Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jayapura – The plot finally coalesced after years in and out of filthy Indonesian jail cells: equip a small outrigger for the long trip from Papua to Australia, fill it with people selected expressly for their likelihood of winning asylum and wait for the political fallout.

Eleanor Hall: Two weeks ago Australia was bemused by the story of a Channel Seven crew's misadventure in the Indonesian province of Papua in search of a story about supposed cannibalism. The crew was deported for travelling to Papua without permits.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jayapura – Computing science student Johannes Kurisi was shot in the back almost a week ago during an apparent Papuan gang conflict, but he and the friends tending to him in a Jayapura hospital don't expect the assailants to be caught.

Jakarta – Politicians from different political parties are supporting a move to allow Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel to exercise their voting rights in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections.

Taufik Kiemas, the chief patron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said there should be no reason to fear soldiers voting in the next elections.

Ramdhan Muhaimin, Jakarta – Although the 2009 general elections are still three years away, 27 seven new political parties have already registered with the department of Justice and Human Rights. The new parties range from the New Order Party to the Satria Piningit Party.

Jakarta – Environmental activists are demanding the government do more to end the intimidation and violence against people who report illegal logging.

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – The West Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) plans to appeal the Padang District Court's decision refusing to hear its lawsuit against West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi.

Tangerang – Criticizing the poor performance of its civil administration and family planning agency, the Tangerang Municipal Council decided last week to cut the budget allocated for the provision of contraceptives.

Jakarta – Hundreds of mourners in the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu prayed Saturday for three Catholic men executed the day earlier for leading a Christian militia that killed Muslims.

Some 500 mourners prayed at the Santa Maria Catholic church during a morning mass in Palu, Agence France-Presse reported.

Dili – Violence erupted on the streets of the East Timorese capital today as two groups pelted each other with stones, forcing residents in the area to flee their homes.

The disturbance occurred between two groups of youths from different regions of East Timor near the Comoro market at about 2pm local time, witnesses said.

Indonesian army elements are reportedly behind a plan to attack a PNG office in retaliation for the killing of an Indonesian fisherman.

Jakarta – A nine-year-old boy has been confirmed as Indonesia's 51st human bird flu fatality, a health ministry official said.

The boy died on September 22 and test results from two laboratories confirmed he was infected with the H5N1 virus, a doctor on duty at the national bird flu center in Jakarta told AFP Sunday.

Thousands mourned, while hundreds of other ran amok in East Nusa Tenggara on Friday over the execution of the three men convicted of leading attacks on Muslims during the 2000 sectarian violence in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso. Meanwhile, many also felt relieved by their deaths in the belief that justice was finally being upheld.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is being accused of putting off long-awaited reforms of the powerful Indonesian Military (TNI).

The President still depends too much on the military for his political survival and possible reelection, said Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial).

Anissa S. Febrina, Jakarta – As soon as meatball vendor Ali Muthahirin heard from a neighbor that his subdistrict office in Pondok Labu, South Jakarta, was offering an attractive micro-credit scheme, he quickly followed it up.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Major and minor parties are at loggerheads over whether an electoral threshold should be set for parties running in the legislative and presidential races in 2009.

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Hundreds of residents of the mainly Muslim Rawa Buntu village and Kencana Loka housing complex in Serpong staged a rally Friday to protest the construction of the St. John Catholic School in the area.

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – The involvement of non-governmental organizations and foreign donors in rebuilding the tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh has yet to provide women with a good standard of living, a new book argues.

It says widows are still struggling to feed themselves and their children without proper attention from either NGOs or the government.

Jakarta – Groups of Christians, angered by the overnight executions of three Catholic convicts, torched cars and government buildings in East Nusa Tenggara cities Friday.

Kampung Jawa – The tsunami of 2004 triggered the biggest humanitarian response in history, feeding the hungry, heading off epidemics and engendering the hope that out of a calamity that took 216,000 lives, a better Indian Ocean rim would emerge.

Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – Lack of commitment from the government and private sector to end child labor has made Jakarta a hotbed for the exploitation of minors as prostitutes and domestic helpers, a discussion concluded Thursday.

Banda Aceh – Oxfam International's staff in Indonesia's Aceh province knew something was amiss last March when they started seeing inflated bills for construction supplies.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The government should create jobs by building infrastructure facilities at the provincial, regency and village level that can give work to local unemployed people rather than giving them cash, a noted economist has said.

Aguslia Hidayah, Jakarta – The Freedom of Information Coalition comprising elements including the SET Foundation, Institute for the Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI), Institute for Press and Development Studies (LSPP) and Children of the Nation's Vision Institute urge the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission for Defense to complete the Bill of Fr

Jakarta – An 11-year-old boy who died this week has been confirmed as Indonesia's 50th human bird flu fatality.

The boy died on on Monday and test results from two laboratories confirmed he was infected with the H5N1 virus, Nadirin – a doctor at the national bird flu information centre – told AFP.

