Graham Matthews – In the days following the October 1 Bali bombings, Australians have been subject to a barrage of hypocritical and racist "anti-terrorist" hysteria whipped up by politicians and the corporate media.

Clinton Fernandes – The destruction of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), 40 years ago following the seizure of power by pro-US military officers headed by General Suharto was a decisive event in the history of South-East Asia in the second half of the 20th century.

Clinton Fernandes – The destruction of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), 40 years ago following the seizure of power by pro-US military officers headed by General Suharto was a decisive event in the history of South-East Asia in the second half of the 20th century.

Adi Warsidi, Banda Aceh – Around 1,000 people from a number of Acehnese social organisations participated in a seminar to discuss a draft law on the organisation of a government in Aceh. The event was held at the Dayan Dawood Building on the Syah Kuala University (Unsyiah) campus in Banda Aceh on October 11.

John Aglionby – Indonesian police today announced the first arrest in connection with the October 1 Bali suicide bombings in which 23 people, including the attackers, were killed.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Murdered Indonesian human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib and Myanmar pro-democracy advocate Min Ko Naing were on Monday named 2005 "Civil Courage Prize" winners.

The prize will be posthumously awarded to Munir during a ceremony at The Harold Pratt House in New York city on Tuesday.

Banda Aceh – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) opposes the current discourse on the reactivation of the territorial commands (Koter) by the TNI (Indonesian military) as a response to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's instruction to the TNI to assist in combating terrorism.

Nala Edwin, Jakarta – The public is being encouraged to study and be on guard against the TNI's (Indonesian military) efforts to revive the territorial commands (Koter) as a means to preserve the power of the current administration. The TNI has even been asked not to become involved in politics again.

Adi Warsidi, Jakarta – As many as 116 Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members being detained in Sumatra and Java have yet to be granted amnesty. This is despite the fact that on August 31 the government stated it would grant amnesty to all GAM members as part of the implementation of the peace agreement.

Rusman, Samarinda – The sound of chain saws was very load. Mustarmin, 37, and his four colleagues immediately scampered away from a big tree as it crashed into small trees around it. After a few moments, the loggers returned to work, finding other big trees to fell.

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – It appears that an investigation into alleged graft in the production of bird flu vaccine last year will not start anytime soon due to bureaucratic hurdles.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture is examining vaccine stocks after discovering the massive graft case which could affect the quality of the vaccines produced.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Prices of most basic commodities in traditional markets across the capital have soared by up to 30 percent following the fuel price hike. However, since there are adequate supplies of goods, the Jakarta administration has no plans to intervene.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has suspended indefinitely Banten Governor Djoko Munandar to facilitate his prosecution for a corruption case.

Bandarlampung/Puncak Jaya/Kupang – The greed of corrupt local officials is ensuring needy families throughout the country are missing out on the fuel compensation money.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) has found that at least one-eighth of last year's Rp 80.42 trillion ($7.99 billion) in subsidized fuel, or Rp 9.7 trillion, was lost due to smuggling and that the total subsidy itself may have been overestimated by Rp 3.64 trillion.

Washington – Indonesia s failure to reform its abusive military makes it essential for the US Congress to maintain its restrictions on US military assistance, Human Rights Watch said today.

Jakarta – Vice President Yusuf Kalla said on Sunday the government cannot ban Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), an Islamic militant group blamed for a series of terror bombs in Indonesia, arguing that it has never been recognized under the law in the first place.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Riouwstraat (now Jl. Riau/Jl. Martadinata) was known as an upscale residential area during the Dutch colonial era, even though there were several old buildings that functioned as prisons to detain independence fighters.

Days after terrorists attacked Bali for the second time in three years, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono attended a ceremony on Wednesday to mark the 60th anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI). So it was understandable that terrorism figured prominently in the President's speech, in which he asked the TNI to play an active role in the fight against terrorists.

Because President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was elected democratically, many now wrongly believe that Indonesia's military has been reformed. But it continues to be responsible for routine abuses, has failed to address past crimes and remains beyond effective civilian control. – Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – The Tangerang Regental Council (DPRD) has endorsed a bylaw that upgrades 77 villages in the regency into subdistricts, and regent Ismet Iskandar has sworn in village chiefs there as acting subdistrict heads.

Dili – Indonesia and its former territory East Timor may seek foreign funding for their Commission of Truth and Friendship investigating past bloodshed, East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta said Monday.

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – Environmentalists urged on Sunday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono take environmental issues more seriously by introducing a ministry that focuses on natural resources management.

Pradana Boy ZTF, Malang – The factors that have caused Papuans' desire to be free from Indonesia cannot easily be determined. Papua's desire is rooted in many different factors ranging from the issues of race, culture and socio-political rights to economic reasons.

Ridwan M. Sijabat, Jakarta – There was nowhere to go; all thought was on escaping their burning homes. In an instant, residents in Aceh became refugees in their own homeland.

They lived in refugee camps while waiting for clashes between separatist rebels and government armed forces to end. However, the conflict never looked like stopping and raged for nearly 30 years.

Banda Aceh – The drafting of a bill on Aceh's governance has excluded representatives from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which demanded self-rule in the province.

"Formally, GAM is not involved in formulating the draft law on governance in Aceh. But they (its leaders) have often taken part in discussions and seminars," Acting Aceh governor Azwar Abubakar said on Sunday.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Under scorching midday sun, Chief Sgt. Abdul Manaf steered left his motorcycle entering the compound of the East Medan district military command. Parked his motorcycle, he then took his rest in the guard post.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – The role of the Babinsa, non-commissioned officers assigned to villages, is again in the spotlight, following the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief's suggestion they be reinstated to fight terrorism.

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – Auditors have found massive corruption at the Ministry of Agriculture including a 2004 case relating to the production of bird flu vaccines for infected poultry.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) issued on Friday a circular warning state officials against accepting "inappropriate gifts" from others in relation to Idul Fitri.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – A top antiterror official has voiced support for the Indonesian Military (TNI)'s controversial plan to reactivate its territorial function to help curb terrorism in the country, saying the policy would give military intelligence officers the ability to "infiltrate" communities where terrorist groups develop their networks.

Tomi Soetjipto, Kuta Beach – Police questioned more witnesses in the Bali backpack bombings on Saturday after narrowly failing to capture a key suspect in a series of blasts in Indonesia over the past several years.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – For good or ill, 1965 has very special meaning for Ilham Aidit, son of doomed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) leader Dipa Nusantara (D.N.) Aidit.

Mike Casey, Bali – Investigators desperate for a breakthrough in the Bali terrorist attacks on Saturday dropped thousands of photos of the two suspected masterminds over a city close to where one of the fugitives narrowly escaped capture a day earlier.

Dwi Atmanta, Jakarta – A usually cool President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seemed to be about to lose his patience when he ordered the Indonesian Military (TNI) to actively help the country's fight against terrorism on Thursday.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Dipa Nusantara (D.N.) Aidit, the doomed leader of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), was demonized by the New Order regime as the ruthless mastermind of the Sept. 30 coup attempt, a bloody event blamed on the communist party.

Jakarta – The caretaker of the Darut Tauhid pesantren [traditional Islamic boarding school], Abdullah Gymnastiar or Aa Gym, has asked that the advertisement on fuel price increases in which he starred and which were sponsored by the department of communication and information be taken off the air.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Foreign direct investment (FDI) is maintaining its upward trend, data from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) shows, ahead of a possible slowdown due to rising fuel prices and interest rates, and jitters resulting from the Bali bombings.

Lisa Misol, New York – Now that the Indonesian military might be independently selling off its shares in private companies, the government has no time to waste in setting ground rules to eliminate military businesses. A year after a landmark law mandated that the TNI end its involvement in business, regulations have not yet been issued.

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military's (TNI) plan to reactivate its territorial command drew strong criticism from the country's top politicians on Thursday as they claimed the move would pave the way for the military's involvement in politics.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono remains a popular president, with 63 percent of Indonesians satisfied with his performance in running the country, a new survey shows.

Similarly, 58 percent of the people were satisfied with Vice President Jusuf Kalla's performance, the survey released on Thursday by the Indonesian Research Institute (LSI) says.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – A human rights watchdog has called on the government to reform the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) following the failure to prevent a series of bombings over the past several years.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – The al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) organization once again has its footprints all over a series of suicide bomb blasts on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Chief Justice Bagir Manan has given a directive to judges across the country to fine, not imprison, any journalist found guilty in a criminal case related to a press dispute.

Mark Curtis – As bloodshed mounts each day in Iraq, what prospect is there that British ministers will be held accountable for the illegal invasion and occupation that triggered this carnage? If past precedents are anything to go by, not much.

Jakarta – After disappearing for a while, Jakarta thugs are back on the city's streets, extorting money from motorists right under the noses of city public order officials.

Tiarma Siboro and Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called upon the Indonesian Military (TNI) to be active in the fight against terrorism after the latest attack on Bali, which the TNI chief interpreted as meaning restoring the military's territorial function.

Rusman, Samarinda – The sun has just risen on the horizon, and Rahmat, 65, was tilling the land to grow beans. The land, on part of which he grows vegetables, is not his, but has been lent to him by a church. He still looks strong for his age.

City Councillors took part in a protest on the steps of Oxford Town Hall to pledge their support for West Papuans fighting for freedom from Indonesian occupation.

The Oxford-based Free West Papua Campaign is calling for a referendum on the country's future.

Jakarta – State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has increased fuel prices for industry for October by up to 21.9 percent, higher than previously expected.