, Yudihari, 61, said he could no longer earn enough money to support his family. The father of seven said he could not pay his children's school fees.

East Timor's Prime Minister is supporting a new law that would allow civilians to own guns, less than five months after illegally armed rebel soldiers tried to kill him and the president

The proposal has sparked heated scenes in parliament, with MPs almost coming to blows over what some say is a dangerous development that could threaten the nation's fragile security.

Questions are being asked about a proposal to massively increase government spending in East Timor. A mid-year review has recommended that parliament approve a doubling of the state budget for this year. Dili says it needs to set up an Economic Stabilisation Fund to manage public anger over rising food and fuel prices. Critics say the extra spending is irresponsible.

Timor-Leste's President Jose Ramos-Horta yesterday unveiled his legislative plan for an ambitious reconciliation process covering the events of the 2006 crisis. The draft law, authored by his office, sets out a scheme whereby those charged, or even sentenced, for their role in the crisis could be excused from criminal responsibility.

Tom McCawley, Jakarta – A breakaway Islamic sect's struggle to survive has become a major test of tolerance for Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country. Conservative, hardline Muslims are confronting moderates over the existence of Ahmadiyya, a 100-year-old minority sect that does not accept Mohammad as the last prophet of Islam.

Max Lane – Protest demonstrations in Jakarta and other Indonesian cities in recent weeks marked the appearance of a new progressive alliance, the National Liberation Front (FPN). The FPN was formed in May at the initiative of the Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM), a coalition of progressive union federations.

Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) ignored several findings from its investigation in its decision to drop the probe into the embezzlement of Rp 81.1 trillion (US$8.8 billion) in central bank funds, a court here heard Tuesday.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The number of people defined as poor fell by 2.21 million between March 2007 and March 2008, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

This is the second yearly decline in a row. There were 2.13 million fewer poor people in March 2007 compared with the year before.

Desy Nurhayati and Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono swore in Vice Adm. Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno as the new Navy chief of staff at the Merdeka Palace on Tuesday.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – A mother of two teenage boys, Mira, 40, wants the oldest to join the police once he graduates from high school, hopefully next year.

"Most people here look up to police officers nowadays. They think it is better to become a police officer than a military soldier," Mira, a resident of the East Java regency of Magetan, told The Jakarta Post recently.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The latest survey showing a steep decline in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's popularity indicates the people's frustration with the way the government has handled economic problems, observers say.

Jakarta – Students in Jakarta once again demonstrated against the increase in the price of fuel on June 30, 2008. They gathered as the Indonesian Students League (SMI). The protesters left from the roundabout outside Hotel Indonesia at about 1pm and marched towards the Presidential Palace. There were about 70 people demonstrating.

Jakarta – All factions in the House of Representatives have agreed to pass legislation giving a legal basis for the implementation of special autonomy in the new province of West Papua.

"We agreed to pass the bill during a plenary session Tuesday," lawmaker EE Mangindaan, head of House Commission II overseeing home affairs, said here Monday.

Ulfa Ilyas, Jakarta – Around 80 people gathered together under the banner of the National front for Indonesian Workers Struggle (FNPBI) and held another demonstration at ExxonMobil and the national parliament building to demanded that the government cancel the increase in the price of fuel, nationalise the mining industry and repudiate the foreign debt.

Dr. H Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President of the Republic of Indonesia
Istana Merdeka
Jakarta 10110
Indonesia

Your Excellency,

Ario Adityo – Indonesian migrant workers demonstrated along with thousands of Hong Kong citizens on July 1. This action coincided with national holiday to mark the day that Hong Kong returned to China.

The group of demonstrators demanded democratisation, like direct elections, wage increases as well as an end to discrimination against minority groups and migrant workers.

Jakarta – The Corruption Court questioned Monday whether there could be a larger conspiracy involving the Attorney General's Office (AGO) in the alleged bribe paid by businesswoman Artalyta Suryani to state prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan.