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Indonesia & East Timor Digest

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May 30, 2005

The Australian - May 30, 2005

Mark Dodd – Fears have been raised for the safety of scores of witnesses to the atrocities committed against East Timor's final struggle for independence in 1999 as the UN unit responsible for investigating human rights abuses wraps up its work.

Tempo Interactive - May 30, 2005

Yuliawati, Jakarta – The former chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), A.M. Hendropriyono has lodged a complaint against the Fact Finding Team (TPF) in the Munir case with the People's Representative Assembly (DPR). He is questioning the work of the TPF which was formed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Tempo Interactive - May 30, 2005

Sunariah, Jakarta – Two members of the Fact Finding Team (TPF), Rachland Nasidik and Usman Hamid say they regret the actions of the former chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), Hendropriyono, who has lodged a complaint against the team with the police on the grounds that they have besmirched his good name.

Detik.com - May 30, 2005

Ahmad Dani, Jakarta – The National Intelligence Agency (BIN) doesn't need to get into a panic over recent developments in the investigation into Munir's death because it is still uncertain whether BIN is involved in the death of the human rights activist.

Jakarta Post - May 30, 2005

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Economic, religious and racial discrimination and cronyism are widespread in Jakarta's public service at the subdistrict level, a new survey says.

A report from the Indonesian Institute for Civil Society (INCIS) also shows that residents here doubt if Governor Sutiyoso has the ability to stop corruption at the local level.

Jakarta Post - May 30, 2005

Jakarta – The National Awakening Party (PKB) is veering away from internal reconciliation as a group of Muslim clerics who helped found the party demanded on Sunday a new congress to elect legitimate leaders.

Agence France Presse - May 30, 2005

Whether the work of shadowy Islamic extremists from outside the region or local agitants, a deadly bombing on Indonesia's Sulawesi will unravel months of painstaking effort to reconcile warring Christians and Muslims on the island, community leaders say.

Jakarta Post - May 30, 2005

Dita Indah Sari, Jakarta – The debate over the pros and cons of the fuel price increase has begun to become dreary. Even though in many regions voices of opposition can still be heard, the peak of the debate has already passed.

Jakarta Post - May 30, 2005

Jakarta – The former chief of State Intelligence Body (BIN) Gen. (ret) A.M. Hendropriyono has reported two members of a fact-finding team probing the murder of human rights activist Munir to police for defamation.

May 29, 2005

Australia West Papua Association (Sydney) - May 29, 2005

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Presiden RI, Istana Merdeka Jakarta Pusat 10110 Indonesia

29 May 2005

Dear President Yudhoyono,

I am writing to you concerning the two West Papuan men, Philep Karma and Yusak Pakage who have just received jail terms of 15 and 10 years respectively, for so-called "treason against the state".

Associated Press - May 29, 2005

Matti Huuhtanen – Indonesian government and rebel negotiators discussed proposals for amnesty and self-government Sunday in the fourth day of talks in Finland aimed at ending the decades-old separatist conflict in Aceh province, the Finnish mediator's office said.

Australian Associated Press - May 29, 2005

Police forensic experts picked through the debris after two bombs ripped through a market in the Christian dominated town of Tentena, killing at least 20 people and leaving dismembered bodies laying amid piles of onions and tropical fruit.

May 28, 2005

Sydney Morning Herald - May 28, 2005

Matthew Moore – A banana, some pawpaw, five slices of white bread and half bowl of vegetables is the daily ration that is supposed to sustain about 20 Westerners like Schapelle Corby serving time in Bali's Kerobokan jail.

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2005

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The government-sanctioned fact-finding team (TPF) tasked with assisting police in probing the murder of human rights campaigner Munir is complaining that the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) remains uncooperative in the inquiry.

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2005

Hera Diani, Jakarta – After seven years, the reported rapes of more than 60 women, mostly Chinese-Indonesians, during the riots in May 1998 remain unresolved.

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2005

Hera Diani, Jakarta – In order to ensure regional autonomy, the government has been urged to amend the law on regional administrations, which still places governors, mayors and regents as subordinates of the central government.

Agence France Presse - May 28, 2005

Separatists from the war-torn Indonesian province of Aceh said they will push for a ceasefire in their almost 30-year-old conflict with the Indonesian authorities, at peace talks in Finland.

May 27, 2005

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2005

Aguswandi, London – Post-tsunami reconstruction in Aceh is difficult work. It is not made any easier by the public being rendered illiterate by the process. Many local activists and local people I have spoken with say that many international groups and even the government seem to be more accountable to their donors and international bodies than to the Acehnese.

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2005

Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – A senior police officer was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Thursday for destroying evidence in the murder case of journalist Muhammad Syarifudin, but justice still has not been done as the main perpetrators in the case have still not been identified.

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2005

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – A week after the government lifted the state of civil emergency in Aceh, residents remain unsure exactly what, if anything, has changed.

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2005

Brad Adams, New York – On Dec. 25, 2004, eighteen people were reported killed in Aceh during clashes between the Indonesian military and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). This brought the official number of fatalities since martial law and full scale military operations were declared in the province in May 2003 to 2,300.

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2005

Iman Dwianto Nugroho, Surabaya – A loud ring breaks the silence, and in a rush Budi S. quickly picks up his phone. As he reads the incoming short message, he quickly becomes worried.

One of the members of the campaign team for a candidate running in the upcoming elections of regional heads in Surabaya had just received what he claimed was veiled threat.

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2005

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Smita Notosusanto may be petite physically, but it seems she has not lost the energy to articulate the need for reform of the country's electoral system.

Maybe that is a reason why she has been branded a crusader for reform of the electoral system in Indonesia.

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2005

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A Papua district court sentenced Papuan separatist leaders Philep Karma and Yusak Pakage to 15 and 10 years in jail respectively on Thursday for "treason against the state".

Agence France Presse - May 27, 2005

The United States has lifted a ban on the government sale of non-lethal defense equipment to Indonesia as part of a step-by-step process to restore full military ties frozen due to human rights abuses, the State Department announced.

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2005

It has been nine months since the murder of rights activist Munir in September and the government appointed fact-finding team is scheduled to end its investigation next month.

The Jakarta Post's Ati Nurbaiti talked to Munir's widow Suciwati, as she prepares to go abroad next month to speak about her husband's case. Below are excerpts of the interview:

May 26, 2005

Asia Times - May 26, 2005

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – A former aide to Indonesia's pro-business President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono took over the reins of Indonesia's powerful Investment Coordination Board (BKPM) last week, at a time when it was officially confirmed that investment approvals in Southeast Asia's largest economy had almost doubled in the first four months of this year.

Washington Post - May 26, 2005

Michael A. Fletcher – President Bush said yesterday that it makes sense for the United States to maintain close military ties with Indonesia, despite the objections of human rights activists who say such coordination should be withheld until Indonesia does more to address human rights abuses by its military.

Melbourne Age - May 26, 2005

Stephen Senise – October 16 marks the 30th anniversary of the slaying of five Australian-based journalists during an Indonesian assault on the East Timorese border village of Balibo in 1975. They are the Balibo Five, and they have become part of the Australian mainstream consciousness.

May 25, 2005

Jakarta Post - May 25, 2005

M. Azis Tunny, Ambon – Fresh clashes have erupted in West Maluku Tenggara regency, Maluku on Friday, killing three people and injuring 51 others, police said on Monday.

Lusa - May 25, 2005

Washington – More than 50 international organizations have appealed to US President George Bush to use a White House meeting Wednesday with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to press for justice for victims of atrocities committed in formerly occupied East Timor.

Green Left Weekly - May 25, 2005

James Balowski, Jakarta – At midnight on May 18, the Indonesian government declared an end to its two-year civil emergency in Indonesia's northern-most province of Aceh. But calls by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and human rights groups for the troops to be withdrawn have been ignored.

Reuters - May 25, 2005

Dean Yates, Jakarta – Indonesian negotiators and Acehnese rebels Will begin a fourth round of peace talks in Helsinki on Thursday, with the atmosphere badly strained by the government's rejection of a key separatist demand.

Jakarta Post - May 25, 2005

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Legislators and the government have agreed not to open the door for more talks with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) should the next round fail to strike a deal to put an end to the armed conflict in the province.

Jakarta Post - May 25, 2005

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Hundreds of containers of humanitarian relief aid are still stranded in Belawan port in North Sumatra despite central government instructions that all of them be taken immediately to tsunami and earthquake victims in Aceh and Nias island.

