Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A foreign company in Medan, North Sumatra, has reportedly dismissed workers for planning to form a labor union at their work place.

Aubrey Belford, Tibar, East Timor – East Timor, which gained formal independence in 2002 after a long history of occupation under Portugal and Indonesia, is Asia's youngest country in more ways than one.

Sara Schonhardt, Jakarta - International scientists said Tuesday they are almost certain a mud volcano that has displaced tens of thousands of villagers in central Indonesia was caused by faulty drilling of a gas exploration well not an earthquake as claimed by the company.

Tito Belo, Dili – About a thousand students rallied outside East Timor's parliament on Wednesday to protest against a decision to buy 65 Toyota Land Cruisers – one for each member of parliament – in one of the world's poorest nations.

Jakarta – The World Bank (WB) predicts Indonesia will experience a shorter period of repercussions from the global food price crisis compared to other countries in Southeast Asia.

Philip Setunga, Hong Kong, China – Since the amendment to the Indonesian constitution in 2000, Indonesian citizens are guaranteed the right to freedom of religion and belief in accordance to one's own conscience.

Dicky Christanto, Denpasar – The upcoming Bali gubernatorial election is a legally-tainted political process, a legal expert claimed Monday.

Jakarta – The major factions joined forces Tuesday to block a House of Representatives move to investigate the government's failure to recover trillions of rupiah in Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) funds from large debtors.

The government finally issued a decision on Ahmadiyah, imposing restrictions on the leaders and followers of the minority Islamic sect. A decree issued Monday essentially warned Ahmadiyah against portraying itself as Islamic as long as it recognizes its founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, as the last prophet instead of Muhammad, as mainstream Islam believes.

Jakarta – Human rights activists have demanded the government annul a decree against Jamaah Ahmadiyah because it violates the Constitution and legalizes crimes against the minority Islamic group.

The government decision to order the sect to cease religious activities in Indonesia also sparked "great regret" from the Ahmadiyah Muslim Community based in London.

Jakarta – Jamaah Ahmadiyah can continue in Indonesia and its followers are allowed to worship in their homes and mosques, but they must not preach or try to convert others, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Tuesday.

Adianto P Simamora, Jakarta – More than 100 representatives of farmers groups from across the world will gather in Jakarta next week to seek international recognition of their rights and to tackle the food crisis currently affecting many countries.

Jakarta – Police have officially detained Islam Troop Command leader Munarman at the City Police headquarters for allegedly masterminding the National Monument (Monas) ambush on June 1.

"He has been in custody since 6 p.m.," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen Abubakar Nataprawira said Tuesday.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – A patrol car belonging to Wilayatul Hisbah of the sharia police in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh Nanggroe Darussalam province, was burned out early Monday morning by unidentified attackers.

The Human Rights Council this morning adopted the outcome of the Working Group of the Universal Periodic Review on the reports on Indonesia, the United Kingdom, India and Brazil.

Yuli Tri Suwarni/Slame Susanto, Bandung/Yogyakarta – An alliance of interfaith volunteers in West Java and Yogyakarta blamed the government for the rise in violence against minority religious groups in the two provinces, saying the government had failed to uphold freedom of religion as guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution.

Nabiha Shahab, Jakarta – Liberal Indonesians accused the government of caving in to extremists Tuesday after it issued a quasi-ban against a minority Islamic sect in the face of violent protests by Muslim hardliners.

Jakarta – The government, bowing to intense pressure from extremist groups, has ordered Jamaah Ahmadiyah to stop all religious activities or face legal prosecution.

Prime Minister Rudd should raise the issue of West Papua with the Indonesian Government as he did the issue of Tibet with the Chinese Government.

Jakarta – Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Ka'ban and three lawmakers were questioned Monday by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on the embezzlement of Bank of Indonesia funds.

Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – Hundreds of children affected by the mudflow in Sidoarjo, East Java, risk dropping out of school because their parents can no longer afford to pay for their education.

Some 2,400 people, 387 of them school-aged children, currently live in makeshift homes in Porong market.

Kupang – At least 137 villages in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) are in need of government food supplies following a harvest failure, a local official says.

NTT Food Reliance Agency head Petrus Langoday said Monday the number of villages at risk in Lembata, Rote Ndao and Alor regencies was previously 102.

The Indonesian government should stand up for religious tolerance instead of prosecuting people for their religious views. – Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should reverse a decree that would permit criminal prosecutions of the Ahmadiyah community for their religious beliefs, Human Rights Watch said today.

ID Nugroho and Suherdjoko, Surabaya, Semarang – Dissatisfied with the government's reaction to violence by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), an alliance of religious organizations in Jember regency, East Java, is preparing a special force to launch a strike at the hard-line group.

Jakarta – Thousands of white-clad Muslims took to the streets of the Indonesian capital Monday to demand the government ban a minority Islamic sect branded "deviant" by top clerics.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives has come under public scrutiny and derision for a series of scandals involving lawmakers, ranging from corruption to sexual harassment.

