In an open letter to the presidents of Indonesia and Timor-Leste, a worldwide coalition of three dozen human rights organizations led by groups from Indonesia and Timor-Leste today called on President Yudhoyono and President Ramos-Horta to close the bilateral Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF).

Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – Jakarta's traffic lights inevitably show a bleaker side of the city. As cars slow down at red lights, little pleading faces emerge at windows asking for money. The time of day seems to not matter to them.

Jakarta – Two members of the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) were killed and another injured in a brawl with members of the Association of Betawi Families (IKB) over a parking lot.

Jakarta – A group of soldiers allegedly mobbed a traffic policeman after he tried to warn a military man for riding in the busway lane on Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, on Tuesday morning.

The national liberation of the people of Latin America, which has been inspired by the people's struggle in Venezuela led by President Hugo Chavez, should be able to inspire similar methods and ideologies in the Indonesian national struggle.

James Balowski, Jakarta – In the early hours of March 13, the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) regional office in Palu, Central Sulawesi, was attacked by around 30 men. Three Papernas members were hospitalised.

Sleman, Yogyakarta – Local authorities have seized thousands of history school textbooks over reported factual inaccuracies concerning the Indonesian Communist Party.

Employees of the Sleman Education Office have since Monday been seizing books from schools across the city, and plan to continue the operation through the end of the month.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Paralleling an investigation by the Attorney General's Office, the National Police are assuming a proactive role in tracking down the assets of Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra believed to have been derived from money laundering.

The West Papuan representative in Vanuatu, Dr Otto Ondawame has raised concern over a recent incident in Port Moresby claiming the PNG government was allegedly working in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in PNG and pro-special autonomy groups led by France Albert Yoku to force the West Papuan refugees in 9-Mile refugee camp to repatriate to West Papua.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The government's expectation that the banking industry will be able to increase lending by 33 percent by 2008 in order to meet its economic growth target of 7 percent is too ambitious, Bank Indonesia Governor Burhanuddin Abdullah said.

Stephen Fitzpatrick – East Timorese renegade soldier Alfredo Reinado has delivered yet another slap in the face to Australian troops hunting him, appearing on Indonesian television to taunt his pursuers.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Former attorney general Abdul Rahman Saleh on Monday denied meddling in his replacement's push to bring former president Soeharto to trial for corruption.

Abdul Rahman, who was replaced on May 7 by Hendarman Supandji, said he never asked Hendarman not to continue the investigation into Soeharto.

Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is confident a Guernsey court will grant full disclosure and an extension of a freezing order on the allegedly ill-gotten funds of former president Soeharto's son Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra.

Washington – The United States and Indonesia are to launch a set of initiatives aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment ties, their trade ministers said after talks here Monday.

Sri Wahyuni, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of families left homeless by the powerful earthquake that devastated Yogyakarta almost a year ago are still living under makeshift tents.

Jakarta – The commemoration of nine years after President Suharto's resignation on May 21, 1998, was held yesterday (21/5) by a number of student organizations and non-governmental institutions (NGOs) in many cities in the country by staging rallies and demonstrations.

Jakarta – The Republika Nusantara (RepublikaN) Party, a newly-founded political entity, aims to become the first and only party in Indonesia with International Organization for Standardization certification.

["Understanding the Venezuela Revolution, a Discussion Between Hugo Chavez and Martha Harnecker. Published by Progressive Youth Alliance (AMP) and the Institute for Global Justice (IGJ), February 2007. Reviewed by Zely Ariane.]

Pius Nimaepa inhaled his clove cigarette smoke deeply when Tempo visited him at the end of March. The 60-year-old Ayuka tribal chief sat cross-legged on a wooden chair under a tree in front of his house in Ayuka village, Mimika Timur Jauh district, Mimika regency, Papua.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Historians called on politicians and state officials Sunday to follow the footsteps of Indonesia's founding fathers, each of whom were willing to discard narrow interests for the sake of common good.

Jakarta – Making an unannounced visit to a village in Bogor, West Java, on Sunday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was surprised by what he found: gasoline sold in bottles and a frayed national flag.

Dara, Banda Aceh – A number of women's activists that are concerned about the fate of women have declared a new local political party that has been given the name the Acehnese People's Alliance Party for Women's Concern (Partai Aliansi Rakyat Aceh Peduli Perempuan, PARAPP).

[The following is a compilation of abridged translations taken from Detik.com on demonstrations commemorating nine years since the fall of former President Suharto on May 21, 1998.]

'Get ready for an increase in traffic jams'

Melly Febrida, Jakarta – The distribution of 2004 curriculum history books for junior and senior high schools have been banned and the Attorney General hopes that the recall of these books will be completed by this year.

Yudha Setiawan – As many as 53 new political parties have registered with the Department of Justice and Human Rights. "The total number of parties will continue to grow", said Syamsudin Manan Sinaga, the director general for public legal administration yesterday.

Jakarta – Despite heated debate over funding sources in the 2004 election, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will not order a thorough investigation into an alleged illegal inflow of funds into his Democratic Party, a close aide said Saturday.

