M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – The House of Representatives urged the government Thursday to set up an independent team to investigate the 2004 assassination of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib.
A House plenary meeting endorsed a recommendation that will put political pressure on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to bring to justice those behind Munir's murder.
Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara – Hundreds of angry people surrounded the office of the Timor Tengah Selatan regent Wednesday to protest marble mining he authorized near their village.
The protesters from Fatumnasi village decided to seal off the office after they were unable to meet Regent Daniel Banunaek, who gave the green light to the operation.
Jakarta/New York – The decision by Indonesia's Constitutional Court to strike down a deeply flawed law establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is a significant first step toward affirming the rule of law and defending the rights of victims, the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) said today.
Jakarta – The editor of the Indonesian version of Playboy went on trial accused of publishing "indecent" material in the first issues of the adult magazine in the world's largest Muslim-populated nation.
Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – Insulting the president is crime no more after the Constitutional Court on Wednesday scrapped three articles in the old Criminal Code.
The court said three articles undermined the country's process toward democracy and caused confusion because they were subject to subjective interpretations.
Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The government should postpone reviving grassroots spy networks in the regions to fight terrorism, pending the passage of the intelligence bill, human rights activists said Wednesday.
Activists said the absence of a law would make the planned network "problematic" as it could lead to human rights abuses like those during the oppressive Soeharto era.
Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – Pushing ahead with its plans to harness nuclear power, the government will hold a tender in 2008 to select suitable suppliers of nuclear technology and contractors to construct the Rp 15 trillion (US$1.66 billion) plant in Muria, Central Java, a senior official says.
Hera Diani, Jakarta – The government's plan to extend the ban on polygamy for civil servants to cover all state officials could end up helping in the fight against corruption, a prominent Islamic scholar says.
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – An alliance of NGOs filed a lawsuit Wednesday with the Central Jakarta District Court against the House of Representatives over a bill they say endangers the multireligious and multicultural character of Indonesia.
Ati Nurbaiti, Banda Aceh – On the eve of polling day on Dec. 11, Mutia says she will perform special prayers to ask God who to vote for. "I will perform the istiqoroh prayer to make my decision," she said Wednesday, while attending a rally held by a gubernatorial candidate.
Banda Aceh – Thousands of people flocked to final election rallies on the last day of campaigning for landmark polls in the Indonesian province of Aceh.
Alison Guerriere Ciaccio, New York – Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. has denied claims of environmental mishaps at its operations in Indonesia, filed by a shareholder group that seeks to examine the company's environmental record.
Jakarta – Nearly 50 percent of Indonesia's population still lives on less than two dollars a day despite progress in recovering from the economic crisis of 1998 which plunged millions of people back into poverty, the World Bank said.
Jakarta – Small political parties demanded Tuesday they be allowed to contest the 2009 elections.
The 2004 General Elections Law states that only parties with a least 3 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives will be allowed to take part in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections.
Jakarta – The ongoing ambulance workers strike has affected the public service as it is only responding to less than half of the 50 emergency calls it receives on average every day.
Dili – UN police have arrested 26 people on suspicion of involvement in deadly clashes between East Timor martial arts gangs that have left two people dead and six badly wounded, a spokeswoman said.
The UN police confirmed two people had been killed during ongoing clashes between rival martial arts groups which erupted on Sunday in the capital Dili.
Jakarta – Indonesia will reactivate a grass-roots domestic spy network as part of its fight against terrorism, which critics have seen as a return to the oppressive polices of the Suharto era.
Duncan Graham, Lawang, East Java – For those recently heaping praise on Indonesia for its moderate Muslim and emerging democratic credentials, consider the case of Islamic preacher Yusman Roy.
Washington – A big US public pension fund announced plans for a shareholder drive to press mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. to improve environmental practices at a vast mine in Indonesia.
Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Former East Timorese living in West Timor, East Nusa Tenggara, rallied at the local provincial administration office in Kupang on Monday, urging the government to compensate them for the assets they left behind in East Timor in 1999.
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta Post – Yahya Zaini, the senior Golkar Party lawmaker caught on camera cavorting naked with a dangdut singer, looks set to be ousted from the party, with an investigative team recommending his dismissal Monday.
Ati Nurbaiti and Hera Diani, Jakarta Post – The government's fight against terrorism is threatening human rights and due legal process in the country, activists in Jakarta said Monday.
Dili – Rival martial arts gangs staged rolling battles across East Timor's capital today after weekend violence that reportedly saw a man hacked to death, and others critically injured.
Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Former rebels in Aceh will form a political party within six months, opening up the way for their participation in the 2009 national elections, officials said Saturday.
Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – Bowing to public pressure, the company at the heart of the mudflow disaster in Sidoarjo, East Java, has decided to buy all land and buildings affected by the disaster.
