Khairul Ikhwan, Medan – The political temperature in North Sumatra is steadily rising in the lead up to the election of regional heads that will be held on April 16. On Monday April 14, students burnt paraphernalia and photographs of the five gubernatorial candidates.

Jakarta – Mahmud and his family live in an unusual home. It is a small shack, constructed from wooden boards attached to thick steel pillars and roofed by tons of concrete blocks with a muddy river flowing below.

Jakarta – A former boss of Indonesia's flag carrier was released from jail on Monday after serving a one-year sentence for assisting in the murder of a prominent rights activist, a report said.

Angus Grigg, Jakarta – It will be one of the more awkward handshakes of recent memory. The Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, meeting his East Timorese counterpart, Jose Ramos Horta, in Bali to receive a document that flatters neither man.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Six minor political parties failed to show up at the General Elections Commission (KPU) office on Saturday, the final day to pick up registration forms.

Tom Hyland – Canberra is maintaining a diplomatic silence over Indonesia's failure to punish anyone implicated in the mass murders that led to Australia's military intervention in East Timor in 1999.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) has asked political parties embroiled in internal conflicts to solve their problems by Monday, when it plans to name which party factions are eligible to contest the 2009 polls.

Raymond Sat – The Minister of foreign affairs and external trade, Hon. George A. Wells, has assured West Papua leaders now in Port Vila he planned to raise the issue of West Papuan independence struggle during the forthcoming Melanesian Spearhead Groups leader's summit in the Vanuatu capital in May.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – With shortages of imported medicines and a general lack of knowledge among the affected, only about 10 percent of the 200,000 Indonesians living with HIV/AIDS receive the recommended anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy, an official said Friday.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – With the fight against corruption under the President hitting its stride a year ahead of elections, politicians and observers on Friday accused the efforts of being politically motivated and discriminative.

Jakarta – The government's block on access to websites that carry the controversial Dutch film Fitna is part of an attempt to restrict citizens' freedom in the name of religion, scholars warn.

Political and media expert Wimar Witoelar said the government was on the wrong track and had damaged its credibility with the public by ordering the Internet block.

Irwan Nugroho, Jakarta – Not a day goes by without a protest action in the capital. Two groups will be holding demonstrations at separate locations in Jakarta today, Friday April 11.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a revised 2008 state budget projecting lower growth and a bigger fiscal deficit amid a weakening global economy.

Hari Bhaskara and Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The arrest of House of Representatives member Al Amin Nasution for allegedly accepting a bribe is something of a cause celebre for many, but a senior lawmaker admits many legislative members take any chance they can to make some money.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – In an effort to boost transparency, the Supreme Court released its 2007 performance report here Thursday, sparking confusion over the amounts of restitution and fines it collected from convicts.

The report also met immediate skepticism from judiciary officials and experts of whether the top court was serious about fighting corrupt judges.

Jakarta – An audit has revealed evidence that state funds may have been used inappropriately by the central and local governments, ministries and state firms in the second semester of 2007, with potential losses of up to Rp 23.34 trillion (US$2.56 billion).

Jakarta – The Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and several nongovernmental organizations are challenging the new election law that allows members of political parties to contest DPD seats.

DPD deputy chairman Laode Ida, council member Muspani and DPD lawyer Todung Mulya formally petitioned the Constitutional Court on Thursday to review the law.

Vanuatu's Minister of Foreign Affairs has vowed to push the issue of West Papuan self-determination at next months Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting in Port Vila.

George Wells has met with West Papuan leaders who were in Vila this week for a major meeting of the West Papua National Coalition of Liberation.

Bramantyo Prijosusilo, Ngawi, East Java – It is official: no one was responsible for human rights abuses that occurred around the 1999 East Timor referendum in which more than 1,000 people reportedly died. In defeat in the referendum, Indonesia was a sore loser. For several weeks mobs rampaged through Dili, even attacking the residences of priests.

The first thought that came to mind when the government said it planned to block Internet sites that host the anti-Islam documentary Fitna was: What a dumb idea. Those who understand how the Internet works know full well that you cannot censor this medium, unlike television, radio and newspapers.

Jakarta – More than a hundred Finance Ministry honorarium workers held a rally Wednesday in front of the ministry offices in Central Jakarta, demanding the ministry provide 6,000 of them with permanent positions.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed into law a bill on garbage management which now threatens to punish local administrations and private operators for failing to manage eco-friendly dump sites.

The birth and infancy of Timor-Leste have been attended by spasms of violence. As the former East Timor separated from Indonesia in 1999, murderous unionist mobs killed hundreds.

This week the Indonesian Supreme Court set free Eurico Guterres, former leader of Dili's Aitarak militia. This overturns a ten-year sentence for human rights violations, served since judgement in 2006.

Arfi Bambani Amri, Jakarta – Three separate demonstrations will be held at the Sate Palace, the Finance Department and the offices of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) today, Thursday April 10. Motorists are advised to avoid the three locations while the demonstrations are in progress.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The government's move to block access to YouTube, MySpace and other websites showing the Dutch film Fitna, deemed anti-Islamic, sparked protests on Wednesday.

Jakarta – The immigration office will deport 15 foreign nationals from seven Asian countries for allegedly violating their entry permits.

Chief investigator at the Directorate General of Immigration, Syaiful Rahman, said Wednesday the foreign nationals took part in a rally against the transgenic crop industry Tuesday.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – A year out from the general elections, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have launched early campaigns to woo voters.

Yudhoyono kicked off a three-day tour starting in Indramayu, West Java, on Tuesday, a day after Kalla wrapped up a four-day field trip across Java, which included Malang and Yogyakarta.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – A state minister has said she opposes the move by the administration in Batu, East Java, to oblige female masseurs to "lock" their underwear, saying it disparaged women in general.

Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – Sugar cane farmers in Cirebon regency, West Java, on Wednesday urged the government to immediately raise the basic price of sugar to prevent a massive loss of jobs in the sector.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Medan – Similar to labor conditions in other provinces, a majority of workers in North Sumatra have been left unprotected due to rampant law violations by companies and the absence of law enforcement.

Novia D.Rulistia, Jakarta – After three years of deliberation, lawmakers endorsed Tuesday a revised shipping bill that will end decades of state monopoly on port ownership.

The bill, however, has led thousands of state port workers to threaten strikes in the coming days.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Family members of victims of the bloody Talangsari tragedy in East Lampung on Wednesday demanded the government resolve the 1989 case.

They also demanded the government return their political, social and cultural rights, as well as provide them compensation.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The government remains upbeat the economy will grow 6.4 percent this year on the back of strong domestic consumption, despite a high inflation rate caused by a surge in key global commodity prices.

Jems de Fortuna, Kupang – Former East Timor militias for integration support Eurico Gutteres for becoming a member of the House of Representatives (DPR) from the National Mandate Party (PAN) in the 2009 legislative election.

Jakarta – Fifteen activists from Asian countries were arrested by police in Jakarta yesterday after attending a demonstration at the Agricultural Department. They were still being examined until 10.30pm last night by the Directorate General for Immigration of the Justice and Human Rights Department.

Dili – A complete analysis of the 1999 crimes in Timor-Leste "will probably take a generation," affirmed the US Ambassador in Dili during an interview with the Lusa news agency.

"There has to be justice," replied the Ambassador when questioned about the US position with regards to the verdict of the crimes committed in 1999.

Dili – Two years after street violence in East Timor left dozens dead, many displaced by the unrest say they no longer fear violence, but are unable to return because their homes were destroyed.

Grigorio Sousa sits outside his tent in a makeshift camp in East Timor's violence-scarred capital and hugs his son as he speaks longingly of one day returning home.

Jakarta – The Federation of Indonesian Islamic Labor Unions has urged the government to overhaul the outsourcing system, which is said exclusively benefited employers.

Suherdjoko, Grobogan – Grobogan, previously one of the poorest regencies in Central Java, is now known as a soybean production center and a major rice producing center.

Geneva – We, the Indonesian NGO Coalition on Universal Periodic Review (UPR), express our utter disappointment and deep regret over the UPR review of Indonesia.

Geneva – Indonesian rights groups on Wednesday blasted the new review procedure at the UN Human Rights Council as empty rhetoric, saying Jakarta was able to hide behind regional allies to duck scrutiny.

Jakarta – Opposition to the newly passed freedom of public information bill is mounting, with several civil society organizations saying it does not meet the international principles of information access.

Mark Dodd – East Timor's police force is tribalised, corrupt, inadequately trained and has no public trust. A scathing UN report, obtained by The Australian, argues the force is politically manipulated, chronically mismanaged and massively underfunded.

Prasenjit Bhattacharya, Singapore – Rising prices are making food inaccessible to many low-income families and this could spark instability in at least seven of the 14 Asian countries the UN World Food Program operates in, Paul Risley, Asian spokesman for the WFP, told Dow Jones Tuesday.

Adi Warsidi, Banda Aceh – As many as 300 tsunami victims from the West and South coasts of Aceh have rejected the policy of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Board (BRR) for Aceh and Nias regarding assistance and reconstruction funds of Rp2.5 million for each family.

No one is guilty for the 1999 mayhem in the then Indonesian province of East Timor. This is the conclusion of all the cases tried at Indonesia's ad hoc human rights court. And on Friday, the Supreme Court cleared former pro-Indonesia militia leader Eurico Guterres of rights violations.

A summit of Papuan leaders and NGOs underway in Vanuatu has settled on a new unified leadership for their self-determination efforts.

Representatives from 28 Papuan political groups and NGOs have been in Port Vila under the umbrella of the recently-established West Papua National Coalition for Liberation.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Despite the government's recent measures to ease panic in domestic debt market, concerns over the sustainability of the state budget, coupled with accelerating inflation, have caused portfolio investors to remain on high alert.

Dili – Authorities from Timor Leste have expressed gratitude for collaboration in several fronts and the humanitarian labour of Cuban physicians and teachers in this small south Asian country.