Nurdin Hasan – As many as 92 Acehnese inmates in a Malaysian jail have gone on a hunger strike to protest alleged brutality and sexual harassment at the hands of the prison guards, an Acehnese in Malaysia and a lawyer in Aceh said on Friday.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandar Lampung – Victims of the Talangsari tragedy urged the government on Friday to seriously settle the prolonged human rights violation case and pay them reasonable compensation.

They also asked the government to change the name given to the victims after they were labeled for years as rebels intending to establish an Indonesian Islamic State (NII).

In a stark warning of bad times to come, the Indonesian Employers Association, or Apindo, said on Friday that unemployment was likely to increase by between 800,000 and a million this year, not 400,000 as forecast by the government.

Nurdin Hasan and Ismira Lutfia – The Aceh branch of the Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, claims it is ready to send a first wave of trained guerilla fighters to fight Israel next week, including two snipers and four suicide bombers, the group said.

Jakarta – Members of the House of Representatives remain traumatized over recent uncompromising rulings by the Corruption Court, says a legislator.

All legislators tried for corruption by the court have been convicted and sentenced to lengthy jail terms, creating fear among other legislators that they could be next.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The controversial pornography law has been blasted for targeting cultural heritage, after West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan used it as a legal basis to forbid Jaipong dancers from wearing "sexy" costumes and executing "provocative" dance moves.

Jakarta – A senior cleric has called on Muslims to boycott a new film about Islam's treatment of women, saying it "slanders" the religion.

Febriamy Hutapea – Betraying an underlying sense of confidence, the Democratic Party said on Friday that it is content to wait for the results of April's legislative polls before officially selecting its vice presidential candidate to run with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Camelia Pasandaran – After few signals that the government is ready or willing to issue an emergency regulation to revise the elections law, lawmakers appear to be taking matters into their own hands.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for a moratorium to the creation of administrative regions, following the recent death of a council speaker in North Sumatra.

Friday's call was greeted with immediate support by House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has sent the country's security establishment into a spin, and left political observers divided, after alluding to a mysterious campaign by unnamed army officers to unseat him in this year's election.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Traditional West Javanese jaipongan and bajidoran dancers may be some of the first artists to feel the effects of the stricter antipornography law pushed through the Indonesian legislature last year.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Febriamy Hutapea – Five former military leaders attended a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday amid the controversy surrounding President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's allegation that a high-ranking Army officer had attempted to use his influence to prevent the families of soldiers from voting for a presidential candidate whose name begins with the letter "S."

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Child protection activists have called on the General Elections Commission (KPU) to enforce the law that prohibits political parties or legislative candidates from involving children in political activities.

Four people have been named suspects and face more than five years in jail over a violent clash between protesters and police in Indonesia's sensitive Papua Province, police said on Thursday.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked national industries to reign in spending in a bid to avoid mass layoffs when the economic downturn takes effect.

Amnesty International is urging the Indonesian government to investigate the dispersal of a demonstration in Nabire, Papua Province, on Jan. 27, saying the police possibly used excessive force against the protesters and had denied the injured medical treatment afterward.

Jakarta – Trillions of rupiah in state funds are embezzled each year through corrupt procurement deals involving government facilities.

Rizal Harahap, Medan – 11 suspects in the death of North Sumatra Provincial Legislative Council Speaker Abdul Aziz Angkat, who died of a heart attack after being beaten by a mob Tuesday.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Gunmen have shot dead two former Aceh rebels in the last two days, adding to a string of violence that has plagued the province ahead of the elections.

Agus Maryono and Nana Rukmana, Cilacap/Cirebon – Landslides and floods triggered by incessant monsoon rain over the last four days in Cilacap, Central Java, have laid waste to 20 mountain villages spread over five districts.

A local official said that up to 105 houses had been buried by landslides, forcing 2,000 residents to evacuate their homes.

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The judiciary has been singled out as the most corrupt of public institutions in Indonesia, while state pawnshops come out the cleanest, a survey by the country's antigraft body revealed Wednesday.

The integrity survey was conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) between June and September last year.

Irmawati, Makassar – Around 30 journalists from the Makassar Journalists Coalition yesterday held a silent protest in front of the Stella Maris Hospital at Penghibur Street, in Makassar, South Sulawesi. They plastered their mouths with black tape as a sign of rejection against all forms of press criminalization.

Jakarta – The Papua regional police said Wednesday they have yet to identify who was behind two mortar bombs set off in a concession area run by PT Freeport Indonesia in September last year, despite having evidence in hand.

