Footwear, textiles and textile products may be seen as industries of the past, or sunset industries, but the fact is they are the backbone of our exports and domestic economy.

Those who see these as sunset industries may be right in the sense that our footwear, textiles and textile products are losing out to new players from countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Indonesian lawmakers and experts welcomed Tuesday the decision of members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to include a provision for a human rights body in its proposed historic charter.

Chris Peterson – In the lead-up to Indonesia's 2009 elections, a new left party has been formed. The National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) was founded on the basis of three main demands: the cancellation of Indonesia's foreign debt, the nationalisation of the minerals sector, including oil and gas, and national industrialisation.

Flag of Timor-Leste is red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; there is a white star in the center of the black triangle.

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Official Name: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda has called on a commission set up to examine violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 independence vote to ignore a UN boycott threat, a report said Tuesday.

Police use gun to threaten Rev Sofian Yoman, outspoken Human Rights advocate, at Church service

The Rev Socretez Sofian Yoman, President of the Baptist Church in West Papua, has been threatened by members of the Indonesian Police and members of military intelligence with a gun outside Sunday service in Jayapura.

A West Papuan man, Yakobus Gimbanop, is reported to be dying in hospital at Tanah Merah after being tortured by Indonesian military personnel.

Yakobus Gimbanop from the Wabom tribal group was beaten and tortured at Military Camp 19 Korindo, Aseki. This incident was reported have occurred from about 29/07/07.

Femke van den Bos, Contributor, Blandford, U.K. – Kalimantan, the Indonesian territory on Borneo island, is well known for its pristine tropical forests, rich natural resources and exotic flora and fauna. Only a few places remain on earth with such a biodiversity, providing shelter and food to hundreds of endangered species.

Jakarta – Relatives of victims of the February floods told the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday that they had never received assistance or indemnity packages from the city for their dead relatives.

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, Jakarta – While the government expects to launch an ambitious national land reform program this year to distribute more than 9 million hectares of land, a researcher has raised questions about the effectiveness of the project.

The Aceh people remain hopeful the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) could finish the construction of infrastructures in Aceh by 2008.

Jakarta – Indonesia's tobacco kings have topped this year's rich list, with the country's oil, construction and energy tycoons coming in a close second.

Indonesia is under pressure for posting a colonel indicted for crimes against humanity in East Timor, to the province of Papua. It comes as the Indonesian military is believed to be stepping up its activities in Papua and there are reports of Indonesian backed militias increasing their presence there too. Human rights groups are calling for international intervention.

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – Governor candidate Fauzi Bowo topped a poll of eligible Jakarta voters Sunday amid fears of a low turnout on the Aug. 8 election day.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Signing up with a political party remains the most effective way of entering politics for young activists who want to revamp the political system, three prominent activist-cum-politicians said Saturday.

The government escalated the attack on absolute poverty last week by launching a refurbished direct cash aid program called Hopeful Family Program (PKH) across almost 350 sub-districts in seven provinces.

Yesterday the embattled Kingmi Church in West Papua was again violently occupied by Indonesian Police.

Jakarta – A commission set up to examine violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 independence vote brushed off Monday a UN boycott threat.

The United Nations warned last week that it would not send any officials to testify to the Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF), which has no prosecution powers, unless it rules out recommending amnesties.

Jakarta – Indonesia urged the international community to respect a joint truth commission tasked at gathering the facts surrounding Indonesia's military rampage ahead of East Timor's 1999 vote for independence, local media reported on Saturday.

Annabel Stafford, Canberra – Films or books praising East Timorese people who used violence in their fight for independence could be banned under proposed censorship laws before Federal Parliament, despite changes to the proposal intended to protect free speech.

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, Jakarta – An independent NGO, the Papua Working Group in Jakarta, said a revision of the Papua Special Autonomy Law was insignificant and that the Papuan administration needed a solid and transparent plan to prioritize development and channel progression funds properly.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Standing as an independent candidate in a local election is the fastest path to power for those wishing to reform the country's bureaucracy, analysts told activist groups Friday.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The recent verdict of the Constitutional Court allowing independent candidates to contend local elections will pose no threat to political parties, politicians said Friday.

Jakarta – An organization of journalists urged the local media Tuesday to be impartial in its coverage of the Jakarta gubernatorial election.

"We found that newspapers often cover stories that give more benefit to the candidates than the people," a member of the advocacy team of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Umar Idris, told a press conference.

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – The youth wing of Muhammadiyah, one of the country's largest Muslim organizations, said Thursday it was not taking part in the campaign of either of the governor candidates.

