Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – At a glance, there was nothing significant about the proposal by departing Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto that soldiers be allowed to exercise their right to vote in the 2009 general election.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – A scientist dismissed on Monday nationalist fears that the bill on Aceh governance would lead to the province's succession from Indonesia.

Jakarta – The Indonesian army has lost 129 billion rupiah (14 million dollars) in an alleged embezzlement scheme involving a colonel and an official from the state bank Mandiri, it has been reported.

Jakarta – Following the arrests of two soldiers Saturday for transporting marijuana, the Marine Corps conceded Monday that at least four other marines could be involved.

It vowed to take stern measures against any member of the marines who was transporting or selling drugs.

Two Indonesians suspected of having links to the Bali bombings and an attack on the Australian Embassy in Jakarta are being interrogated in East Java.

News of their arrest came as the Indonesian parliament ratified two international treaties the government says will help it fight the global war on terrorism.

Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta – There are indications that the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leadership is actively carrying out anti-government propaganda. Nevertheless, in general the situation in Aceh is favorable.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The House of Representatives should exercise extra caution before passing the pornography bill into law because many of its contentious articles have not been resolved, a respected Muslim cleric says.

Fadli, Batam – Entertainment and tourism businesspeople in Batam expressed their concerns Monday over the controversial pornography bill following a meeting with a House special committee, but received little assurance their worries would be addressed.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – Jakarta military commander Major General Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo is asking the public to be on guard against the reemergence of the communist movement. This can be seen from their activities that have become increasingly noticeable of late.

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Jakarta – A band of former 1980s student activists have joined the chorus of protests against the mining industry here, demanding the government review all work contracts with mining companies.

During the years of bloodshed in Maluku and North Maluku one of the most fervent wishes of residents was for law enforcers to do their jobs, and do them properly. At one point "An eye for an eye" became a common motto and the Ambonese feared for their survival, with the death of at least 6,000 people out of a total population of about 2.1 million in the two provinces.

Jakarta – The deadly avian influenza virus continues to take its toll on the population as the government discusses the formation of a national commission on bird flu.

Riyadi Suparno – The high-ranking officials gathered around a table at a ministry office in Jakarta literally divided Aceh's forests into a number of concessions, to be offered to the interested businesspeople with the deepest pockets.

Anissa S. Febrina, Jakarta – With the failure to properly address recurring transshipment and dumping allegations against Indonesian businesses, analysts say the government should learn that it's better to act now than pay later.

M. Azis Tunny, Ambon – Peace was shattered in conflict-torn Ambon in Maluku province when a soldier was stabbed to death Saturday and in a separate incident, a student was seriously injured when the police allegedly shot into a crowd of people.

Indonesia's Ambassador to Australia faced protests from Papuan and refugee activists on a visit to Brisbane.

A group of about 20 refugee and Papuan independence activists were held back by state and federal police at a function for the ambassador at the University of Queensland.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Following a visit by legislators to Bali, Batam and Papua to gauge public opinion on the pornography bill, it's still a guessing game whether there will be major changes to the controversial bill.

Jakarta – Observers of the country's judicial system have suggested a one-roof process under the Anticorruption Court, viewing the current system as failing in the prosecution of corruption cases.

A looming morality crackdown in Indonesia may spare Bali so bikini-clad tourists are not arrested on the beach.

A special committee in Indonesia's parliament is reviewing proposed laws to ban pornography, erotic dancing and even adults kissing in public across the mainly Muslim nation.

Triono Wahyu Sudibyo, Semarang – Among the convicts interned at the Nusakambangan Correctional Institution, it's likely that Hutomo Mandala Putra alias 'Tommy' Suharto is the most fortunate. Sentenced to 15 years jail, every year he consistently gets extraordinarily large remissions. But most surprising is that Tommy gets permission to leave the jail every month. Cool!

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – Household goods manufacturing company PT Maspion has been hit by the double blow of cheaper products from China and Vietnam, and a massive strike by workers demanding higher pay.

Aboeprijadi Santoso – Papua is a synonym for a fait accompli tragedy. It is frequently forced into situations by external forces which then become immutable.

Jakarta – Thousands of Muslims took to the streets of the Indonesian capital and marched towards the US embassy, denouncing Washington as the enemy of Islam and calling on Jakarta to embrace Sharia law.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The anti-discrimination bill currently before the House of Representatives is too narrow in scope and will do little to end unfavorable treatment against minority groups, say legislators, analysts and activists.

I Wayan Juniartha, Denpasar – About 1,000 protesters here greeted a visiting delegation of legislators deliberating the pornography bill by threatening to organize acts of civil disobedience if it becomes law.

As if to keep up with other regions in the campaign for moral values, the Tangerang municipality is promoting what it calls "morality building" by enforcing anti-alcohol and anti-prostitution regulations through a series of raids.

Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, Denpasar – Balinese involved in the tourist industry are increasingly worried about the imminent threat of massive layoffs due to the drastic drop in tourist arrivals on the island.

Four months after Bali was rocked by suicide bombings on Oct. 1, 2005, the tourist industry has yet to bounce back.

Mark Forbes, Jakarta – The Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has intervened in the growing controversy surrounding Papua's giant Freeport mine, warning that continuing, violent demonstrations could scare off investors, and questioning the protesters' motives.

Washington – Mobil Corp., the world's biggest oil company, must face a lawsuit by villagers in Indonesia who say the company contributed to human-rights abuses by government security forces.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – The Bandung Military Court sentenced Chief Pvt. Yuli Harsono on Thursday to four years in prison for illegal possession of explosives, which he was planning to give to a militant Muslim group, the Indonesian Mujahiddin Council (MMI).

The court also ordered that Yuli be dishonorably discharged from the Indonesian Military (TNI).

The stated motives behind the series of recent street demonstrations by Papuans in Jayapura, Jakarta, Semarang and Makassar, demanding the closure of Freeport's giant mine in Papua, are said to be because the mine does not benefit the local people. But such complaints are highly questionable, even mind-boggling.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – After many years when it was too dangerous for him to visit his Aceh family home, Muslim Ibrahim finally returned with last August's signing of a peace agreement between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Jakarta – The Jakarta administration conceded Thursday that high levels of overcrowding and low levels of staffing in city prisons may have left the door wide open for four inmates to escape from Cipinang Penitentiary on Tuesday.

Jakarta – A US envoy said that ongoing reform in Indonesia's powerful armed forces (TNI) was on the right path and the United States wanted to provide more support for the changes ahead.

Australia's decision to buy long-range stealth cruise missiles for the RAAF will make Jakarta "feel safer", a senior Indonesian defence official said. The comment was another sign of warming defence ties between the two neighbours.

Mark Forbes, Jakarta – A stone-age bow and arrow shoot-out between tribesmen and guards at the giant Freeport gold and copper mine in Papua has snowballed into a stand-off symbolising Papuans' push for independence and their belief that their province is being plundered.

Andi Hajramurni and Suherdjoko, Makassar/Semarang/Jakarta – Anger at PT Freeport Indonesia continued Wednesday, with protesters demanding the closure of the company's mine in Papua over allegations Freeport was stealing the wealth of Papuans and degrading the environment.

Sri Muninggar Saraswati and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Aceh leaders are optimistic that Jakarta will accommodate their people's political aspirations in the new bill on Aceh governance.

Dili – Around 200 more soldiers from East Timor's 1,500-strong army have joined a strike over poor conditions and selective promotions, officials said Thursday.

The troops walked out of their barracks to join the 400 who have been on strike since Feb. 8, said Gastao Salsinha, a coordinator of the strike.

The Indonesian government made the right decision to aggressively promote forest product certification, or ecolabeling, as a market-based instrument to curb illegal logging, because the traditional approach to protect forests through a regulatory system has failed miserably due to the corrupt system of governance and inadequate institutional capacity.

Jakarta – The government and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) came under fire Wednesday from legislators, legal experts and observers for their failures in the battle against corruption.

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu – Poso Regent Piet Ingkiriwang might be experiencing sleepless nights after residents and civil servants in the Central Sulawesi town continued protesting against him Wednesday following a report that his university degree was issued by a questionable institution.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – The 1958 Law on Citizenship is doing more to harm Indonesian families than it does to help or protect them, experts say.

Max Lane – The application for asylum by 43 West Papuan political activists and their families, who arrived on Australia's Cape York peninsula in January after a five-day voyage on a rickety boat, brought the political and social situation in the Indonesian province of Papua to the attention of the Australian public.

Tn. Arie Rukmantara and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The controversial bill on Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam governance would not make the tsunami-ravaged province into a federal state as some people feared, a group of constitutional law experts and political scientists told the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Jakarta – Some banks in regencies have been involved in financing illegal logging, though the forestry industry has been regarded as a sunset industry and put in the negative list for the extension of bank credits, according to a researcher.

Iqbal Fadil, Jakarta – After arresting six activists during a demonstration at Plaza 89 in South Jakarta yesterday, police have renewed the hunt for activist they believe infiltrated the group of indigenous Papuans protesting against PT Freeport Indonesia.

Pekanbaru – Margarine, lipstick, ice cream, shampoo, chocolate – all use palm oil as a crucial ingredient but with booming demand, the plantations are swallowing up forests, a conference here heard.

We may have good reason to congratulate ourselves for the peace in Aceh, which has now lasted for six months, the longest in decades, but we must never forget the role played by our international friends in ending the violence.

Sonny Inbaraj – The current media landscape in East Timor, the world's newest nation, is not a pretty one.