Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – City Council members gave a mixed response Tuesday to the ambitious 100-day program Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo unveiled the previous day.
The chairman of Commission D for city development, Sayogo Hendrosubroto, said he was optimistic the governor's 100-day plan could be achieved.
Consider the different fates of these two organizations. Both are small and both are trying to propagate their own brand of Islamic teachings. The one called Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is notorious for its violent tactics; the other, going by the name Al Qiyadah al Islamiyah, has no history of violence, at least none that we know of, in spreading its teachings.
Annolies Truman – Two thousand people rallied in the East Timorese capital of Dili on October 17 to demand food sovereignty for East Timor. The demonstration was the culmination of three days of activities to mark World Food Day.
Jakarta – Scholars have criticized the lack of legal protection for Indonesian migrant workers, citing many loopholes in the law's implementation.
Atma Jaya University law professor Henny Wiludjeng said there had been a vacuum of legal protection for migrant workers since the enactment of Law No. 39/2004.
Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – A US political analyst has lauded the Indonesian Military (TNI) for helping to improve the country's democracy by staying out of active politics for the past nine years.
Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that executing drug smugglers did not breach the constitution, rejecting a bid by three Australians and two Indonesians who are on death row to challenge the law.
Rudy Prasetyo, Jakarta – Hundreds of people from various organisations will hold demonstrations in different parts of Jakarta today. Based on data from the Metro Jaya Regional Police Traffic Management Center, the actions will take place between 9am to 2pm local time.
Makassar, Kompas – On the morning of Monday October 29, police officers from the East Makassar district police in South Sulawesi sabotaged a planned meeting of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) that was to be held at the Makassar Bhumibhakti Adhiguna Public Hall. Police said that meeting organisers did not have a permit.
It's ironic Indonesia refuses to appropriately respond to United Nations' moves to investigate alleged gross crimes against humanity in this country, despite its membership with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNCHR).
What is more worrying is there has been no sign of change in the government's mind-set, nor any appearance of guilt.
Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Governor Fauzi Bowo on Monday unveiled the working plan for his first 100 days in office, with his priorities focused on tackling some of Jakarta's most pressing problems.
ID Nugroho, Sidoarjo – Residents in Sidoarjo, East Java, have reported that pollution from the mudflow has left the water in their wells unfit for consumption.
Residents say they can only use the water for cleaning, and have to purchase water for drinking and cooking.
On 18 October, members of the anti-terrorist squad, Detachment 88 arrested Iwanggin Sabar Olif, a human rights activist in Jayapura. A few days later, he was moved to Jakarta where he is now being held at police headquarters.
The involvement of Detachment 88 in his arrest raises fears that he may be subjected to mal-treatment and is likely to face serious charges.
Jakarta – Prosecutors have rejected a defense statement provided by lawyers representing former president Soeharto in relation to the Supersemar Foundation, saying the foundation channeled more funds into the business sector than the education sector.
Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Sutanto has ordered all provincial police chiefs to contact and question leaders of the controversial Islamic sect Al-Qiyadah al-Islamiyah.
He said the order had two purposes: to prevent the sect from spreading false teachings, and to protect sect leaders from possible attacks by Muslim groups.
Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The House's honor council should better concentrate its investigations into legislators allegedly involved in the procurement of weapons and defense equipment for the Indonesian Military (TNI), experts said.
Ridwan Max Sijabat and Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam could face an unemployment explosion in two years after reconstruction work in Aceh is completed, says a local manpower office official.
Jakarta – Human rights activists are calling for the immediate release of Sabar Iwanggin, a Papuan lawyer, arrested because he forwarded a mobile phone text message, said to be offensive to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Jakarta – For many young people, more accustomed to slangy speech, having to revert to formal Bahasa Indonesia can be a daunting task, if not altogether impossible.
"Awkward," said Dea, 16, commenting on a friend using formal Indonesian during a conversation. "That sounds ridiculous," said Ricky, 16, Dea's classmate.
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Despite being a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Indonesia is among those countries that continue to refuse a visit by a UN official responsible for investigating extrajudicial killings.
He is responsible for the repetitive television advertisements calling on the Howard Government to act for West Papua, and he is about to embark on a letterbox campaign to sway votes away from the Liberal Party in the marginal seat of Eden-Monaro.
Jakarta – The year was 1928 when young nationalists declared the Youth Pledge, which included a call for a national language, Bahasa Indonesia.
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Members of the Indonesia-Timor Leste Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF) may decide by vote if gross violations of human rights occurred before and after the 1999 referendum in East Timor if they fail to reach a consensus on the matter.
Jakarta – Indonesian army chief General Djoko Santoso on Sunday defended the shooting of a suspected smuggler who crossed from East Timor, saying soldiers had followed proper procedures before opening fire.
Palembang, Kompas – The Munir murder case could become a political commodity in the 2009 elections if the government does not quickly solve the issue. In the end the case will only be politicised to improve the image of the political parties, presidential candidates or to hit out at their political opponents.
Alfian, Jakarta – Indonesia's future leaders should ideally be aged under 40 years as they are less likely to have been "contaminated" by the New Order regime, an observer said Saturday.
Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – It is not necessary for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to deploy civilian defense groups to handle internal conflicts in the country such as the 1999 violence in Timor Leste, a military analyst said Friday.
Ridwan Max Sijabat and Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Since the establishment of the GAM Party in 2006, five more local political parties have been set up, although none has registered with the provincial authorities, a prerequisite for achieving formal recognition.
Ahmad Pathoni, Jakarta – A commission investigating bloodshed during East Timor's 1999 vote for independence from Indonesia will offer United Nations officials another chance to testify, its co-chairman said on Friday.
Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The Central Jakarta District Court refused on Wednesday a request to postpone the detainment of former president director of Garuda Indonesia Indra Setiawan, who is being tried in the murder of a prominent human rights activist.
Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – A West Sumatra independent corruption watch body said it was suspicious of the recent release of 10 former legislative members from all corruption charges.
Jakarta – While poverty remains the leading cause of child trafficking in Indonesia, the attitudes of parents and a wide-scale lack of education in certain areas of the country also contribute, officials told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Jakarta – The horizontal tribal conflict in Banti, District of Tembagapura, Mile 68, Freeport has not yet been resolved by either of the warring parties.
Adianto P Simamora, Bogor – A coalition of local and international environmental activists has warned that efforts made by developing countries to combat climate change will be hampered if they dig into natural resources to repay massive foreign debts.
Mustafa Silalahi, Jakarta – Around 3,000 workers from the Indonesian Metal Trade Union Federation (FSPMI) and ex-workers of Panasonic and Nippon Glass held a demonstration in front of the Japanese Embassy, in Jalan MH. Thamrin, Central Jakarta this morning (25/10).
Agus Rakasiwi – The 1998 reform movement finished the task of removing Suharto from the Indonesian presidency. But have Indonesia's problems now ended?
Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – While press freedom in Indonesia has moved ahead in leaps and bounds in recent years, most media sources are still controlled by players who prioritize economic interests above all else, a discussion concluded Tuesday evening.
Sofian, Jakarta – A number of parts of Jakarta will be congested today, Thursday October 25. One of the reasons being that seven demonstrations will rock seven points across the city.
The latest analysis by the International Monetary Fund which portends a weakening global economy could adversely affect Indonesia's economic prospects, which have looked much rosier after a respectable growth of 6.1 percent in the first half.
Bill Guerin, Jakarta – After years of policy confusion and political gridlock, Indonesia's Parliament this month ratified a government plan to establish full free trade zones (FTZ) for areas of three islands located near Singapore.
Jakarta – A political expert warned Tuesday that it might be too late for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to improve his performance in key sectors before the 2009 elections.
Irawaty Wardany and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Jakarta/Malang – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono inaugurated six of seven new members of the General Election Commission (KPU) at the State Palace on Tuesday.
Attending the ceremony were Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Cabinet ministers and leaders of state institutions such as House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono.
Interview by Philip Smucker. Solo, Indonesia – Even as Indonesia has gained the upper hand against religiously-inspired extremism, the spiritual mentor behind the Bali bombings, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, says he is confident that both time and Allah are on his side.
Jakarta – Hundreds of employees from state-owned bus company Perusahaan Pengangkutan Djakarta (PPD) braved the rain to rally in front of the company's Jl Panjaitan headquarters in East Jakarta on Tuesday to demand their unpaid salaries.
We received information from Jayapura on Sat, 20 Oct 2007 that a West Papuan lawyer Sabar Iwanggin has been arrested in Jayapura and was being interrogated by personnel from the Detachment 88 the special police anti terrorist force.
Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – The United Nations and Portugal must share responsibility for violence that marred East Timor's 1999 vote for independence, a former general told a truth commission investigating the bloodshed.
Abdul Khalik and Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Indonesia-Timor Leste Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF) is moving closer toward submitting its conclusions about alleged human rights abuses in Timor Leste, with its final public hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
Hundreds of employees from the Jakarta Transport Company (PPD), who have yet to be paid five months in outstanding wages and holiday bonuses, went on strike and demonstrated at the PPD offices in East Jakarta on October 23.
Hyginus Hardoyo – Farmers who are actively involved in the sustainable development of community-based forests in Wonogiri, Central Java, say they are not reaping the rewards of their hard work and dedication.
Nurrohman, Bandung – In their daily lives women are still often marginalized, cornered and treated as creatures who are worth less than men. This treatment originates not only from the values preserved in the established culture but also from the law and religious interpretations.
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The Golkar Party's political engine is up an running on every level ahead of the 2009 elections, but the party seems determined to maintain political stability by refusing to announce its presidential candidates.