Tito Belo, Dili – The United Nations urged on Thursday East Timor not to let those responsible for bloodshed surrounding Dili's 1999 independence vote from Indonesia off the hook, pledging to provide support to prosecute perpetrators.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – State airline PT Merpati Nusantara has been forced to axe more than half its workers and receive a government bailout in a major restructuring program designed to stave off a collapse.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – A fight broke out between members of the Banda Aceh public order agency and the province's sharia police unit Thursday, during a musical stage show held to celebrate their respective 58th and 4th anniversaries.

"It was just a small misunderstanding and not a large-scale brawl among officers," said H. Marzuki, who oversees the two agencies.

Maulina Sartika Pravitasari, Jakarta – Some 100 vendors staged a peaceful protest Thursday at South Jakarta's Blok M shopping area, in opposition to the opening of a nearby Carrefour supermarket Friday.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Some 160 former members of the Free Papua Organization (OPM) declared their allegiance to the Republic of Indonesia at a ceremony on Thursday attended by Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Political activists warned voter turnout in the 2009 elections could be less than 60 percent, mainly because of inadequate preparations by the General Elections Commission (KPU) and growing public apathy.

Jakarta – State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta helped cover up the disbursement of Bank Indonesia funds to members of the House of Representatives, a former BI official said Wednesday.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Despite pressure from high inflation and the upward trend in the Bank Indonesia (BI) benchmark interest rate, bank loans managed to grow at 13.8 percent in the first half of the year from 2007, BI data show.

BI's full-year lending growth target stands at 24.6 percent.

During the era of Suharto's New Order regime, People's Democratic Party (PRD) activists were very popular. The socialist based organisation was known as a group of young people who resisted Suharto. During the era of reformasi however, they have been unable to find a place for themselves and remain unpopular.

Bernarda Rurit, Yogyakarta – The Home Affairs Department has cancelled 968 of 6,500 regional regulations and draft regulations made by regional governments throughout Indonesia.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Prosecutors will seek the death sentence for Maj. Gen. (ret) Muchdi Purwoprandjono if he is found guilty of involvement in the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) said Wednesday.

Fery Firmansyah, Jakarta – Six protest actions are scheduled to inundate the main streets of the capital today, Thursday August 7. In order not to be caught in traffic, road users are advised to avoid sections of road that will be used by protesters.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – A government environmental report praising some of the country's biggest polluters will lead to further deterioration of the environmental situation, according to green groups.

Rizal Harahap and Suherdjoko, Pekanbaru, Semarang – Forest fires have broken out in several places in Riau and Central Java provinces over the past few weeks, as this year's dry season hots up.

Jakarta – Hundreds of Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) members rallied in front of the Senayan City shopping mall Tuesday to demand the restoration of rights to the land on which the mall stands.

Andreas D. Arditya, Jakarta – One former and two active lawmakers were grilled Tuesday by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for their alleged roles in a scandal involving the central bank in 2003, while another ex-legislator failed to show up.

Washington – The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today congratulated U.S. congress members for their letter to Indonesian president, Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urging him to work for the "immediate and unconditional" release of West Papuan political prisoners Filep Karma and Yusak Pakage.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The move by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to retain two ministers implicated in a major corruption case drew mixed reactions from political analysts here Tuesday.

Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – Indonesia has seen regime changes, but the tyranny of capital has always determined the road to power, with the democratic process benefiting only the wealthy groups at the expense of the poor majority, political experts said Tuesday.

Titis Setianingtyas, Jakarta – Andi Widjajanto, a military and intelligence observer from the University of Indonesia, has said that the Indonesian intelligence agency still works in an old fashioned way after 10 years of reform.

Abdul Khalik – Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri and her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) would sweep to victory in both the legislative and the first-round presidential elections if they were held today, a new survey suggests.

Andreas D. Arditya, Jakarta – State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta has been implicated for the second time in as many weeks in the alleged misappropriation of Rp 100 billion (US$10.9 million) of Bank Indonesia funds.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – At least 3,000 people mobilized by the Papuan Christian Communication Forum staged a rally in Jayapura on Monday, questioning the functioning of the special autonomy law.

They claimed the law had been in force for seven years, but that most indigenous Papuan people had not seen any improvement in their welfare.

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – An offer by a notorious Jakarta gangster to develop the site of a refugee camp in Dili has been accepted by the East Timor Government.

Laurencius Simanjuntak, Jakarta – Actions by residents articulating their aspirations will compliment the hustle and bustle of Jakarta and nearby Tangerang today, Tuesday August 5.

According to data from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre, five protest actions will be held in Jakarta and one in Tangerang.

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

Henry Saragih, Jakarta – Talks on the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Round have collapsed. With figures on the table for agriculture, non-agricultural market access (NAMA) and services, there are still many issues that need to be examined.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – A letter sent by Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Ka'ban to the police to defend convicted illegal logger Adelin Lis should prompt the KPK to summon him for questioning, civil society groups said Sunday.

