Jayapura – A number of political parties in Papua have established a tariff for anyone wishing to nominate themselves as a regent, deputy-regent, mayor or deputy-mayor. The provision is an internal party matter so the amount of the tariff will vary, as there are no precise regulations on the illegal collection of money by political parties.

Seth Mydans – Withdrawing in humiliation in 1999 from the land they had occupied for 24 years, Indonesian soldiers scrawled angry graffiti that warned of poverty and hunger ahead. One of them: "A free East Timor will eat stones."

As they departed, they and the local militias they controlled did everything they could to make their words come true.

The Timor Sea Justice Campaign today accused the Australian Government of trying to force East Timor into another shabby deal that fell well short of East Timor's legal entitlements, amid reports that in principal agreement had been reached at this week's bilateral negotiations.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is facing demands to step up security in Indonesia's eastern island chain, the Malukus, or the "Spice Islands" to romantics, amid concerns that a nationwide terror operation may be in place.

Environmental agencies say the government crackdown on illegal logging in Indonesia's Papua province has failed to catch those behind the lucrative trade.

In a press statement, the Environmental Investigation Agency and its local anti-logging partner, Telapak, say while the crackdown has cut shipments to China and arrested 173 suspects, none were influential figures.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – As the Jakarta administration completes construction of two new busway corridors this year, a non-governmental organization is warning about flaws that could undermine the operation of the corridors, including the failure to integrate the Senen railway station into the system.

Australia and East Timor completed the latest, and possibly last, round of talks between officials on the split of royalties from oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea.

Sebastien Blanc, Jakarta – The United Nations started distributing rice seeds and farm tools Friday in Indonesia's tsunami-hit Aceh province, hoping to restart agriculture amid the salty sludge that now covers 37,500 hectares.

Bill Tarrant, Lampuuk – Juwaria hammers away at cement rubble, extracting iron rods she will sell to buy food, oblivious that her tsunami-flattened village is benefiting from an aid windfall.

Jakarta – Confronting the fact that illiteracy in women is two times higher than that in men, the Office of the State Minister for Women's Empowerment, the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Home Affairs signed on Thursday a joint decree spelling out their commitment to halving the rate by 2009.

Kornelius Purba – My hands were clasped at waist level in a submissive, defensive posture, as one of Soeharto's most feared aides told me in a hotel in Cairo that Soeharto was very angry with me for misquoting the then-president in saying that he was ready to end his 32-year tenure. "It's not my fault Pak," I said desperately, trembling.

John McBeth, Jakarta – Indonesia's newly-fashioned strategic relationships with China and Australia stem from its political and economic weakness, says Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono.

Jakarta – Rigid labor contracts are needed to protect up to 3.7 million Indonesian domestic workers, including some two million employed overseas, who are locked up, or exposed, to forced labor, a seminar has concluded.

Carmel Budiardjo, London – Despite being chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and affirming its commitment to human rights, including self-determination, at the recent Asian-African summit in Jakarta, the Indonesian government has once again demonstrated its instinctive mistrust of fundamental freedoms by its response to an international meeting on West Papua.

Neles Tebay, Rome – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to visit the United States, the European Union (EU), and Japan.

Jakarta – The government must continue strengthening Indonesia's economic fundamentals if it wants to sustain average economic growth of 5 percent per year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says.

Marian Wilkinson – A long-awaited controversial report on the Defence Intelligence Organisation outlining how officials cut off critical intelligence to Australian troops in East Timor is expected to be released soon by the Defence Minister, Robert Hill.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Sjofiardi Bachyul, Jayapura/Padang – A Papuan scholar criticized on Thursday the Indonesian military's (TNI) decision to allow its personnel to become candidates for political office in the upcoming regional elections, saying that it could undermine democracy.

Dili – East Timorese Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri denied a report Friday that Dili and Canberra had reached a tentative agreement on the sharing of Timor Sea oil and natural gas revenues, labeling the Australian media report an "absolute lie".

Dili – An East Timor court sentenced two militiamen Thursday to nine years in jail for taking part in a church massacre and other killings during the country's bloody break from Indonesian rule in 1999.

Maritime boundary negotiations between Australia and East Timor resume tomorrow with representatives from the two governments meeting in Sydney to focus on crucial details of a proposed temporary resource sharing deal.

Jemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang – Hundreds of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) supporters went on a rampage on Tuesday night in Manggarai, after their candidates for regent and vice regent were refused registration by the local General Elections Commission (KPU). Their candidacy was rejected because they had missed the registration deadline.

Jakarta – The International Labor Organization (ILO) launched a report on Wednesday, which for the first time presents comprehensive global and regional data on forced labor and call for a global alliance to eliminate the practice.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) decision to expel 12 members of a dissenting group opposed to Megawati Soekarnoputri's leadership is likely to deepen the party's internal conflict, says a respected party member.

Bogor – Representatives of about 6,000 workers of textile producer PT Great River Indonesia staged a rally at the Bogor Council on Wednesday, demanding that councillors force the company to reemploy their colleagues.

"We will continue the strike until we reach an agreement with the company," a worker, Martanto, said.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has seized around Rp 3 billion (US$315,789) out of a total of some Rp 20 billion in funds allegedly given by private firms to the General Elections Commission (KPU) as kickbacks.

Jakarta – The multiparty political system has not significantly contributed to regional autonomy and politicians continue to ignore their constituents demands and aspirations, a study says.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto has suspended six officers, four of them from the military intelligence unit, to enable them to contest the upcoming regional elections.

Sunariah, Jakarta – TNI (armed forces) chief General Endriartono Sutarto has revealed that post-tsunami there has been an increase in the number of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members. It is suspected that GAM prisoners who escaped have rejoined GAM's forces.

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – Don't think that all of GAM's (Free Aceh Movement) members fell victims to the tsunami. Recent armed contacts between GAM and the TNI (armed forces) in Aceh is evidence that GAM is actually even stronger.

Bill Tarrant, Lamkruet – The tents are like ovens in the scorching sun and leak in the rain. The children have no toys and their fathers have no jobs. The food's grim and the ground turns into cesspools in a downpour.

Hera Diani and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – As the May 1998 riots remain unfinished business amid four administrations and two independent investigations, activists say that the ball is now in the House of Representatives' court.

Jakarta – As Soeharto left hospital on Wednesday after seven days of treatment for intestinal bleeding, the government has been urged to bring the former dictator to justice rather than granting him a possible amnesty for the alleged abuses he committed during his 32-year rule.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The parents of four Trisakti University students shot dead during a protest in May 1998 said on Wednesday that they had lost faith in the government's resolve to punish those responsible, but vowed to continue fighting for justice.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – A senior Papuan police officer has been replaced and four other are being questioned for alleged human rights violations following a violent clash between separatist supporters and police personnel on Tuesday in Jayapura, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

Seth Mydans, Dili – East Timor After ducking and dodging for more than five years, it appears that the Indonesian officers responsible for the devastation of East Timor in 1999 have reached safe ground and will avoid prosecution under a new agreement signed by the leaders of both countries.

Vannessa Hearman – On April 29, Greens Senator Kerry Nettle met with local East Timorese in Darwin and condemned the "resource-sharing" deal offered to the Timorese by the federal Coalition government as "manifestly unfair". She said that the deal currently offered to the Timorese would "rob East Timor of at least $40 billion in revenue".

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President of Indonesia
Istana Merdeka
Jakarta 10110 Indonesia

11 May 2005

Dear President,

Munir murder investigations

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Post-tsunami rebuilding has been stalled by a delay in releasing Government money.

The Indonesian Government has done nothing to start reconstruction in the tsunami-devastated province of Aceh, the official in charge of rebuilding says.

Jayapura – The separatist trial of Philip Karma and Yusak Pakage who are each facing five years jail at the Jayapura State Court on Tuesday May 10 has ended in a riot. As a result of the clash, scores of local people and police officers suffered injuries and some 26 vehicles were damaged.

Jakarta – Indonesia will increase its budget for the armed forces from Rp14.7 trillion (RM6.1 billion) to Rp23 trillion (RM9.6 billion) aimed at, among others, improving the effectiveness of measures taken against illegal logging, illegal fishing, smuggling and human trafficking.

Putrajaya (Malaysia) – East Timor will wait patiently – even if takes 20 years – for Indonesian military and militia members to be tried for human rights abuses during the country's bloody break from Indonesia in 1999, its foreign minister said onTuesday.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Members of the General Elections Commission (KPU) maintained their innocence against charges of corruption before House of Representatives legislators on Monday, attempting to throw guilt onto the KPU secretariat general.

Banda Aceh – Up to a quarter of the children caught up in the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia's Aceh have mental health problems that need professional treatment, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

Most of the tsunami-affected adult population is also suffering from trauma-related distress, a WHO-funded study by the University of Indonesia found.

Helen Hill – On Wednesday in Brisbane, East Timorese and Australian negotiators will again meet to debate rights to the taxation revenues in the Timor Sea.

To most Timorese, this is about determining permanent maritime boundaries with Australia, which they never had and which they regard as their right and part of self-determination.

Jakarta – After months of stonewalling, the former secretary of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), Nurhadi Djazuli, agreed on Monday to meet the government-sanctioned fact finding team investigating the murder of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib.

At least 13 people including two policewomen were injured when an angry crowd threw stones at the trial of a popular pro-independence activist in Indonesia's Papua province, officials said.

Jakarta – Dozens of people were injured Tuesday when police clashed with independence supporters in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua, news reports said.

HT Lee – The next round of talks between East Timor and Australia over the Timor Sea oil and gas riches begins on Wednesday in Sydney – just in time to be buried in the post-budget avalanche. Foreign Minister Lord Downer hopes the talks will tie up the loose ends to the creative solutions proposed by his East Timorese counterpart Jose Ramos-Horta.

Dili – Traffic moved freely through the center of the East Timorese capital Monday for the first time in nearly three weeks, following the signing of an accord between the government and the Catholic Church that put an end to non-stop, church-sponsored demonstrations.