Denpasar – Australia and Indonesia have agreed to launch a feasibility study on a free trade pact, their leaders said Friday after meeting on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Housewife Siti Hawah, a resident of Cipinang Melayu, East Jakarta, concedes the environment is important. But a governor hopeful with a convincing program for economic recovery will still get her vote, she says.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Activists from the Jakarta Environmental Caucus have questioned the gubernatorial candidates' commitment to the environment after neither turned up Wednesday evening to sign a contract on environmental policies.

Jakarta – City spatial planners must listen to the voices of the urban poor in order to tackle poverty in the city, a study revealed Tuesday.

Jakarta – The death toll from devastating floods and landslides on Indonesia's eastern Sulawesi island has risen to 107, as aid distribution to survivors gained pace Friday, an official said.

Forty-four bodies have been recovered but 63 people remain missing, presumed buried under landslides, said Rustam Pakaya, who heads the health ministry's crisis centre in Jakarta.

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) today praised the UN for publicly announcing its refusal to cooperate with the joint Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF).

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Although the chances of another crisis crippling Indonesia's economy may be slimmer now due to the improvements made to the banking sector and monetary policy, caution was still needed as regards vulnerabilities in the financial markets.

Jakarta – The Supreme Court refused the appeal of a man convicted in a December 2006 shooting near the operational area of Freeport McMoran in Timika, Papua, that left three employees dead.

Justice German Hoediarto on Thursday upheld the life sentence handed down to Antonius Wawang by the Jakarta High Court. Wawang was sentenced by the high court in January.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told UN officials not to testify before a panel investigating the 1999 killings in East Timor because it could recommend amnesty for serious crimes. Indonesia and East Timor agreed to work together to investigate the events of 1999, when Timorese voted for independence under UN supervision.

New York – United Nations officials will boycott a commission set up jointly by Indonesia and Timor-Leste to foster reconciliation after the latter's bloody struggle for independence, unless it is precluded from recommending amnesty for crimes against humanity and other gross violations of human rights.

Protesters in East Timor have staged a demonstration against Prime Minister John Howard as he left Dili, accusing Australia of interfering in East Timor's political affairs.

East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta on Thursday asked visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard to keep Australian peacekeepers in the young nation until the end of 2008.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives has come out in support of Monday's ruling by the Constitutional Court on independent candidates in regional elections.

Jakarta – An Indonesian court jailed 17 Christians for up to 14 years on Thursday under anti-terrorism laws for the murder of two Muslims.

Merauke – The number of women dying in childbirth has risen in the past two years. In 2005, the rate was 464 per 1000,000 births which rose to 499 in 2006. In the previous years, the numbers were declining. In 2001 the figure was 1,071 and 529 in 2003 and fell to 202 in 2004.

Jakarta – An anti-debt group is demanding the government stop adding debt to fund the state budget because they said most of the agreed loan commitments have not yet been disbursed.

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, Jakarta – The government has been urged to stop deforestation in order to protect the rapidly decreasing orangutan population on the island of Kalimantan.

The Institute for Papuan Advocacy and Human Rights (IPAHR) is extremely concerned at the increasing activity of pro-Indonesian militias in West Papua.

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is so confident it has proof that former Garuda Indonesia pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was involved in the murder of rights activist Munir Said Thalib that it plans to demand a review of the Supreme Court ruling which exonerated him.

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – Any Jakarta resident who has spent some time on the streets over the last three days knows that the gubernatorial candidates are the source – rather than the cure – of transportation problems. That is, for the next two weeks or so.

Hundreds of supporters of both candidates slowly march in street parades, clogging the way of other motorists.

Some strange things emerged from the two massive labor demonstrations against American sportswear giant Nike the last two Mondays. The demonstrators reviled Nike with hate posters and slogans like "Go to Hell Nike" and "I Hate Nike", but at the same time they also pleaded with Nike to stay with them and give them jobs.

James Balowski, Jakarta – A furor has erupted over the recent formation of the GAM party in Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh. Former members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) announced the formation of the party on July 7.

Jakarta – Three flood victims have accused the city administration in court of failing to anticipate and mitigate the February floods and neglecting to assisting victims in the aftermath of the disaster.

Jakarta – The Free Papua Movement (OPM) is no more than an ideology, with only about six percent of the population of Papua remaining active members of the separatist movement, a military commander said Tuesday.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Monday's ruling by the Constitutional Court to allow independent candidates to run in local elections came as a shock to the country's major political parties, who greeted the move with both praise and caution.