Jakarta – Already under threat of a fiscal calamity amid soaring oil prices and unrealistic government fuel subsidy spending, Indonesia is expected to miss this year's oil production target of 977,000 barrels per day (bpd), the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said.

Dicky Christanto, Denpasar – Indonesia's regimes since 1998 have made all sorts of promises but few have been implemented and – even worse – the oppressive political system persists, a discussion here concluded Saturday.

Rights activist I Wayan Gendo Suardana said he was living proof of how the current government is continuing the oppressive political system.

Reporter: Jeff Waters

Mark Colvin: There are growing fears for a group of ethnic Melanesian students in Indonesia who've been jailed for allegedly raising a banned flag during a peaceful protest.

Supporters of the group, from Indonesia's West Papua Province, say the prisoners have been charged with subversion, and are being mistreated in jail.

Frenky Simanjuntak, Jakarta – A recent statement by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono makes us wonder whether he, or his administration, is actually serious in their effort to fight corruption.

Jakarta – The Press Council has issued a journalists' protection standard in a bid to protect media workers from violence, intimidation and censorship while upholding press freedom.

Jakarta – Siti Supiati, a farmer in Cisait Muncang village, Banten, did not believe the government has raised the price of unhusked rice to Rp 2,200 (45 US cents) from Rp 2,000 and that of rice to Rp 4,300 from Rp 4,000, because she sold her harvest last month far under these prices.

Non-governmental organisations and churches in Indonesia have released a report detailing what they say are thousands of cases of torture and abuse in Aceh, Papua and East Timor, while it was under Indonesian rule.

"Nenek moyangku orang pelaut/Gemar mengarung luas samudera/Menerjang ombak tiada takut/Menempuh badai sudah biasa...."

(Our ancestors were sailors/They sailed across the oceans/Challenged the waves fearlessly/Surfed the storm familiarly.)

Jakarta – The House of Representatives came under attack Friday for rebuffing the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) move to search the office of an arrested lawmaker.

Critics have said the House's demand for a "permission letter" demonstrated the body was resistant to efforts to combat corruption.

Jakarta/Medan/Semarang/Pekanbaru/Kupang – The three-day national final high school examination ended Thursday with reports of the same old problems: cheating and exam paper leaks. The leaks occurred despite the government's promise to increase security measures.

Reports of cheating during the exam were made in at least four regions.

Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – Women still have little chance of becoming legislators in the 2009 polls despite the new election law requiring that 30 percent of party candidates are female, a seminar here concluded.

John McBeth – When Mr Xanana Gusmao pays his first visit to Indonesia as Timor Leste's Prime Minister next week, the former guerilla leader and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will have plenty to talk about – including possibly an Indonesian television talk show called Kick Andi.

Australia will withdraw 200 troops deployed to East Timor following February's attacks on the troubled country's president and prime minister, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.

Lilian Budianto and Mariani Dewi, Jakarta – Non-governmental organizations and churches released Friday The Practice of Torture in Aceh and Papua 1998-2007 report, which details thousand of abuse cases in Aceh and Papua during the past military imposition and in Timor Leste during the occupation of Indonesia from 1975-1999.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The US Namru-2 research lab has increasingly been accused of providing little benefit to Indonesia, with officials, lawmakers and experts voicing suspicion the lab is used for intelligence activities.

Bayu Galih, Jakarta – A number of protest actions will be held in Jakarta today, Friday April 25. Based on data from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre, the actions will take place between 9.30am and 5pm.

Aguslia Hidayah, Jakarta – Workers chose a unique way to socialise Labour Day which falls on May 1. Rather than holding a loud and noisy demonstration, this time round they took their protest to the stage. Through an event titled "A Day of Workers' Art", they held a musical performance at the Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Centre in Central Jakarta on Wednesday April 23.

Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – Retired military and police generals met in Jakarta on Thursday, telling the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to stop probing past human rights cases implicating armed forces officers.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – More domestic and foreign businesses have opted to operate without bribery in Indonesia, an international graft watchdog says.

Trace International, a non-profit business association working with companies to raise anti-bribery compliance standards, said companies now realized it was in their best interest to avoid paying bribes.

The previous week saw the country rejoice at the safe return of President Jose Ramos-Horta, now recovered from an attempt on his life. Since the President's re-entry into political life, he has made a number of surprising public statements, most recently this last Wednesday, 23 April.

Recent comments about the establishment of a military court raise serious questions about how best to ensure the accountability of armed forces personnel. This issue has been sparked by the use of a site in Colmera, rather than the prison in Becora, as a detention facility for four captured dissident soldiers.

Call for U.S. response to CAVR report

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC

Dear Secretary Rice,

Bogor, West Java – Former Jakarta governor Sutiyoso on Wednesday joined the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) Marhaenism and said he would contest the presidential election under the minor party's banner.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Inflation is now the main threat to Asian economies, including the Indonesian economy, requiring further tightening of monetary policy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Wednesday.

Imran MA, Jakarta – The Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) office in Lhokseumawe has been occupied by hundreds of tsunami victims.