Jakarta – Former Defense and Security Minister Gen. (ret) Edi Sudradjat passed away on Friday. He died at 1 p.m. at Army Central Hospital Gatot Subroto in Jakarta. The cause of his death has not been revealed. Edi was survived by his wife Lulu Lugiyati and three children.
Tony Hotland and Hera Diani, Jakarta – The next time someone advises you against using a condom, tell them the Vice President ordered you to. That was the clear message being sent by Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Friday as he marked World AIDS Day.
Jerry Norton, Banda Aceh – Indonesia will soon set the ball rolling to allow former rebels in Aceh to establish a political party and join the mainstream in the once volatile province, a top peace monitor said on Saturday.
Although the number of people with jobs in August increased by 280,000 to 95.46 million compared to February, and exceeded the growth in Indonesia's total workforce during the same period, it was still not enough to significantly reduce the unemployment rate, according to figures released Friday by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
Aceh/Bandung/Makassar – As people living with HIV/AIDS observed World AIDS Day on Friday with events around the country, there were calls for greater recognition, an end to discrimination and stepped up education efforts.
Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – Drug users and small-time dealers fill the country's jails, but an eight-time convict says putting drug users in prison will not help them kick the habit.
"It won't. They are even at risk of acquiring HIV on the inside," said ex-drug user and activist Budi Risetiabudi Darma Adi.
Jakarta – Indonesia is responding to the sharp increase in HIV prevalence among injecting drug users by issuing a new national policy that will legally settle the harm-reduction debate.
Jakarta – Hundreds of Papuans gathered Friday in eastern Indonesia to mark the anniversary of their "declaration of independence" amid tight security, a customary council member said.
Dario Thuburn, Moscow – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to expand energy ties and arms trade during talks in Moscow. "We have a real potential for advancing our bilateral cooperation in political, economic, military and other areas," Putin said after the Kremlin meeting.
New Zealand's Peace Movement Aotoearoa says grassroots support for West Papua's right to self-determination is growing. The Movement has today marked West Papua Independence Day by flying the West Papuan Morning Star flag in a demonstration outside parliament in Wellington.
Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Dozens of people claiming to be victims of the conflict in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam rallied in front of the Independent Commission for Elections in Banda Aceh on Thursday, threatening to boycott the upcoming regional elections.
By Peter King, Sydney University
Abstract
Surabaya – A man died late on Wednesday after suffering injuries from last week's gas pipeline explosion in the Indonesian area swamped by a devastating mudflow, pushing the incident's death toll to 12, a doctor said.
Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – About 2,000 workers and their employers staged rallies at a number of government institutions in Medan, North Sumatra, Wednesday, demanding the normalization of electricity and gas supplies to companies in the province.
Power outages and gas shortages had forced the firms to temporarily stop operations, thereby threatening the workers' employment.
Jakarta – A joint Indonesia-East Timor commission plans to question former Indonesian military chief Wiranto and other officers over the violence surrounding East Timor's independence vote in 1999.
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono insisted Wednesday that members of the military should not face trial in civilian courts, even though President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has agreed to the move.
Andi Haswidi, Jakarta – Dubbed one of the most influential business gurus, Michael E. Porter, also a distinguished author and a professor at Harvard Business School, said Wednesday in Jakarta that the Indonesian government was placing too much emphasis on the privatization program compared to removing business hurdles.
Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Students and teachers can still remember the moment they had to immediately remove their chairs and desks from their school, the No. 99 Neusu Elementary School in Banda Aceh, which was to be demolished by heavy machinery for reconstruction the next day.
Tony Hotland, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has agreed to allow soldiers accused of criminal acts to stand trial in civilian courts, a minister said here Tuesday.
The government had previously rejected the House's proposal for civilian trials, bringing the deliberation of the military tribunal bill to a halt.
Jakarta – Local elections in Indonesia's Aceh province pose a challenge for former separatist rebels in their transformation from an armed insurgency into a political movement, the International Crisis Group said Wednesday.
Banda Aceh – A second electoral worker has been abducted since the start last weekend of campaigning for milestone elections in Indonesia's Aceh province, police said Wednesday.
Markus Makur, Timika – Hundreds of Amungme and Kamoro tribespeople in Mimika, Papua, held a protest Tuesday to demand giant gold mining company PT Freeport Indonesia give them its old machinery, vehicles and scrap materials.
The protesters marched to Freeport's office in Kuala Kencana to speak with company management about the request.
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – An alliance of civil groups and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) joined the chorus of criticism here Tuesday against the civil registration bill, which they said could undermine freedom of religion.
Tony Hotland and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – While victims of the devastating mudflow in East Java continued a public protest, Vice President Jusuf Kalla issued reassurances Tuesday that they would be compensated for their losses. Kalla said PT Lapindo Brantas Inc. and other companies believed to be responsible for the disaster would live up to their obligations.
Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Infighting ahead of the coming landmark Dec. 11 elections in Aceh has hurt the rebel group that stopped its fight to split the province from Indonesia to instead pursue peace, a top think-tank said on Wednesday.