Actor Anthony LaPaglia says he expects his new film Balibo, about five Australian-based newsmen killed in 1975 in East Timor, to cause some controversy when it is released.

Joe Collins – The 1st of December was West Papuan National Day or National flag day. Forty-six years ago on the December 1, 1961, in the then Dutch colony of West New Guinea, the West Papuan flag, or Morning Star, was flown for the first time officially beside the Dutch Tricolor.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – An Indonesian corruption watchdog representative accused the House of Representatives of bias in the ongoing process of filling five leadership spots within the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Jakarta – State institutions reconfirmed their commitment to fighting corruption through internal investigations, monitoring and bureaucracy reform before the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Alfian, Jakarta – An NGO alliance called Ganofo said Tuesday the government should combine the 2009 legislative and presidential elections in efforts to stabilize the government and strengthen political coalitions.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Former three-star general Sutiyoso is Indonesia's epitome of a strong leader, first as Jakarta's military commander and until earlier this year as the capital city's governor. Now, Sutiyoso, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, has pretensions to translate his experience at City Hall into a place at the presidential palace.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – If a market becomes blighted by monopolistic, price-fixing or other uncompetitive practices at the expense of consumers, the only one to blame is the market regulator – which in the case of the economy is the government, a discussion has been told.

Ary Hermawan and Stevie Emilia, Denpasar/Bali – Forest-rich countries' plan to push for incentives to conserve their forests as carbon sinks is considered crucial in the global effort to combat climate change, but is making activists uneasy.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Members of the Pasundan Protestant Church (FKP) on Monday urged the local administration to issue a permit entitling them to use a private home for church activities, following protests from the Saviour and Advocation Alliance Movement (AGAP) and Anti-Apostasy Front (BAP).

I wayan Juniartha, Jakarta – Dozens of students and environmental and human rights activists from the People's Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights staged a protest Monday demanding the US and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administrations be held responsible for the country's environmental damage.

Jakarta – Experts and activists on Monday urged the government to reject the pornography bill because it was "unnecessary, legally inappropriate and would threaten the country's stability".

Erick Priberkah H/Rana AF, Bandung – The Bandung Immigration Bureau in West Java decided to deport three environmental activists from the United States, the Philippines and India, yesterday (3/12).

Jakarta – A number of protests or mass actions on the main streets of Jakarta will add to the traffic congestion today. The protest groups, as announced by the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Center (TMC), have already sent notifications of their planned actions to police.

Sri Wahyuni, Yogyakarta – Poverty and ignorance are being blamed by officials in Yogyakarta province for the high number of children under the age of five who are malnourished.

Bima Baskara and Sultani – With one-and-a-half years to go before the 2009 general elections, political party discussions about finding a national leadership candidate have already sprung up.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's recent statement in response to criticism raised against him has drawn strong criticism from some politicians and communications experts.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives is deliberating a bill the government says will improve the quality of the country's universities, but which the schools fear will commercialize education.

According to the bill, the role of university foundations will be absorbed by a board of trustees. Foundations will have only 49 percent of the vote at the board of trustees.

Nusa Dua, Bali – Activists from the Civil Society Forum or CSF are calling for a fairer world in order to overcome the impact of climate change. Without resolving global injustices first, climate change will only increase the burden on billions of poor around the world.

Erna Mardiana, Bandung – Three foreign environmental activists, who have been in Bandung (West Java) municipal district police detention since Sunday afternoon, have been threatened with deportation. The three foreign nationals are Maria Virginia Cruz from the Philippines, Neil Tangri from the United States and Shibu K Nair from India.

Jakarta – Around 150 laborers held a rally demanding a national minimum wage of Rp 1.2 million (US$133) at the Presidential Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta, on Sunday.

The labors work in industrial zones including Cakung in East Jakarta, Kampung Muara in North Jakarta and Tangerang.

Tangerang – Some 500 traders from Cileduk, Cipadu and Lembang traditional markets staged a rally at newly built Cileduk central business district in Tangerang municipality, on Saturday.

Maryadi, Jakarta – It appears that the flow of traffic in several parts of Jakarta today will be even more congested that usual. At least ten protest actions will besiege Jakarta on Monday December 2.

According to information received from the Metro Jaya Regional Police Traffic Management Center (TMC), the protests will take place between 8am and 1pm local time.

Ellie Simmonds – Campaigners showed solidarity with their fellow countrymen by raising the West Papuan flag over Oxford Town Hall.

Exiled countryman Benny Wenda joined Oxford's Lord Mayor John Tanner and other local campaigners to mark West Papua's National Day on Saturday.

Indonesia's military is exploiting prejudices against indigenous Papuans so it can remain in the impoverished region, an Australian researcher said.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The continued loss of protected forests on Java could lead to serious ecological disasters on the densely populated island costing the country some Rp 136 trillion annually, an environmental organization said over the weekend.