Jakarta – Pressure is mounting for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to dismiss two Cabinet ministers who have been implicated in a 2003 corruption scandal.

The President, however, is holding firm to his preference to hear firsthand the two state officials' versions of their alleged involvement in the case.

Dianing Sari, Jakarta – About 1.5 percent of 228 million Indonesians or 3.4 million are suffering from eye problems that leads to blindness. Health Minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, said that it is mostly caused by cataract. "Half of them have cataract," she said at the exhibition of healthy eyes in Jakarta yesterday.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Deaths from cholera increased to 173 in Papua as of Saturday, with lawmakers and civil society groups accusing the local administration and central government of neglecting to prevent the disease from spreading.

Jakarta – The Star Reform Party or PBR has signed a Minimum Commitment with the Indonesian Poor People's Union (SRMI), which will be used to bind the PBR into struggling for the people's interests if they win the 2009 general elections.

Bandung, Makassar, Yogyakarta – A total of at least 78 regional high-ranking officials across three provinces are either being tried or investigated for alleged corruption.

Most of those involved in the three provinces, South Sulawesi, West Java and Yogyakarta, are incumbent and former regency legislators.

Canberra – East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta has defended his decision to pardon a notorious Timorese militia leader, saying it was unfair to keep him in prison while Indonesians responsible for violence during his country's transition to independence remain free.

Djoko Tjiptono, Jakarta – Scores of student from the Student Action Front for Reform and Democracy (Famred) have again taken to the streets to demand the government nationalise foreign-owned oil and gas companies.

Jakarta – The chairperson of the National Liberation Party of Unity's (Papernas) advisory board, Dita Indah Sari, has decided to run as a legislative candidate under the Islamic based Star Reform Party (PBR). The labour activist has been ranked 1 in the East Java V electoral district that covers Klaten, Boyolali, Sukoharjo and Solo (Surakarta) city.

[Unfinished Nation: Indonesia Before and After Suharto by Max Lane Verso, HK$223. Reviewed by Tom Fawthrop.]

Much of the traumatic story of Indonesia since independence has been buried in mass graves, secret military archives and censored reports.

Kuala Lumpur – Indonesia will seek higher wages for its nationals working as domestic helpers in Malaysia as the cost of living rises, the country's ambassador said in an interview published Sunday.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Acehnese politicians are no longer required to be proficient in reading the Koran to be eligible for the upcoming national legislative elections.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – More than 300 Muslim scholars ended a three-day international conference here Friday with a decision to form an ulema body to address global conflicts within the Muslim world.

Khairul Saleh, Palembang – The government should mete out the stiffest punishment against anyone involved in the trade of protected wildlife to deter recurrences of the crime, said a conservationist Friday.

On July 30, the police busted a wildlife trading syndicate involved in a large-scale export of anteaters.

Jeff Kingston – On July 15 in Bali the leaders of Indonesia and East Timor met and received the final report of the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) and issued a joint statement accepting the findings and recommendations.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – On-year inflation hit a 22-month high in July as the second-round effects of the May fuel price increases were yet to fully materialize, providing leeway for the central bank to raise its benchmark interest rate.

Laurencius Simanjuntak, Jakarta – Around 70 housewives went to the Star Reform Party (PBR) offices on Jl. Abdullah Syafei in Tebet, South Jakarta today to challenge PBR general chairperson Burzah Zarnubi to sign a social contract supporting the poor.

Laurencius Simanjuntak, Jakarta – It appears that the phenomena of 'changing cloths' is becoming commonplace in the lead up to the 2009 general elections. The Chairperson of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) Advisory Board, Dita Indah Sari, along with a number of her party colleagues have followed suit and joined the Reform Star Party (PBR).

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Justice for victims of conflict and human rights abuses in once-restive Aceh could be a long time coming, with the government and the court yet to show any commitment to the establishment of a human rights court.

Closer to home, and it's emerged that Indonesian embassy officials tried to invoke a security treaty with Australia early this month to try to stop a gathering in Canberra.

Filmmakers have recreated scenes of chaos in the heart of East Timor's sleepy capital, blocking streets and sending up plumes of smoke for Balibo – an Australian movie about Indonesia's bloody 1975 invasion.

Between 60 and 70 locals took part and 30 East Timorese soldiers dressed as Indonesian troops holding fake rifles for the shoot, United Nations (UN) police say.

Jon Lamb – On July 15, the final report from the joint Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF) was officially received by the governments of Indonesia and East Timor.

[Unfinished Nation: Indonesia before and after Suharto. By Max Lane. Verso 2008 312 pages. RRP (Australia) $49.95. Reviewed by Nick Everett.]