Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Papua's "special autonomy" status has not brought significant progress to the people because it has failed to address their fundamental needs, a survey suggests.

Jakarta – A court in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua on Wednesday jailed two people for five and six years each for taking part in violent protests against a US-run mine, a lawyer said.

Hundreds of protesters clashed with security officers in March near Papua's capital Jayapura over the mine run by US giant Freeport-McMoran, leaving six people dead.

Anissa S. Febrina, Jakarta – As soon as he got home from school Monday, eight-year old Yoga changed out of his uniform, reached for his yellow plastic kite and ran out to join several friends in a narrow alley in Cipete, South Jakarta.

Lindsay Murdoch – East Timor's former interior minister, Rogerio Lobato, twice admitted during closed court hearings that he armed civilian Timorese so they could murder enemies of the ruling Fretilin party, court monitors have revealed.

Australia will cut its peacekeeping troops in East Timor by the end of this year, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer announced today, signalling that tension is easing in the troubled state.

James Balowski, Jakarta – Less than two weeks after the House of Representatives passed the Aceh governance bill – which the government says will pave the way for greater autonomy in Indonesia's northern-most province – on June 21, the Aceh governor issued a decree declaring 16 Acehnese groups "illegal".

Jakarta – The conversion of jungles into plantations is becoming the biggest threat to the survival of orangutans in Kalimantan, while illegal logging will likely remain the most significant threat to the big apes in Sumatra, an environmentalist says.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Jayapura District Court on Monday sentenced 11 protesters involved in a deadly March 16 clash with police in Abepura to jail terms of between five and six years.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – Many have been raped, abused and neglected. But there is another factor that is rarely raised in discussions about the chronic struggles of Indonesian migrant workers: their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Denpasar – Members of the Ahmadiyah religious group sought asylum Monday at the Australian diplomatic mission in Denpasar and claimed the government neglected their needs.

Indonesia may be able to press ahead this year with its plan to fully repay its remaining debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – a year earlier than scheduled – on the back of recently strengthening foreign exchange reserves, the central bank said Monday.

The meeting in the port city of Madang brought together commanders from six commands in the West Papuan National Army.

Meeting organiser Jonah Wenda told AAP most of the commanders had crossed the border from Papua to attend the meeting and they had pledged to continue their struggle for a free Papua through non-violent means.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered Attorney General Abdul Rahman Saleh to take firm action against public prosecutors found guilty of unethical conduct to strengthen public trust in the profession.

Jakarta – In the mist criticism over the performance of the political parties, a number of elite parties have initiated a process of internal consolidation as well as using public forums – not just the parliament – to issue statements. A new political party is also started to emerge.

Ken Yunita, Jakarta – Thousands of workers, farmers and urban poor have started the process of forming a new political party but launching a preparatory committee for a national party of liberation.

Adisti Sukma Sawitri and Rendi Akhmad Witular, Jakarta – It was a terse, pessimistic message on a day when others chose to salute the country's youngest citizens with songs and stories.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Activists want to know why Democrat Party lawmaker Aziddin has been the only legislator so far dismissed from the House of Representatives for unethical conduct. Aziddin is one of numerous unscrupulous lawmakers who should be made to leave by the House's disciplinary committee, they say.

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – More public figures are adding their voices to the chorus of opposition against a planned government decree that would protect officials from prosecution for "erroneous" policies.

An Indonesian Islamic sect which claims it has been persecuted by extremist Muslims met with Australia's consul in Bali to seek support, warning they may lodge pleas for political asylum.

Jane Perlez, Denpasar – When Erwin Arnada, editor in chief of Playboy magazine in Indonesia, answered a summons at police headquarters in the national capital, Jakarta, he turned up smiling, behaved like a good citizen and, in turn, was treated politely during nearly six hours of questioning.

Jeremy Ballenger – With the present situation slowly heading for political resolution, time has come to consider the next steps for the fledgling government of Australia's newest neighbour.

Jakarta – Student activists, workers, farmers and the urban poor have started planning the establishment of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) to fight for the welfare of the oppressed in the 2009 general elections.

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – Kusnari had to wait 10 years before the Jakarta administration paid him a monthly salary for his position as a semi-permanent state teacher. He said his patience had paid off, however, because it put him only three years away from becoming a permanent civil servant with a guaranteed income and pension.

Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – Seven of 11 people who have been on a hunger strike outside the Yogyakarta provincial council building since July 12 have been hospitalized since Wednesday, including a hunger striker who was rushed to Sardjito Hospital on Friday.

Radzie, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) is asking the Indonesian government to clarify a number of points in the Aceh Governance Law (UU-PA) that are not in compliance with the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The AMM's mission in Aceh is also to be extended until November 2006.

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Political parties have begun building strategies and forces ahead of Jakarta's first-ever gubernatorial elections, scheduled for next year.

Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla is supporting a campaign spearheaded by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) to ensure journalists reject gifts from their news sources.