Nurni Sulaiman, Balikpapan – At least 14 soldiers stationed at Tanjungpura military command in East Kalimantan have been convicted of involvement in illegal logging and sentenced to confinement.

Calls have gone out in East Timor for the rebel soldier Alfredo Reinado to surrender to authorities.

The former commander of the military police remains on the run after escaping from custody at the height of East Timor's crisis last year, which left at least 30 people dead and more than 100,000 homeless.

Jose Sarito Amaral, Dili – Timor Leste's President Jose Ramos Horta yesterday Sunday (2/12) urged the Republic of Indonesia to apologize and take responsibility for the killing of six foreign journalists in Balibo, East Timor in 1975.

Jakarta – Police released 14 people they arrested after a ceremony to mark the anniversary of West Papua's declaration of independence from Indonesia, a report said Sunday.

Another six people detained as the group raised its outlawed "Morning Star" separatist flag on Saturday remained in police custody, the Detikcom online news portal reported.

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Chairwoman of the National AIDS Council Nafsiah Mboi has clarified that an aggressive condom-use campaign does not endorse promiscuity.

More than 20 people were reportedly arrested in Indonesia's Papua as they raised the outlawed "Morning Star" separatist flag.

A spokesman for the United Front of West Papuan People's Fight, says the group was making the anniversary of their declaration of independence.

Jayapura, Papua – The Morning Star flag of Free Papua Movement (OPM) was raised illegally at Kwamki Baru region in Mimika district town of Timika to commemorate independence by OPM separatists opposed to the region being part of Indonesia.

Jakarta – Citing government failure to pursue alleged human rights violations, non-governmental organizations have grouped in a national alliance known as the People's Fight Back Committee (Korban).

Jakarta – A team of independent experts says a law now being drafted which will establish an independent anti-corruption court should provide for ad-hoc judges and a body for managing corruption-linked assets.

Jakarta – While Indonesian campaigners marked World AIDS Day by promoting the use of condoms, hundreds of Muslims rallied against free distribution of the contraceptive, a report said Saturday.

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The National Aids Commission has asked regional administrations nationwide to pay serious attention to efforts to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Bruce Gale, Senior Writer – "There were no crimes against humanity in East Timor" in 1999, retired Lieutenant-General Kiki Syahnakri told a hearing of the joint Indonesian-Timor Leste Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF) late last month.

Dili – A senior UN official said Friday East Timor will continue to need the presence of the United Nations in the country for some time to come.

Jakarta – Many regency and municipality administrations have done nothing to improve the investment climate in their regions, a survey says.

Jakarta – The State Ministry for Women's Empowerment invited public figures Thursday to evaluate the revised draft of the Pornography Bill, which has stirred debate among women's rights activists since it was first issued in 2006.

Jakarta – Religious and ethnic leaders expressed concern Thursday over global warming, asserting no spiritual teachings or traditional beliefs allowed the unchecked exploitation of nature.

Jakarta – Economic and political authority needs to be shared equally in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam to ensure the brighter future envisioned at the signing of the 2005 Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), experts on Aceh say.

Alfian, Jakarta – Researchers and experts have opposed to the government's plan to prohibit political surveys and "quick counts" in elections, saying the move denies the public's right to information and transparency.

Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara – Students demanded the attorney general immediately remove the head of the East Nusa Tenggara Prosecutor's Office, Oparis Siahaan, for his alleged failure to deal with corruption cases.

They voiced the demand during a protest in front of Siahaan's office in Kupang on Wednesday.

It was certainly good news for Indonesia that it moved up the latest Human Development Index, the internationally accepted standard for measuring a country's welfare.

Jakarta – Uncertainty over the execution dates of the three men convicted of the 2002 Bali bombings has raised concerns in the home countries of many of the victims.

Junior Attorney for General Crimes Abdul Hakim Ritonga said Wednesday that his institution realized that the international community had a serious interest in the executions of the convicts.

Jakarta – National intelligence chief Syamsir Siregar said Wednesday he was ready to testify in the Munir murder case.

"If I am required, I am ready to testify in court," he said when asked about the case during a break in a hearing with the information, defense and foreign affairs commission at the House of Representatives.

Jakarta – An alliance of 12 non-governmental organizations has demanded the revision of Jakarta's new public order bylaw, saying it opposes pluralism.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – PT Lapindo Brantas, a mining company partly owned by Bakrie Holding Group which has been blamed for the mudflow in East Java's Sidoarjo region, on Wednesday renewed its commitment to resolving the social, legal and environmental impacts caused by the disaster.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Jakarta's regular floods can be partially blamed on global and regional warming, a scientist has said.

"This will get worse in the years to come. It has been estimated that by 2050, 25 percent of Jakarta will be inundated," said Armi Susandi, a climate change expert at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) on Wednesday.