Jakarta – As political parties and legislative candidates campaign ahead of the general elections, more businesses are benefiting from their hurly-burly for popularity.

Jakarta – Around 100,000 Indonesian laborers in Malaysia are expected to return to Indonesia this year as Malaysia experiences an economic slowdown.

Camelia Pasandaran – Women's rights groups and Muslim groups have opposing perceptions of issues confronting women in Indonesia today.

"There are two groups in opposition with regards to women's rights issues," Fahmina Institute director Marzuki said during a meeting held by the National Commission on Violence Against Women in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Indonesia is getting pummelled by the global economic meltdown, with December exports plunging 20 per cent from a year earlier as overseas demand shrinks.

December exports were also down 9.97 per cent from the previous month, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said Monday.

Jakarta – The divorce rate in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has surged in a decade often driven by a clash of religious and political beliefs between partners, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – The Cirebon Non-governmental Coalition (KLC) has urged eligible voters not to vote for politicians who are insensitive toward environmental issues in the 2009 legislative election.

Jakarta – House factions have argued that delaying the passage of the controversial State Secrecy Bill for now may be the best option with the elections approaching and disagreements over the content of the law mounting.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights accused the government Monday of failing to protect the rights of citizens choosing not to vote in the upcoming elections after political groups backed an Islamic edict condemning the act.

Jakarta – A recent allegation made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of bias within the Army's elite has angered scores of former generals.

Megawati Wijaya, Jakarta – When President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono became Indonesia's first directly elected democratic leader in 2004, the former soldier was catapulted to power despite the fact his Democratic Party had won a mere 7.5% of the vote in previous legislative elections.

A. Faisal and RM. Sijabat, Surabaya – Majority of workers in the province were underpaid in January with a strong call on authorities to take stern action against employers violating the governor decree on the minimum wages hike.

Jakarta – The country's largest shipping terminal forecasts container handling to plunge heavily this year due to slowing exports and imports.

Agus Maryono and Suherdjoko, Semarang – Heavy rains over the past three days have caused flooding and landslides in several regencies in Central Java that have left at least six people dead.

Floodwaters engulfed several villages in Kroya district, Cilacap regency, destroying 450 hectares of almost-harvested rice crops.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – An increasing number of Muslim women are choosing to divorce their husbands rather than continue in a polygamous marriage, data from national Islamic courts show.

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – For thousands of Indonesian women, abortion is still viewed as the only way to solve the problems surrounding pregnancies outside marriage or financial stresses from keeping the baby.

"I had an abortion a few days ago and honestly, I feel so guilty," Elli, 22, told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview.

Jakarta – Indonesian Islamic hard-liners have called for a ban on international organizations the Rotary Club and the Lions Club, saying they are part of a Zionist conspiracy, reports said Monday.

Indonesia is planning a crackdown on illegal polygamous marriages and will ask all Muslim couples to undergo pre-wedding marriage courses, an official says.

Religious affairs ministry official Nasaruddin Umar told AFP the government was concerned about rising rates of divorce, especially the increasing numbers of women who are leaving their polygamous husbands.

Aloysius Unditu – Indonesia's inflation slowed to a nine-month low and exports fell the most in seven years, prompting speculation that the central bank will cut interest rates this week.

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – The recent shake-up of senior officials at the National Police will not bring about significant change in the force, experts said Sunday.

The failure, they said, was caused by a lack of will to implement a merit system and allow for an independent monitoring body to oversee their conduct.

Jakarta – Christians in the country are concerned Muslim parties could ratchet up their political leverage by winning more votes in the upcoming legislative elections, and continue to pin their hopes on nationalist parties, a discussion heard Saturday.

Nivell Rayda – The Indonesian government yesterday blocked media access to the Rohingya refugees stranded in Aceh Province, reflecting the sensitive nature of the case and the embarrassment it has caused to the governments of Indonesia, Thailand and Burma.

Jakarta – Indonesian police were holding the head of a Muslim cult on a preliminary charge of blasphemy after allegations that the group held rituals involving sex orgies and adultery, a police spokesman said on Sunday.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Allegations made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that an Army officer had urged people against voting for a candidate whose name began with "S," could harm Yudhoyono's relationship with the Indonesian Armed Forces, or TNI, military analysts said on Sunday.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) remains divided over a highly contentious proposal for a quota of legislative seats for female candidates.

KPU chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshari said arguing a legal basis without a so-called "government regulation in-lieu-of-law" (perppu) was too weak to push through the proposal for female candidates.

Jakarta – Senior legislator Permadi has resigned from the House of Representatives and quit his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), to join the newly formed Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) headed by presidential candidate Maj. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto.