Jakarta – Like the classic Bible story about "The prodigal son", incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is very likely to embrace the Golkar Party back into his coalition, should the party decide to make up and renew its allegiance with his Democratic Party (PD).
Indonesia & East Timor Digest
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July 13, 2009
Timika, a city in West Papua, has become a site where an open war over money, involving the Indonesian military (TNI) and the police (POLRI), is taking place.
Dili – An East Timor court began the trial under tight security Monday of 28 people accused of trying to kill the president and prime minister in a failed twin assassination attempt.
Australian woman Angelita Pires told East Timorese rebel leader Alfredo Reinado to go to Dili to "kill two dogs" the day before the 2008 assassination attempts on the country's top two political leaders, a court has been told.
Some Papuan police sources are blaming the shootings on the Free Papua Movement, but one rebel representatives has denied involvement.
Tony Eastley: It's been a weekend of deadly violence in the troubled Indonesian province of Papua.
On Saturday, a Melbourne man, Drew Grant, was shot to death and yesterday a security guard was killed in the same area. And several members of a police anti-terrorism squad investigating the Australian's murder were injured.
Nograhany Widhi K., Jakarta – On the first day of the new school term, Jakarta will be besieged by six demonstrations. One of them will be held in front of the Chinese Embassy in the Mega Kuningan area of South Jakarta.
July 12, 2009
Tom Allard, Jakarta – A Melbourne man has been shot dead near the giant Freeport mine in Indonesia's Papua province in an apparent sniper attack.
Jayapura – A security guard employed at the huge Grasberg copper mine in Indonesia's Papua province was shot dead and several police officers wounded in two separate shootings on Sunday, a mine official and police said.
Timika – Gunmen using military-issue weapons pre-planned an ambush that killed an Australian mine worker in Indonesia's restive Papua province, police have said.
Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – There is no such thing as weekend downtime for the teams of defeated presidential candidates former president Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
July 11, 2009
Yuli Tri Sumarni, Bandung – Strategic industry firms are still seeking ways to do business with the Indonesian Military (TNI), which they hope will boost profits.
Farouk Arnaz – A Muslim cleric charged for breaking child protection laws by marrying a 12-year-old girl accused his former lawyer of fraud for failing to make good on promises to spring him from jail.
Bachtiar Effendy, Jakarta – Again, for the second time this year, the moment of truth is finally here. On July 8, just three hours after the polling stations closed, who would likely serve as Indonesia's president for the next five years was already known.
Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo, East Java – Residents living outside the areas officially affected by the Lapindo mudflow disaster have demanded compensation following the provincial administration's announcement of a plan to relocate them from West Siring, Porong District.
Jakarta – The Indonesia Military (TNI) insists military officers suspected of committing public crimes will be processed by military investigators and tried at military court despite the pressure from activists to implement a civilian legal process for military officers charged with civilian crimes.
Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal filed by prosecutors challenging the South Jakarta District Court's decision acquitting Muchdi Purwopranjono in the murder case of noted rights activist Munir Said Thalib.
Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – A civil society group in Aceh has said Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's re-election will place the Acehnese people in an unfavorable position.
The groups say that while Yudhoyono's victory is a sign peace will prevail in Aceh, it will not help Acehnese people prosper or protect their identity, which they have held closely to.
Andra Wisnu, Jakarta – Party officials who supported President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's campaign have already begun jostling for positions in his Cabinet, weeks before the official results of the election are due.
Yudhoyono, widely believed to have won the election by a landslide, is reportedly already taking names and considering candidates for his next Cabinet.
Andra Wisnu, Jakarta – The presidential election may have been widely regarded as being largely free and fair, but the electoral count was still prone to fraud due to the recent Constitutional Court (MK) ruling, a coalition of poll observers warned Friday.
Jakarta – Security forces arrested three separatist Free Papua Movement (OPM) members following a firefight in the district of Anatowai, Yapen, Papua, Saturday afternoon.
The firefight occurred at around 11 am local time, the Indonesian military (TNI) spokesman, Rear Marshal Sagom Tamboen, told Antara.
Jakarta – Security agencies should conduct a professional investigation into the fatal shooting on Saturday of Drew Nicholas Grant, an Australian working for PT Freeport in Papua, a Papuan community figure said.
Jakarta – An Australian worker has been shot dead near the massive Grasberg mine in Indonesia's Papua province run by a unit of Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc, Papua's police chief said on Saturday.
July 10, 2009
Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Ferry Irwanto – The Golkar Party, which has suffered two consecutive electoral defeats this year, is facing a worsening internal rift as calls increase to move up the date of the party congress to replace chairman Jusuf Kalla.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Retired army general Prabowo Subianto has threatened legal action after coming second in Indonesia's presidential elections, which he branded "far from democratic".