Rafiqa Qurrata A, Jakarta – The central leadership board of the National Liberation Party of Unity suspects there is a political plot to destroy them. This is taking a number forms such as terror and intimidation.

Rafiqa Qurrata A, Jakarta – The Central Leadership Board of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) intends to meet with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to report the numerous forms of terror and intimidation they have been experiencing.

Jakarta – More than a thousand people have fled inland along Indonesia's coastline after tidal waves destroyed houses and fishing boats this week, officials said Saturday.

Residents have taken refuge in schools and other government buildings after high waves pounded coastlines from northern Sumatra island to the southern tourist resort island of Bali, officials said.

Tito Belo, Dili – Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta, East Timor's newly elected president, took the oath of office at a simple ceremony in Dili on Sunday, succeeding Xanana Gusmao as leader of the young nation.

Dili – Estanislau Aleixo da Silva was sworn in Saturday as East Timor's interim prime minister, succeeding Jose Ramos Horta, who was elected president of the tiny state in a landslide earlier this month.

Reporter: Anne Barker

Elizabeth Jackson: A special ceremony will be held in East Timor today to swear in the country's second president, Jose Ramos Horta, who replaces Xanana Gusmao.

Under the Constitution the new president must take office on the anniversary of independence. It's five years today since East Timor became an independent nation.

Markus Mannheim – A senior diplomat who refused to break the law by lying about Australia's aid program was later denied an extension to his overseas posting in apparent retribution.

A Sydney court has heard the foreign affairs minister in 1975 was pressured not to tell the families of the Balibo five that the men had been killed on the grounds of national security.

Geoff Briot was the foreign affairs minister's chief of staff when five Australian journalists were killed at Balibo in East Timor 32 years ago.

Jakarta – Activists have criticized former Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh for allegedly intervening in the Attorney General's anticorruption campaign by asking incumbent Hendarman Supandji not to continue investigations into former president Soeharto's corruption cases.

Apriadi Gunawan and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Medan/Jakarta – Activists and analysts have criticized political parties which had withdrawn political support for an amendment of the 1945 Constitution to empower the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and said parties could not claim a monopoly over the Constitution.

Jakarta – Indonesia's military tribunal should be reformed because it allows notorious officers with abduction convictions against their names to be awarded with promotion, said the human rights monitor group Imparsial on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Experts have criticized a bill on civic education saying it will be counterproductive as it focuses more on the state's interests than those of the people.

Speaking at a seminar on the bill, Azyumardi Azra, director of the postgraduate school at the Jakarta State Islamic University, said the bill overemphasized the obligation to defend the state.

Purwokerto, Central Java – Banyumas Police have recorded 30 suicides since January in its jurisdiction, which encompasses Banyumas, Cilacap, Banjarnegara and Purbalingga regencies.

There have been further developments concerning the death of prominent human rights lawyer Munir Said Thalib on board a flight of Indonesia's national carrier on September 7, 2004. Munir died of arsenic poisoning aboard a Garuda Indonesia Airways flight destined for Amsterdam.

Phillip Winn – After decades of dominance, Fretilin's star appears on the wane.

The mood for change in East Timor has been tangible and leaders of the ruling Fretilin Party have sensed it.

Hamish McDonald – The top foreign affairs official under the Whitlam government today slammed its policies on East Timor as "chilling".

Alan Renouf, 84, who had been head of the Department of Foreign Affairs selected by former prime minister Gough Whitlam, told a Sydney coroner of his conflicts over Mr Whitlam's policies towards Indonesia, which invaded East Timor in 1975.

Alyssa Braithwaite, Sydney – The Australian government was forewarned that Indonesian soldiers disguised as civilians or anti-Fretilin troops planned to invade East Timor on October 16, 1975, an inquest has been told.

Five Australia-based newsmen were killed in an attack by Indonesian special forces troops in the Timorese border town of Balibo on October 16, 1975.

Tony Iltis – The second round of East Timor's presidential elections, held on May 9, resulted in the victory of Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta. Ramos Horta, running as an independent, had won 73% of the vote with 90% of ballots counted. He won a majority in 10 out of 13 districts.

Dili – Timor Leste President Xanana Gusmao expressed the gratitude of the nation s authorities and people Tuesday, for Cuba s medical and educational cooperation.

[Max Lane spoke to Avelino Coelho, general secretary of the Socialist Party of Timor (PST) about East Timor's presidential election, the second round of which was held on May 9.]

Political clashes and street fights between machete-wielding rival gangs in East Timor have left one person dead and injured more than 20 people less than a week after a presidential run-off, officials said on Wednesday.

Jakarta – Politicians have never been regarded as the most popular of people, and a recent leadership survey by the Islamic and Societal Research Center (PPIM) would seem to suggest that nothing has changed.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The transparency of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) remains a source of hot debate in the deliberation of the freedom to access public information bill at the House of Representatives.

The planned plenary session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to amend the 1945 Constitution is under threat after the Golkar Party withdrew its support for the amendment, decreasing the number of amendment proponents to well below the required threshold.