Sunudyantoro/Rohman Taufiq, Surabaya – Today, three years ago, human rights activist Munir died on a flight from Jakarta via Singapore to Amsterdam. A peaceful action commemorating his death was held in front of the State Grahadi Building in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya on Friday September 7.

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – Activists in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta commemorated three years since Munir's death by demanding that the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) be disbanded.

Fadli, Batam – The central board of Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, warned its members Thursday to avoid active involvement in political parties.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) announced Thursday a major reshuffle which included the promotion of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's brother-in-law as the new TNI chief of general affairs.

On the third anniversary of the fatal poisoning of leading Indonesian human rights lawyer Munir, Human Rights First called on the Indonesian government to immediately and fully investigate all of those implicated in the planning and execution of the murder.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Employees of Bandung-based state aircraft company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) urged to the government Wednesday to intervene in the firm's bankruptcy case to help prevent the disposal of the company's assets.

Jakarta – A group of retired Army officers from Makassar, South Sulawesi, has flown to Jakarta to seek legal support from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

They said they want compensation after being recently forced to leave their houses by the Wirabuana Regional Military Command.

Jakarta – Chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights Ifdhal Kasim said Wednesday the commission was committed to continue investigations into the 1989 shooting spree at Talangsari village, Lampung.

The case has remained unsettled but Ifdhal said the commission's new board would work toward making the case clearer.

Jakarta – Despite the looming 2009 elections, Golkar turned the age-old script of how to get business backing on its head Wednesday, putting the begging bowl away and instead using a meeting to ask invited businessmen what the party could do for them.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – A group of Papuan public figures has called on the government to restart discussions on the establishment of Central Papua province in order to speed up development programs and address poverty in the region.

US Embassy
Jl. Merdeka Selatan 4-5
Jakarta 10110

Dear Ambassador Hume,

We congratulate you on your assumption of the duties of US Ambassador to Indonesia. Your assignment comes at an important time in the US-Indonesia relationship and in Indonesia's quest to build a democratic society which respects human rights.

Kalinga Seneviratne, Singapore – They share the same Malay cultural roots and Islamic faith, but the poor treatment of Indonesian workers in Malaysia has soured relations between the Southeast Asian neighbors. Political commentators view the growing clash as one arising from class rather than ethnicity or even nationalism.

Tito Belo, Dili – The United Nations mission in East Timor may be extended by another five years from 2008 to oversee the revamp of the young nation's fragile security forces, its chief said on Monday.

The top UN official in East Timor said Thursday the fledgling country that gained its independence five years ago remains fragile but is no "failed state" as recurring political turmoil and street violence have led some to believe.

The human rights organisation ELSHAM says Indonesian security forces continue to target Papuans and abuse their human rights.

ELSHAM says riots have erupted in the city of Nabire and that shops and offices in the city's heart have all been closed.

Some 300 university students, grouped under the Campus Islamic Preaching Council (LDK), stage a peaceful rally to mark the International Hijab Solidarity Day in Semarang, the capital of Central Java, on Tuesday.

Umi Kalsum, Jakarta – The master plan for the redesign of the House of Representatives (DPR) building will accommodate protesters who wish to convey their wishes to the representatives of the people. They are to be provided with a special plot of land.

Jakarta – Legislators, government officials and political experts continue to clash over whether or not there should be an electoral threshold limiting the establishment of new political parties.

A review of the existing law has been requested by 13 political parties to reconsider article 9 of the 2003 covering the constitutional right to participate in general elections.

Tony Hotland and Yuli Tri Suwarni, Jakarta/Bandung – State-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara (PTDI) was on Monday declared bankrupt by Indonesia's commercial court system. The court said PTDI was on the verge of demise and had several long-overdue debts but PTDI said it would appeal to the Supreme Court.

Mark Forbes – Indonesia will finalise a $1.2 billion defence deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Jakarta tomorrow, to fund the purchase of Russian submarines, tanks and helicopters.

Jakarta – Indonesian state prosecutors have failed to reach an out-of-court settlement with former dictator Suharto over a civil suit they filed against him in July, they said Tuesday.

Hamish McDonald – A wealthy businessman will spend nearly $500,000 trying to get Asia-Pacific leaders to focus on human rights abuses this week.

The Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) calls on Prime Minister Howard to raise the issue of West Papua with the Indonesian President at APEC.

AWPA believes that West Papua will be one of our most pressing foreign policy issues in the future.

Dozens of ulema from Nahdlatul Ulama gathered here Saturday and Sunday came out with a strong verdict against the country's first nuclear plant, which is to be built nearby at Mt. Muria.

Jakarta – Activists will use this week's passing of the third anniversary of the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib to pressure the government to find those responsible for ordering the activist's death.

Bandar Lampung – Police have finally succeeded in preventing a potential physical clash between members of the Pancasila Youth and the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) in front of the Rimbawan Hostel on Jl. Diponegoro in the South Sumatra city of Bandar Lampung.

Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – Veteran politician and former Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung will consider running for the 2009 presidential election through a party convention if this is held in an open and transparent manner.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The swearing-in ceremony for the new Southeast Aceh regent turned into a clash between protesters and the police Saturday, leaving at least 26 people injured.

The new regent, Hasanuddin, and his deputy, Syamsul Bahri, were installed by Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf as scheduled on Saturday, despite controversy.

Jakarta – Indonesia has proposed that eight countries home to some 80 percent of the world's tropical rainforests join diplomatic ranks amid rising climate change concerns, a senior official said Saturday.

Paul Cleary – Four years ago, then premier (of Victoria State) Steve Bracks led a solemn procession through the main street of Balibo, East Timor, wearing the headdress and rainbow-coloured skirt of a Timorese king. At his side, and in the same garb, was the hero of East Timor's long struggle for independence, Xanana Gusmao.

[Andre Vltcheck interviewed Mari Alkatiri on September 13, in the Sultan Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. Alkatiri was the first prime minister of East Timor, serving from May 2002 until June 26, 2006.]

Q: What is the relationship status between Indonesia and East Timor right now?

Roderick Campbell – The Defence Intelligence Organisation's former director denied yesterday claims of a cover-up over a cut in intelligence to Australian troops in East Timor.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The state leadership duet of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla may end in October 2009 if the Golkar Party maintains its lead in the upcoming general elections, politicians and an analyst said Friday.

Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – Energy analysts have called on the government to issue clear-cut rules to ensure that the cost recovery system used in the country's oil and gas industry does not cause losses to the state.

Sri Wahyuni, Yogyakarta – In a bid to stamp out corruption within the police force, a group of activists officially launched Thursday the Jogja Police Watch (JPW).

Held at the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute, the launch of the JPW was attended by representatives from the Yogyakarta Police Headquarters and Bantul Police.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Police plan to summon owners of nightclubs and amusement centers to discuss operating hours during Ramadhan.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Decades of development of injustices and resurging sense of ethnicity may serve as indications that Indonesian unity as a nation was still far-fetched or even losing its ground, a group of social observers said Friday.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has said it is confident of taking 20 percent of the vote in the 2009 general election.

Along with relying on its existing 600,000 members across the country, the party will also attempt to expand its base to reach nationalist and secular groups, PKS president Tifatul Sembiring said Thursday.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Tensions on the border of Ngada and Manggarai regencies in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, were still high Thursday in the wake of an arson attack on a church following a land dispute between residents of both areas.

HRWG-Kontras-Imparsial-PBHI-YLBHI-ELSAM-Demos-LBH Jakarta

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – A professional study has slammed the government's efforts to reform the country's security sector, saying the military, police and intelligence bodies have been too slow to implement change legislated more than five years ago.

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – Apathy about Jakarta's gubernatorial election kept a significant number of registered voters away from polling booths, surveyors say.

In the efforts to encourage sex workers to take advantage of voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) services, follow-up measures remain a problem.

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Local entrepreneurs are skeptical about the "abundant" business opportunities in the capital, citing that many sectors are untapped but marketing and licensing obstacles remain, the trade chamber chairman says.

Jakarta – Political activists are calling for a radical reform of the country's intelligence agencies to prevent extrajudicial killings and the suppression of information.

Rafendi Djamin, coordinator of the Human Rights Watch Group, said the main task of intelligence bodies was to seek information related to the nation's security and analyze it, not to execute people.

Jake Lynch – Prime Minister John Howard's handshake with George W. Bush at the APEC summit will be greeted with howls of protest as his welcome for a President widely seen as a warmonger. But it is in his meeting with Indonesia's leader, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, that the Prime Minister's reputation, at least in our own quadrant of the globe, as a peacemaker will be at stake.

Jakarta – Police investigators defended Wednesday procedures used in the interrogation of a key witness in the Munir case who has now retracted his testimony.

Raymon "Ongen" J.J. Latuihamallo was due to testify at the acquittal review of Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, who was initially convicted of the 2004 murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Allegations made Wednesday by Australian Senator Ian MacDonald and president of mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya Richard Ness that an Indonesian environment group has connections to terrorist activities have been slammed as baseless and outrageous by the group's leadership.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Demands to implement sharia by a number of Muslim circles should not refer to the implementation of Islamic law, but instead focus on moral enhancement, People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nurwahid said in Bandung on Wednesday.

Dili – Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer arrived in East Timor on Thursday for a one-day visit on the anniversary of the tiny neighbouring nation's 1999 independence vote.