Jakarta – Indonesia will increase its defense budget by 20% next year to compensate for years of low spending, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Friday.
Speaking two days after apparently winning reelection for a second five-year term, Yudhoyono said new defense spending was possible thanks to economic growth forecast at around 6% next year.
Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Several NGOs on Thursday handed over to the House of Representatives their draft on the Corruption Crime Bill saying the government's draft would weaken corruption eradication efforts in the country.
Adam Gartrell – Lawyers for a Darwin woman who will face trial next week accused of conspiring to assassinate East Timor's top political leaders have called on prosecutors to abandon their "hopelessly inadequate" case.
Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo, East Java – Hundreds of fish and shrimp farmers in Porong and Jabon districts, Sidoarjo regency, East Java, have demanded the Sidoarjo Mudflow Handling Agency (BPLS) stop dumping mud into the Ketapang and Porong Rivers, saying the practice has caused a sharp drop in the productivity of their farms.
Jakarta – Indonesia's Supreme Court has upheld the acquittal of a former senior spy accused of ordering the deadly poisoning of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, a spokesman said Friday.
Farouk Arnas, Nivell Rayda & Heru Andriyanto – The Supreme Court has thrown out an appeal by prosecutors against the acquittal of former top intelligence official Muchdi Purwoprandjono over the murder of renowned rights activist Munir Said Thalib in 2004.
Hotli Simanjuntak and Andi Hajramurni, Banda Aceh/Makassar – Incumbent President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono won the majority of votes in several previously conflict-torn provinces that were expected to go to Jusuf Kalla because of his role in peace negotiations.
The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) and the West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) today praised continued congressional attention to issues of human rights in Indonesia and Timor-Leste (East Timor).
Reports from Indonesia's Papua say continuing clashes with anti-terrorist police in Kapeso of Mamberamo Raya district have left at least four Papuans dead.
The Antara news agency reports that three members of the OPM Free West Papua movement have surrendered to the local police command this week.
July 9, 2009
Eras Poke – Residents of a remote district along the country's border with East Timor continue to oppose plans to establish a military headquarters there.
Muninggar Sri Saraswati & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Indonesians have opted for certainty in their lives over the next five years.
Tom Allard, Jakarta – Incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was on course for a thumping victory in Indonesia's presidential elections, as voters yesterday overwhelmingly endorsed another five years of his steady, reformist policies.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will lead the country for another five years, starting in October, after a massive victory in national elections last night.
Ferry Irwanto, Febriamy Hutapea & Heru Andriyanto – Jusuf Kalla's poor performance in the presidential election has prompted several leaders of his Golkar Party to call on him to step down as party chairman.
Simon Roughneen, Dili – Allegations that East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao signed off on a food contract benefiting a company that listed his daughter Zenilda as a shareholder has caused new political ructions in the volatile young country.
Febriamy Hutapea & Nivell Rayda – Despite predictions that the current crop of political parties will seek young, fresh politicians untainted by the New Order regime to run in the next presidential election, analysts say the sentiment may amount to little more than wishful thinking.
July 8, 2009
Arientha Primanita – The National Police chief said on Wednesday four men had been arrested over attacks on polling stations in Papua's Yapen Waropen and Timika districts on the eve of Wednesday's presidential election.
Hannah Beech – At first glance, it hardly looked like a vision of democratic perfection. One presidential candidate was the nationalist daughter of a former strongman, while the incumbent was a retired general whose in-law was just jailed for corruption. Two of the vice-presidential nominees have been accused of directing human-rights abuses during their military careers.
Allan Nairn – International Herald Tribune headlined it "A Proudly Normal Election" in Indonesia, and it was – a minimal-choice election, as normally happens in most countries (Jacob Ramsay, "A Proudly Normal Election, " International Herald Tribune, July 8, 2009).
Megawati Wijaya and Shawn W. Crispin, Jakarta – As Indonesians headed to Wednesday's presidential polls, the only uncertainty surrounded by how large a margin the incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would win.
Simon Montlake, Bangkok – Voters in Indonesia appear to have handed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono a second five-year term, raising hopes for continuity in steering an underperforming economy and keeping a lid on ethnic and religious tensions.
Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – An official at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) said while prosecutors were investigating nine suspects in the Nasruddin murder case, police were exploring a sidebar case regarding the alleged crime abuse by officials from the antigraft body.
AI Index: ASA 21/012/2009
Febriamy Hutapea – "Everything just goes on as usual. Nothing's changed," Muhammad Riskonhasan, 22, said.
Having spent seven years in a traditional Islamic boarding school, or pesantren, in Rembang, Central Java, Riskonhasan said from his viewpoint the current administration had done little.
Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Muninggar Sri Saraswati – The candidates spent Tuesday, the final day before their fates are decided, keeping busy, but with very different, and somewhat characteristic, activities.
Megawati Sukarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto