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Indonesia & East Timor Digest

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August 4, 2005

Jakarta Post - August 4, 2005

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Human rights activists have urged the government to release all Aceh civilians accused of involvement in the separatist group there after a peace deal is signed later this month.

Jakarta Post - August 4, 2005

Jakarta – In an apparent attempt to calm the public, the government says it will refrain from paying too much attention to a move to question Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua.

Jakarta Post Editorial - August 4, 2005

Last week's disclosure of indications of money laundering involving hundreds of billions of rupiah related to the personal accounts of 15 police officers is the biggest test yet of the leadership and integrity of new National Police chief Gen. Sutanto.

Antara - August 4, 2005

Jakarta – Fuel imports undertaken by state oil and gas company PT Pertamina have exceeded annual consumption by more than 50 percent, an official said on Thursday.

This month alone Pertamina would import 17.8 million barrels of fuel, consisting of gasoline and diesel oil, Achmad Faisal, chairman of Pertamina's fuel division, said.

Asia Times - August 4, 2005

Ng Boon Yian, Singapore – Years after being battered by the financial crisis, the Indonesian banking sector seems to have picked itself up again, luring more foreign investors to take up stakes in local banks.

Jakarta Post - August 4, 2005

Hera Diani, Jakarta – Some 50 members of hard-line Muslim groups gathered outside the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday, while dozens of others clad in white robes packed a courtroom on the second floor.

August 3, 2005

Three articles from Detik.com - August 3, 2005

Fedhly Averouss Bey, Jakarta – A court hearing of a class action by ex-members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was marred by a demonstration by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). During the action, demonstrators almost broke down the gates to the Central Jakarta State Court.

Green Left Weekly - August 3, 2005

James Balowski, Jakarta – Despite earlier opposition, leaders of Indonesia's parliament now appear to be willing to allow provincial-based political parties to be established in Aceh. This was a major sticking point in finalising the peace agreement reached between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government in Helsinki on July 17.

Jakarta Post - August 3, 2005

Jakarta – The government is now focused on formulating a dispute settlement mechanism, if violence arises after the peace deal with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has been signed.

Aceh Kita - August 3, 2005

AK-25, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has declared it will grant amnesty to members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and activists accused of subversive acts against the state. Amnesty will not only be granted to those who have been found guilty by the courts but also to those in detention who have yet to face trial.

Green Left Weekly - August 3, 2005

Jon Lamb – On July 25, Lieutenant Colonel Lance Collins, a leading intelligence expert on East Timor and Indonesia, blew the whistle on the Australian Defence Force's intelligence manipulation and cover-ups in East Timor in 1999.

Green Left Weekly - August 3, 2005

Max Lane – East Timor's local elections are now in their eighth month. In Aileu, close to Dili, the Socialist Party of Timor (PST) achieved second place after Fretilin, pushing the Democrat Party into third place. Overall, in the districts contested so far, the PST has been averaging third position, up from the sixth place it achieved in the 2001 elections.

Kompas - August 3, 2005

Jakarta – A number of non-government organisations (NGOs) have declared their opposition to the formation of the Indonesia-East Timor Truth and Friendship Commission (KPP). Aside from being little more than a political tool for the perpetrators of crimes can evade justice, the NGOs believe that the commission will become a political bargaining tool for Indonesia and East Timor.

Tempo Interactive - August 3, 2005

Dili – East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta has said he is convinced that none of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members would accept the presence of an International Human Rights Court for human rights violation cases in East Timor.

Human Rights Watch - August 3, 2005

New York – A draft law on Indonesia's national intelligence body denies basic rights to detainees and violates Indonesian criminal law and international human rights law, Human Rights Watch said in a new legal analysis today.

Associated Press - August 3, 2005

Jakarta – The United States congratulated Indonesia Wednesday for reaching a draft peace deal with rebels in Aceh province, and said the accord would make it easier for Washington to resume frozen military-to-military ties with Jakarta.

Jakarta Post - August 3, 2005

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – When reform swept across the country in 1998, forcing authoritarian ruler Soeharto to step down, everybody hoped the movement would improve the life of the nation.

Indonesia has since taken several steps, including four constitutional amendments and direct legislative and presidential elections, to build a thriving democracy.

Jakarta Post - August 3, 2005

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The US government is trying to persuade Congress to fully lift the military embargo imposed on Indonesia as cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries in the wake of last year's tsunami provides yet further proof of stronger military ties.

Asia Times - August 3, 2005

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – The US is to provide $20 million worth of technical assistance to help reform Indonesia's much-maligned court system. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) last week signed a memorandum of understanding on the assistance with the country's Supreme Court.

Jakarta Post - August 3, 2005

Manado – The Manado District Court ruled in favor of mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya in a defamation case against an environmentalist on Tuesday.

Jakarta Post - August 3, 2005

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu – Three non-governmental groups slammed the Central Sulawesi provincial administration on Tuesday for extending the security operation in Poso, saying the operation had failed to maintain security in the regency.

Jakarta Post - August 3, 2005

Jakarta – The ongoing increases in global oil prices and a volatile rupiah exchange rate have become major obstacles for the government to meet its 2005 state budget targets, according to a report.

August 2, 2005

Jakarta Post - August 2, 2005

Hera Diani and Slamet Susanto, Jakarta, Yogyakarta – More condemnation has been heaped on the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for issuing draconian fatwas outlawing liberal Islamic thought and pluralism, raising the question as to whether the Council should be dissolved.

Jakarta Post - August 2, 2005

Jakarta – Noted Indonesian antigraft campaigner Teten Masduki has been named as one of the six recipients of this year's Ramon Magsaysay awards, organizer announced on Monday.

Detik.com - August 2, 2005

Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – Support for the Aceh peace negotiations is strengthening. Acehnese non-government organisations have asked the People's Representative Assembly (DPR) to support the negotiations between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Helsinki.

Agence France Presse - August 2, 2005

Kuala Lumpur – Forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra province covered Kuala Lumpur and 32 other areas of Malaysia with a smoky haze Tuesday, reducing visibility in some places to a half-mile.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's biggest city and financial capital, traffic slowed to a crawl and the acrid smell of burning vegetation filled the air.

Agence France Presse - August 2, 2005

Jakarta – US mining giant Newmont Mining Corp. voiced optimism that it would win a high-profile and protracted legal battle in Indonesia over charges that its local unit polluted a bay near its mine.

Agence France Presse - August 2, 2005

Jakarta – A draft law on Indonesia's national intelligence body denies detainees basic rights and violates local and international laws, an international rights group said.

Jakarta Post - August 2, 2005

Neles Tebay, Rome – The government is beginning to pay the price for its reluctance to honor its commitment to fully implement Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua. And if the government does not take measures to prevent more damage from its blunders in Papua, it will face more international pressure about the country's easternmost province.

Jakarta Post - August 2, 2005

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The House of Representatives plans to send a four-member delegation to the US to lobby congress in an attempt to block passage of a bill that raises questions about the status of Papua.

Jakarta Post - August 2, 2005

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papuan leaders reacted cautiously on Monday to the bill recently approved by the US House of Representatives, stressing that Papua is legally part of Indonesia but urging the government to renew its commitment to implementing special autonomy status there.

Aceh Kita - August 2, 2005

AK-41, Bandung – The Acehnese community from the Bandung Community of Acehnese Families (Keluarga Masyarakat Aceh Bandung, Kamaba) will hold an all-Java Acehnese Society Dialogue Forum on August 7 in Bandung with the theme "The role and attitude of Acehnese civil society in Java Island on the Helsinki negotiations".

Sinar Harapan - August 2, 2005

Murizal Hamzah/Emmy Kuswandari, Banda Aceh – Questionnaires to ascertain the public's views on the Helsinki peace process are being distributed in the northern Aceh district of Bireuen. At the top left hand corner of the questionnaire is the writing TNI (armed forces) Psychology Team Sub-Team III Bireuen.

August 1, 2005

Antara News - August 1, 2005

Jakarta – The government should be more serious in handling problems in Papua following foreign intervention like the support given by an American senator for Papuan freedom.

Jakarta Post - August 1, 2005

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Question: Is it a working visit if it's just a visit without working? Will it still be called a study tour if it's just about touring but no studying? If legislators, the so-called people's representatives, who get caught on expensive shopping expeditions on what are supposed to be study tours abroad cannot justify their trips to the public, then who can?

Jakarta Post - August 1, 2005

Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – A lack of students might cause 53 of the 106 private universities in Yogyakarta go bankrupt this year because they could not afford to meet operational costs.

Jakarta Post - August 1, 2005

Concluding its seventh congress last week, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued eleven fatwa that sparked concern over its increasingly conservative stance.

Jakarta Post - August 1, 2005

Asia News Network, Jakarta – Indonesia's economy is once again at a crossroads as it enters the second half of the year. Can it sustain the growth it enjoyed in the first two quarters, or will it experience a slowdown due to recent unfavorable circumstances?

Australian Associated Press - August 1, 2005

The Catholic Church is demanding that an international tribunal investigate human rights abuses during East Timor's bloody breakaway from Indonesia six years ago.

Instead the two governments have announced the makeup of a largely toothless joint truth commission.

Jakarta Post - August 1, 2005

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Calls for the government to begin training programs for millions of unskilled workers using billions of dollars in dedicated funds may be impossible to answer due to irregularities in the use of the funds over the years.

Reuters - August 1, 2005

Canberra – Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network bankrolled last year's bombing outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, a key militant charged for the attack told Indonesian police, the Australian newspaper said on Monday.

Jakarta Post - August 1, 2005

Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – Twenty-five years after Indonesia ratified a UN convention on the rights of women, experts are criticizing the government for failing to protect women from abuse.

Women activists and legal experts urged on Saturday the government to eliminate existing rulings they said discriminated against women.

July 31, 2005

Jakarta Post - July 31, 2005

Jakarta – Three members of the European Union peace monitoring team arrived in Aceh on Saturday, more than two weeks ahead of the scheduled arrival of the full peace mission.

The three monitors are Dutch national Pieter Feith, and Finns Jaakko Oksanen and Juha Christensen.

Antara - July 31, 2005

Jakarta – The Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) will soon send a protest letter to the US administration through its embassy here against the US Congress adopting a bill questioning the status of Papua.

Antara - July 31, 2005

Jakarta – The US State Department announced on Friday that Washington would not support any effort that would allow Papua to gain independence from Indonesia.

"With respect to Papua, the US reiterates its firm support for the territorial integrity of Indonesia. The US does not support or condone any efforts to promote the secession of Papua from the Republic of Indonesia.

July 30, 2005

Jakarta Post - July 30, 2005

Jakarta is again pondering restricting the number of older cars in the city. It is also mulling the banning of motorcycles from main thoroughfares. Traffic congestion and the environment top the list of concerns in both cases.

Detik.com - July 30, 2005

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – Support for the government on the draft agreement with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is growing. The National Deliberative Council VII of the Indonesian Ulamas Council (MUI) [Ulama - Islamic religious leader] has declared it support the results of the Helsinki negotiations.

Aceh Kita - July 30, 2005

AK-9, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Human Rights Coalition has found 482 cases of human rights violations over the last 14 months. The period investigated by the coalition was between May 2004 to June 2005.

Jakarta Post - July 30, 2005

Jakarta/Shenzen, China – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned the US not to interfere in Indonesia's domestic affairs after the US House of Representatives recently approved a bill that questions the status of Papua.

Media Monitors Network - July 30, 2005

Brian McAfee – "The military and Suharto had said their justification for their massive crime was an imminent takeover of Indonesia by the PKI. In recent years documents have proven this excuse to be a fabrication. From 1965 until 1999 the Indonesian dictatorship had received the support of the US government."