Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) on Friday closed its session this year with the same old problems – poor legislation achievement and a low attendance record.

Democratic Party politician Ruhut Sitompul has been removed from his position as the party's communications and information head, reportedly for his frequent criticism of party chairman Anas Urbaningrum.

Dili – Australia withdrew its last remaining police officers from East Timor Saturday as international forces wind up a 13-year presence in Asia's youngest nation, where thousands have died in political turmoil.

Liam Cochrane – The Australian Foreign Minister, Senator Bob Carr, is advocating that East Timor should make moves to join the Commonwealth of Nations, the former British Commonwealth.

The former Portuguese colony is keen to join the Association of South-East Asian Nations and is being supported in its efforts by some Asean members.

In a landmark decision that will strike a blow against rampant corruption, the East Timor Court of Appeal has dismissed former Justice Minister Lucia Lobato's appeal against her conviction for corruption and abuse of power while in office.

Australia's Foreign Minister Bob Carr is in East Timor on a two day visit, meeting senior leaders including President Taur Matan Ruak and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.

The visit comes as Australia prepares to withdraw the last of its troops from the small half-island nation – more than a decade after East Timor's independence from Indonesia.

Presenter: Liam Cochrane

Kayt Davies, Edith Cowan University – Last Friday a picture story appeared on page three of The Age that was ostensibly about events in West Papua. The story was pitched as a quirky yarn, replete with a wacky Disney character, a kilt (always a bit funny) and some large weapons.

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Less than two hours after the House of Representatives (DPR) formally included the tobacco bill on its priority list, several advocacy groups voiced their opposition.

State toll road operator Jasa Marga reported at least Rp 400 million ($41,000) in potential losses on Friday as thousands of demonstrators blockaded the Jakarta inner city toll road, urging passage of a bill.

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Despite public opposition, the House of Representatives (DPR) has decided to continue deliberating the national security bill and the mass organization bill, which critics say could condone state violence.

The Trade Ministry on Friday said it was conducting random sampling of meatball soup sold by vendors in Greater Jakarta, threatening five-year prison terms to those proven to be mixing pork into ostensibly pure-beef meatballs.

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives' ethics council revealed on Thursday that it had imposed disciplinary measures, from demotions to dismissals, on 28 lawmakers since 2009 for offenses such as corruption, misbehavior and poor performance.

Kusumasari Ayuningtyas, Surakarta – Victims of serious human rights violations are demanding the government restore their good name and straighten out history with regard to the outrages they experienced in the past.

The Constitutional Court has rejected a request to transfer the full burden of compensation covering all the land affected by the Lapindo mudflow, to the oil and gas company owned by the family of Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie.

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – HIV/AIDS advocacy groups have called for an integrated effort to protect HIV-positive women from becoming the targets of violence.

So far, only few programs on HIV/AIDS are specifically designed for women despite the fact that the disease affects the lives of women more than men in the country.

[The following is a speech by ETAN's Chris Lundry at a Freeport protest in Phoenix, AZ, on December 14, 2012.]

A journalist group in Aceh has urged local police to investigate the attack against two journalists in East Aceh.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Victims of the 1965 coup blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) have praised a documentary on the alleged killings that took place in the coup's aftermath, but added that the film did not disclose all the historical facts.

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Some lawmakers are questioning the inclusion of a bill to regulate tobacco on their legislative agenda for 2013.

During a House plenary meeting on Thursday, Ignatius Mulyono, the chairman of the House's legislative body (Baleg), said that a tobacco bill would be one of 12 new pieces of legislation to be deliberated next year.

[Indonesia's experience shows to the world how democracy is compatible with security and how the two produce a much more authentic and robust stability and harmony, says the nation's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto. This is an excerpt from a lecture he delivered at the S.

Antonia Timmerman – A lack of civil liberties and political rights has caused Indonesia to slide four points on the United Nations Development Program's latest Indonesia Democracy Index, published on Wednesday.

Bayu Marhaenjati – Indonesian terrorists have shifted their targets to attack police stations over churches, an analyst says.

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Lawmakers are closely scrutinizing budget allocations at the Religious Affairs Ministry after discovering alleged misappropriation of funds at the directorate for Islamic education.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Two teams of lawmakers from the House of Representatives' Commission VII have departed for visits to the United States and Brazil in relation to draft laws on aviation and space.

Surabaya, East Java – Indonesia's retired army general, Wiranto, will run for president in 2014. "I am ready to run for president in 2014," said the general chairman of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Mining and plantation companies are among the actors that should be held responsible for numerous human rights abuses in the country, according to a National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) report.

Apriadi Gunawan and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Medan – A widespread industrial strike took place in Medan, North Sumatra, on Tuesday with thousands of workers blockading the Tanjungmorawa-Belawan (Belmera) toll road and disrupting economic activities at Belawan Port and the Medan Industrial Estate.

Jayapura, Papua – The Police chief of Jayapura in Papua province, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Alfred Papare, has stated that Muslim youths will assist police personnel in ensuring security at the city's churches during the Lilin Operation in the region.

Jakarta – As much as 70 percent of the government's budget for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs come from foreign donations, making the nation's fight against the disease vulnerable.

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – Despite massive campaigns in the past five years, the government has failed to convince more people to use contraceptives, a survey has shown.

Jakarta Police arrested four people on Wednesday for running a meat processing factory that allegedly mixed pork into what is supposed to be pure beef meatballs, which are used in the popular soup better known here as bakso.

Jakarta – Despite allegations of child molestation against a number of local clerics in the city, not one suspect has been detained due to a lack of solid evidence in each case, according to the police.

Rizky Amelia – A survey by the national antigraft commission has identified the Forestry Ministry as the government institution with the lowest perceived level of integrity.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The People's Consultative Assembly says a resolution it issued in 1967 stripping Sukarno of his presidency for an inability to carry out his duties is no longer considered valid, but refuses to pass a new resolution confirming this.

Young prisoners and adults are held in the same prison but PRADET says this will impact their mental health.

At least 21 minors are being held in adult prisons because the country lacks correctional facilities for minors despit East Timor-Leste being a signatory to the Convention for the Rights of the Child, which protects people under 18 year olds,

Despite the large number of people who disappeared during the 24-year Indonsesian occupation, Timor-Leste has not ratified the Missing Persons Convention unlike other nations like Malaysia, Korea, Japan and Indonesia itself.

According to data from conflict monitoring NGO Belun, in 2012 some 15 member of Timor-Leste's armed forces (F-FDTL) were involved in violent action in the community across nine Districts.

Cillian Nolan – The UN peacekeeping mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) is now in the final stages of its long-planned withdrawal. By the end of December, the only staff left will be packing up computers and dismantling the portable containers at its "Obrigado Barracks" headquarters.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has named the police and companies as the top human rights violators in the country this year.

Indonesia's state ideology of Pancasila has come under scathing criticism for enabling a culture of repression against atheists, with an international rights organization citing a case in which the credo was invoked to jail a civil servant for renouncing his faith.

Ainur Rohmah and Bambang Muryanto, Semarang/Yogyakarta – International Human Rights Day, which fell on Monday, was marked with rallies staged by marginalized communities throughout the archipelago, protesting against human rights violations that continue to mar the country's development.

Jakarta – A senior minister has stated that the country did not need a strongman president because such a person would tend to prioritize his own interests ahead of people's needs.

Jakarta – The graft scandals that have implicated several Democratic Party politicians will not cause the party to collapse, but will seriously shrink the party's performance in the 2014 general elections, says a pro-democracy activist.

Jakarta – The growth in the number of wealthy individuals over the last 10 years has been spectacular, increasing by five fold or by 500 percent.

Ridwan Max Sijabat – While executives have complained that recently approved wage hikes smell of populism and capitulation to unions, several economists say that the increases reflect a needed update of the cheap labor policy of previous decades.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – As workers held mass protests and strikes last week, thousands of labor-intensive companies are seeking government approval to postpone raising workers' monthly wages to the new rate in the new year.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has signed a revision to the government regulation dealing with human resources at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

State Secretary Sudi Silalahi confirmed the revision on Monday, but refused to disclose any details.

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Less than a week after one of his ministers was named a graft suspect, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Monday that "the state must protect officials who do not have the intention to commit corruption".

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-201-2012

Dear friends,

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – As the world commemorated Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, human rights activists and victims of abuse condemned the persecution of minority groups that has been on the rise across the country.