The victims, who are members of the People's Movement for Tsunami Victims, are demanding that the BRR Regional II at Lhokseumawe pay out rehabilitation funds amounting to Rp15 million per home.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The victory of Ahmad Heryawan and his running mate Dede Macan Yusuf in the recent West Java gubernatorial election and of Syamsul Arifin and his running mate Gatot Pujonugroho in North Sumatra has not only silenced widespread hypothesis, but also slapped the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), the country's two major par

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The North Sumatra KPUD was scene to a wave of protests Wednesday, with demonstrators demanding it immediately halt ballot counting a day prior to the planned announcement of winners in the province's gubernatorial election.

The longer the Indonesian government waits before deciding to bring domestic fuel prices closer to international market levels, the more devastating will be the impact on the long-term foundation of the economy.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – There are steps being taken by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) that are damaging the interests of the state and even benefiting the interests of other parties.

More than one hundred retired armed forces and police generals met in Jakarta Thursday to discuss gross human rights violations.

Among those present were former Vice President Try Sutrisno, former armed forces commander Wiranto, former chief of staff Wismoyo Arimunandar, former chief of police Awaloedin Djamin and former chairman of the MPR Kharis Suhud.

Adianto P. Simamora, Hanoi – Forestry nations must change their forest management policies to help counter the effects of climate change and skyrocketing prices of food and fuel, leading forestry experts have said.

Jakarta – The two rival National Awakening Party (PKB) camps have yet to show signs of reconciliation as they go ahead with their separate extraordinary congresses.

On Wednesday night, the PKB faction loyal to chief patron Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid held an executive meeting at the party's headquarters in Kalibata, South Jakarta.

Berdikari, Jakarta – The head of the Central Deliberative Council of the National United Liberation Party (Papernas), Dita Indah Sari, received an award for being "one of the ten most inspirational figures for Indonesian women".

Karen Michelmore, Jakarta – East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta today said some people involved in the attempt on his life had fled to Australia.

He said "elements" outside East Timor had provided support to rebel leader Alfredo Reinado for at least a year leading up to the February attacks, including money, communications equipment and clothing.

Agnes Winarti, Jakarta – Literature advocates and book publishers demand the government give more support to the book publishing industry to serve readers with more affordable quality reading materials.

"Despite growing interest in reading nowadays, books are still expensive," said Wien Muldian, the founder of Forum Indonesia Membaca (Indonesia Reading Forum).

Jakarta – An Indonesian sect leader was jailed for four years Wednesday for declaring himself a new Islamic prophet in a case brought to court following pressure from Muslim hard-liners.

Ahmad Mushaddeq, a retired civil servant, was arrested in October along with six of his followers. He formed the Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah sect in 2000 and it once claimed 40,000 followers.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Presidential Advisory Council is advising President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to cancel the issuance of a joint ministerial decree to outlaw "heretical" Islamic sect Jamaah Ahmadiyah.

The Indonesian Government has endorsed a court's decision to outlaw the radical Jemaah Islamiah network, sparking intense debate about whether the move is a turning point in the region's battle against terrorism.

Dozens of delman (traditional buggy) drivers staged a demonstration Monday, urging the Central Jakarta municipal administration to lift a ban on their operation inside National Monument (Monas) Park.

During the protest at City Hall, they also demanded that Central Jakarta's newly elected mayor, Sylviana Murni, step down.

Jayapura – Some 300 fully armed personal from the Indonesian military (TNI) and the national police (Polri) intercepted three trucks of protesters in the Arso Tujuh area bordering on the Keerom regency and the Jayapura city who were planning to demonstrate in Jayapura today.

Rofiqi Hasan, Denpasar – Scores of West Papuan students from the United West Papua Popular Struggle Front (Pepera) demonstrated today on the Udayana University campus in the Balinese provincial capital of Denpasar. They were protesting against special autonomy for West Papua and calling for a referendum to be held.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Despite healthy growth in bank lending during the first quarter this year, Indonesian banks have been reluctant to lend to the process manufacturing industry and property sector, a BI survey says.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Supporters of gubernatorial candidates Agum Gumelar and Nu'man Abdul Hakim (Aman) on Monday besieged the West Java office of the General Elections Commission (KPUD), demanding it cancel a meeting scheduled for Tuesday to finalize election results.

Paul Toohey – East Timor has been consumed with rumours since President Jose Ramos Horta began looking beyond his own shores to an international conspiracy to assassinate him on February 11.

Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – Ulemas of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization have given support to members of the "deviant" Islamic sect Jamaah Ahmadiyah to file a lawsuit against the government for its plan to outlaw the sect.

A demonstration involving about 500 West Papuan people was reported to have occurred in Abepura today.

Large numbers of Brimob (Para-military police) and Military were visible in and around the Jayapura and also the rural districts of Deparpre, Dempta and Genyem this morning.

Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) on Sunday launched a book detailing its political platform and dismissing the idea it aimed at making Indonesia an Islamic state.

The Islamic party also rejects the idea of a secular state in the predominantly Muslim nation, it says in the 643-page book titled "Struggling for a Civil Society".

Jakarta – The government hopes to cut the total losses of state companies this year by as much as 92 percent, thanks to strong progress in certain companies, the State Ministry for State Enterprises said over the weekend.

Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) will put its preparations for the 2009 national polls at stake if it fails to settle the double leadership issue facing several political parties, including the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Having been criticized by some leading states in the human rights field such as Canada and the Netherlands during the Universal Periodic Review session, Indonesia's good faith in human rights clearly needs to be questioned once again. The question that needs to be asked is does Indonesia know the quintessence of human rights?