Jakarta – Inaccurate blood pressure gauges and stethoscopes, broken wheelchairs and a short supply of sterile gloves – this is what doctors and nurses work with at the city-owned Tarakan Hospital in Central Jakarta.

Rendi Akhmad Witular, Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla has blamed the failure to curb bird flu deaths on regional administrations, which he said had deliberately defied orders from the central government to cull whole populations of infected poultry.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – On taking office, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono advised his officials to divest their personal business interests to avoid any allegations of conflict of interest hounding his reform-oriented government.

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – United Nations peacekeepers have abandoned at least 20 babies fathered with poverty-stricken Timorese women.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – At least 81 Indonesians have declared an intention to go to Lebanon and Palestine to join Hizbollah guerrillas in armed conflict against Israel.

The House of Representatives' approval Tuesday of a bill on witness and victim protection hopefully will go a long way toward strengthening the legal system's ability to fight such major crimes as corruption, human rights violations, terrorism, illegal logging, gambling and smuggling.

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – Non-governmental organizations slammed the government Thursday for what they said was a lack of seriousness in handling the procession of disasters the country has experienced. This has resulted in a failure to protect citizens, they charged.

Kafil Yamin, Bandung – As the death toll in the earthquake and tsunami that struck Java island's south coast on Monday passes the 500 mark, Indonesian officials admit they were caught by surprise – despite the elaborate precautions they took after the bigger December 2004 tsunami that killed an estimated 167,700 people in Aceh.

His Excellency Kofi Annan Secretary General
The United Nations
1 United Nations Plaza New York
New York 10017-3515

July 21, 2006

Dear Mr. Secretary General,

We are writing on behalf of three coalitions of NGOs concerned with the transitional justice process in Timor-Leste.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Despite opposition from former separatists and many other local people, legislators and analysts Thursday praised the passage of the Aceh governance law as a milestone in the effort to bring peace to the formerly rebellious province.

Fajran Zain, Indiana – Despite the House of Representatives' endorsement, the new law on Aceh governance is still being debated.

Mark Dodd – Lawyers for East Timor's disgraced former interior minister, Rogerio Lobato, have accused Australian soldiers of breaking international human rights laws when they hauled him from his home last month on charges of gun running.

Anthony Deutsch, Pangandaran – Rescue workers dug decomposed corpses from ruined homes and hotels in this tsunami-devastated town Thursday, and a mass burial was held for some of the 547 people killed by the waves.

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – A minister said Wednesday there was a warning of the tsunami that hit the southern coast Monday, but added that it was issued at too short notice to alert local communities.

Slamet Susanto and Tarko Sudiarno, Yogyakarta – Tired of waiting for reconstruction aid, a group of May 27 earthquake survivors in Yogyakarta decided the time had come for them to collect what they deserved.

On Wednesday, hundreds of the survivors staged a noisy protest outside a top-level coordination meeting at the Gedung Agung Presidential Palace in Yogyakarta.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – An alliance of non-governmental organizations criticized the House of Representatives on Wednesday for what it called poor performance over the past three months, during which time the legislature enacted only four new laws. Lawmakers still served the executive body and their own political parties rather than the public, critics added.

Jakarta – Lawmakers made a plea Wednesday for the Press Council to rein in the media, which they said had gone too far in criticizing the House of Representatives.

Jakarta – A group of non-governmental organizations warned the government and lawmakers Wednesday to give a bill on freedom of information higher priority than one regarding state secrecy.

The NGOs, including Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) and the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, said the bill on state secrecy was progressing more quickly.

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – Life in Dili's refugee camps isn't too bad. A boy sits on sacks of rice strumming his guitar. Mothers stir pots of boiling food. Men doze blissfully in their families' United Nations-supplied tents.

Trucks bring fresh water twice a day. There are deliveries of high-protein corn, rice, cooking oil and soap.

Jayapura – During the reading of defense speeches at the Jayapura District Court on Wednesday July 19, four of the defendants charged over the Abepura riots that resulted in the death of four police officers and an Indonesian airforce officer have retracted the statements made in their interrogation reports.

Banda Aceh – How do the readers of Aceh Kita regard the Law on Aceh Governance (UU-PA) that was ratified by the House of Representatives on July 11? Is it in accordance with the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or has it in fact deviated from the agreement.

Morgan Mellish, Dili – Australian police have taken over patrolling the streets of Dili from the army, in a sign authorities are confident order has been re-established in East Timor's capital.

The head of the international taskforce, Brigadier Mick Slater, said the change was a major step towards shifting the mission from a military operation to a police operation.

Jakarta – The National Police announced new crowd control guidelines Wednesday that would allow officers to fire real bullets to halt riots.

"This new procedure will wipe out doubts for officers about whether they're allowed to use real bullets when facing chaotic crowds," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Paulus Purwoko said in Cikeas, Bogor.