Emma – There were emotional scenes as an East Timorese family were deported from Darwin yesterday. Epifano Faculto, 32, his wife Susette and two children – Willy, 6, and two-year-old Lelanlia – were flown home to Dili.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – A political analyst has accused the government of ensuring impunity for the military by refusing to let soldiers stand trial in a public court.

Irwan Firdaus, Palu – Christian mobs torched cars, blockaded roads and looted Muslim-owned shops in violence touched off by Friday's executions of three Roman Catholics convicted of instigating attacks on Muslims.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the recent developments in the assassination case of Indonesia's most prominent and internationally renowned human rights activist, the late Mr. Munir Said Thalidin.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jayapura – Indonesian police have been driven by revenge and their own personal interests in a series of show trials over the deaths of four police and an air force sergeant in May (sic) riots, a new report claims.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – Justice and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin said Wednesday that a ministerial decree would be issued this weekend to effect the implementation of the Citizenship Law passed in July.

Jakarta – Hundreds of tsunami survivors threw rocks at police in Aceh on Wednesday during a protest to demand housing and jobs at the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) office.

Suryani Ika Sari, Sofian, Jakarta – The high rate of corruption has been the cause for the low economic growth in Indonesia compared to other developing countries. "Corruption is considered as quite high a risk for business and investment in Indonesia," said Paul A Volcker, the former member of the Board of Directors of the US Central Bank, yesterday (21/9) in Jakarta.

M. Azis Tunny, Ambon – Hundreds of people displaced by religious violence in Maluku protested Wednesday in front of the governor's office to demand promised financial assistance to rebuild their lives.

About 200 people, mainly women and children, braved heavy rain to gather outside the governor's office in Ambon, which was guarded by dozens of police officers.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The World Bank and IMF should review their financial aid to Indonesia to show a serious commitment to fighting corruption and poverty; otherwise they must stop making new loans to the country, say anti-globalization activists.

Makassar – Militant Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir sees erotic shows on TV as "more dangerous than the Bali bombs".

Ba'asyir, who was released from jail on June 14 after serving 26 months for his involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202 people, said pornography was more damaging because it destroyed people's morality.

Vanuatu's prime minister has confirmed his country will raise the issue of Papua at next month's Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Fiji. Ham Lini says Vanuatu intends to continue its long tradition of supporting Papua's push for self-determination.

Jakarta – The government admitted Wednesday that hundreds of thousands of Indonesians still work illegally in the more affluent neighboring country of Malaysia, despite campaigns to stop illicit labor exports.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – The government balked Wednesday at a proposal to try military personnel in civilian court for misdemeanors, even though legislators argue it is a vital part of reforming the armed forces.

Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara – Three police officers and dozens of villagers were injured during a clash over a land dispute in Kupang's Amarasi Selatan district late Monday.

Kupang Police deputy chief Comr. Eko Wahyuyomo confirmed from Kupang on Tuesday that the incident involved police officers and hundreds of villagers.

Banda Aceh – Indonesia's tsunami reconstruction agency pledged Wednesday to speed up aid to the homeless after police clashed with protesters at a blockade of its offices.

Some 1,000 survivors laid siege to the headquarters of the Aceh Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR) in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, complaining of the slow disbursement of aid.

Jakarta – Hundreds of farmers from around the country staged a rally here Tuesday to protest against the government's plan to import 210,000 kilograms of rice, which they said could destroy their livelihood.

John Martinkus – Two weeks ago we revealed written orders from East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao to the rebel commander Alfredo Reinado that showed a close relationship between the two at the height of the crisis in Dili in May this year. That was followed by front-page revelations in The Australian that Gusmao paid at least a share of Reinado's hotel bill during the crisis.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – The outpouring of foreign aid and donations to Indonesia in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami is being pilfered by corrupt government officials and their affiliated business interests.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – A coalition of antigraft watchdogs demanded Tuesday that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) name Justice and Human Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin as a suspect for his alleged involvement in a graft case at the nation's electoral commission in 2004.

Jakarta – Indonesian Police Watch says it is concerned over recent allegations that police are using violence to get confessions from suspects.

"The police using violent means to get suspects to confess is not a new thing and is caused by a failure in the institution's education system," Indonesian Police Watch head Neta S. Pane told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

On September 10 the Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM) held a demonstration at the state palace in Jakarta, demanding that the government set a standard national wage.

Milla Sundstrvm, Helsinki – "Amid all the destruction and loss the mood was high. People were making bricks, digging fishponds, building fishing boats. And people were sitting in coffee shops late into the night just as if there had never been any war."

Max Lane – Protest demonstrations continue to sprout every day across Indonesia on almost every kind of issue – socio-economic injustice, political abuse, administrative arbitrariness and ecological damage. Poverty and economic hardship still probably make up the cause driving the majority of these protest actions.

Jakarta – An Indonesian court dismissed on Wednesday a blasphemy case against an editor who published controversial cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammad last year, saying the prosecution used a wrong legal article.