Radio New Zealand - May 25, 2005

Len Garae, Port Vila – Vanuatu's Prime Minister has blamed "foreign elements" for an incident last week where the Indonesian flag on the vehicle of Jakarta's ambassador to Port Vila was replaced with the Papuan independence flag.

Jakarta Post - May 25, 2005

It has been seven years since Soeharto stepped down as president on May 21, 1998, after 32 years in office. The former president remains "untouchable" despite allegations of human rights abuses and corruption during his reign.

The Jakarta Post's Tony Hotland interviewed political scientist Mochtar Pabottingi about Soeharto. The following is an excerpt of that interview:

AFX News - May 25, 2005

Jakarta – More than 2,000 Indonesian workers have staged a strike in a garment factory that produces famous US designer brands to protest ill-treatment and unpaid overtime fees, a labor activist said.

At least 2,500 workers of Katexindo Citra Mandiri, have been on strike since May 14, said Dita Indah Sari of the National Front for Indonesian Workers Struggle group.

Agence France Presse - May 25, 2005

The World Bank exposed corruption in the implementation of a 203,000 dollar poverty-busting grant in Indonesia, saying it has blacklisted five individuals and two firms in the scandal.

"The Bank found evidence of misrepresentation of bona fides, bid collusion and kickbacks," it said in a statement.

Jakarta Post - May 25, 2005

Jakarta – A persistently high unemployment rate and the problem of chronic graft in the bureaucracy leading to a high cost economy are overshadowing the current administration's successes in maintaining macroeconomic stability, a government report shows.

May 24, 2005

Sydney Morning Herald Editorial - May 24, 2005

The Australian-led military intervention in East Timor is considered one of the most successful peacekeeping missions in history. From the rubble of 1999 a mostly stable democratic nation has emerged. When the last of the United Nations peacekeepers pulled out over the weekend, there was good reason to celebrate.

Media Indonesia - May 24, 2005

Astrini D Anindita, Jakarta – The People's Representative Assembly (DPR) is calling on the government to end negotiations with Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders in Helsinki because they believe that it does not benefit the Indonesian government.

Associated Press - May 24, 2005

Margie Mason – Big tears stream down Siti Fauziah's cheeks as she snuggles her doll and buries her face into her mother's shoulder. She's lost her balance and fallen again, as the 4 1/2-year-old learns what it means to live with polio.

JSMP Press Release - May 24, 2005

The UN-sponsored Special Panels for Serious Crimes (SPSC) ceased operations on 20 May 2005, after trying fewer than one quarter of those indicted for serious human rights violations committed in Timor Leste in 1999.

May 23, 2005

Jakarta Post - May 23, 2005

Wimar Witoelar, Jakarta – Time stood still for a moment on the morning of May 21, 1998. Millions of hearts skipped a beat upon hearing the announcement on television. President Soeharto was stepping down from power. Disbelief was followed by amazement as pictures appeared of a hastily conducted ceremony at Merdeka Palace.

Detik.com - May 23, 2005

Fedhly Averouss Bey, Jakarta – Whoever it was who took Munir's life has yet to be uncovered and police are still investigating it. In order that the case gets more serious attention, it will be taken to the 75th session of the United Nations Working Group.

Straits Times - May 23, 2005

Salim Osman, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hopes to persuade United States legislators to end a ban on selling military equipment to Indonesia on his first trip to Washington this week.

The embargo was imposed in 1991 because of the country's 'poor human rights record'.

Sinar Harapan - May 23, 2005

Jayapura – The court hearing at the Jayapura State Court on Monday May 23 in the case of Filep Karma and Yusack Pakage who are charged with raising of the Morning Star Flag was marred when defense lawyers refused to speak then walked out of the court room.

Jakarta Post - May 23, 2005

Jakarta – "History speaks for itself." This was the response a mother of a victim killed during the 1998 Trisakti shooting in West Jakarta gave when asked about the zero law enforcement against the killers.

Jakarta Post - May 23, 2005

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Recently disclosed alleged irregularities at 16 state enterprises may have caused more than Rp 2.7 trillion (about US$287 million) in state losses, a report from the Office of the State Minister for State Enterprises says.