Political observers have identified a poor selection process and a lack of supervision as the root of the problem.

Explain Yourself to Cameron Broadhurst

Environmental Papuan activist Septer Manufandu in New Zealand last week to highlight West Papuan deforestation. He also met Maori Party members to forge links between the indigenous people. Times photo Cameron Broadhurst.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives is pressing the government to issue a decision on Ahmadiyah, to prevent further violence over the controversial Islamic group.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Leaders of Lhok Nga and Leupung districts in Aceh Besar regency have asked French Lafarge co-financed cement factory PT Semen Andalas Indonesia (SAI) to promote more local workers to strategic positions.

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – Seven labor unions went to City Hall on Friday and urged the Jakarta administration to organize a discussion, to be facilitated by the manpower agency, to revise the 2008 provincial minimum wage.

Ariel Heryanto, Victoria – Fear has prevailed in the lives of Indonesians for much too long. The reign of fear has affected both the state and ordinary people.

Jakarta – Human rights advocates have warned that disbanding organizations in Indonesia without fair and proper trial could lead the nation back to authoritarianism.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has proposed gradually increasing fuel prices to draw closer to international price levels and safeguard the state budget.

"We want it (the price increase) to be done gradually as it would minimize the risk," Bappenas chairman Paskah Suzetta said Friday.

Ika Ningtyas, Jakarta – The head of the Industrial-Trading & Cooperating Agency (Disperindagkop) for Banyuwangi, I Nyoman Wirayatsa, said non-performing loans of small-to medium- sized firms and enterprises reached an average of 50 percent in 2003 to 2008.

Dicky Christanto, Denpasar – Bali rights activists and lawmakers have praised police action in arresting Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) members for their alleged involvement in clashes last Sunday at the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta.

Both activists and lawmakers demanded the government bring the case to court to discourage similar acts in the future.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – Pressures were mounting for the government to immediately outlaw the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) held responsible for the attack at the National Monument (Monas) on Sunday.

Some 30 students from various universities went to the streets in Makassar on Thursday, demanding the banning of the hard-line Muslim organization.

The eastern part of Indonesia will remain prone to food shortages unless the government improves distribution infrastructure, an official says.

Jakarta – Warusan sprawls at the head of his boat, idle after spending hours scrounging for fuel. Normally his daily catch would keep him busy. But now the fisherman's eyes fall to his engine, where a bottle once filled with diesel hangs empty.

Ariel Heryanto, Victoria, Australia – The use and abuse of Islamic politics by the Soeharto government (1966-1998) and his immediate successor in transition, BJ Habibie (1998-1999), have had more damaging consequences than generally noted.

Dili – At night Tomas Agusto and his family lie in their tent hoping nobody will set it alight. When he was moved out of the displacement camp in April, he was given US$4,500 to rebuild his house, but he is still too scared to do so.

Joniansyah, Tangerang – The increase in the price of fuel in late May has resulted in the collapse of thousands of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SME) in Tangerang regency. Around 50 percent out of 17,353 SMEs in the region have closed down due to bankruptcy.

Paul Toohey – A vindicated but bitter Mari Alkatiri, East Timor's Opposition leader, has vowed to sue political figures and journalists for reporting allegations he had received $2 million in bribes from Timor Gap's leading producer, ConocoPhillips.

Robin McDowell, Jakarta – A 15-year-old girl died of bird flu last month, becoming Indonesia's 109th victim, but the government decided to keep the news quiet. It is part of a new policy aimed at improving the image of the nation hardest hit by the disease.

Dear friends,

Jakarta – Tough economic conditions and a dysfunctional government policy of giving no-strings funding to orphanages are forcing more poor Indonesians to give up their children, a charity said Thursday.

Only six percent of an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children living in Indonesia's care institutions are genuine orphans, Florence Martin from Save the Children told AFP.

Jakarta – Many children are facing physical and psychological abuse in Indonesian childcare institutions, a study has found. The study, jointly conducted by the Social Services Ministry, Save the Children and Unicef, concluded that many childcare institutions in Indonesia do not do enough for the welfare of their children.

Olivia Rondonuwu, Jakarta – Indonesia's environment minister said on Thursday that events in Jakarta, hit by flooding due to unusually high tides this week, served as a timely warning of the impact of global warming on coastal cities.

Apriadi Gunawan and Oyos Saroso H.N., Medan, Bandarlampung – The illegal trade and hunting of wild animals, including endangered Sumatran tigers and elephants, has reached alarming levels in several parts of Sumatra.

Jakarta – More than 56 percent of youths in the Greater Jakarta area support sharia-based bylaws, but almost 80 percent believe in the Pancasila state ideology that protects Indonesia's diversity, a new survey shows.

Jakarta – Indonesia's textile exports to the United States and Japan fell in the first quarter of this year because of the slowing global economy, a consultant firm says.