Timorese journalists, lawyers and MPs met in Dili on March 22 to debate media freedom and Timor-Leste's draft penal code at a seminar entitled "Media law and human rights" (Lei media ho direitus humanus).
More than 60 people attended the seminar, which was co-hosted by the Judicial Systems Monitoring Program (JSMP) and Internews.
Aceh separatists and Indonesian officials said they had reached a "point of understanding" following a second day of peace talks aimed at ending a conflict that has killed more than 12,000 people.
Aguswandi, London – Do the Acehnese hate foreigners? Do they want the many foreign aid workers laboring to help them to leave their villages? Are the Acehnese, you may ask, fanatical Muslims?
Indonesia's powerful military has volunteered to close up shop on its huge business empire – three years earlier than the law requires. The armed forces commander, General Endriatono Sutarto, made the decision with the apparent agreement of the heads of the army, navy and air force.
Max Lane – Around 200 East Timorese protesters were attacked on April 9 by police, including special branch paramilitary forces.
Dili – Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has accused leaders of East Timor's Roman Catholic Church of attempting to play the role of political opposition in its recent criticism of a government pilot scheme to end compulsory religious education in schools.
After cataclysmic tsunami, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions which have left more than 224,000 Indonesians dead or missing across Sumatra and surrounding islands, a flood of SMS warnings abound that the country's capital Jakarta is next.
Aceh separatists urged Indonesian officials to call a ceasefire as a gesture of goodwill as the two parties held a third round of peace talks n Helsinki aimed at ending a conflict that has killed more than 12,000 people.
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – In a bid to boost professionalism, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has decided divest its vast business interests within the next two years, TNI Commander Gen. Endriartono said.
Jakarta – When Amisah, 47, and her husband opened their business at Senen Market in Central Jakarta in 1976, their income steadily increased until it reached as high as Rp 75,000 (US$8.3) per day in the 1980s.
The first of many, or just one of the few. That is the question on many lips after the conviction of Abdullah Puteh on corruption charges.
Batam (Riau) – About 650 docksiders working for two shipping companies in Batam protested outside the city council on Monday, demanding the firms pay them the meal, overtime and transportation allowances they were entitled to.
Green MP Keith Locke returned today from a three-day trip to West Papua conveying a request from Papuan leaders that New Zealand champion their cause at the Pacific Islands Forum.
Sian Powell, Jakarta – Splits have emerged among Aceh separatists on the eve of peace talks with the Indonesian Government in Helsinki, with one faction damning the Finnish negotiators and flatly rejecting special autonomy and another expressing cautious optimism.
John Roberts – Even as Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono postures as a "democrat", his government has given the go-ahead for the dispatch of an additional 15,000 troops from the military's Strategic Reserve Forces (Kostrad) to the province of Papua.
Canberra – The Indonesian and Australian air forces have launched their first joint military exercise since relations between the two countries plummeted over Jakarta-sponsored violence in East Timor nearly six years ago, the government said Wednesday.
Matthew Moore, Jakarta – In Indonesia's highest profile graft case, the new anti-corruption court has jailed the governor of Aceh for 10 years for improperly "enriching himself" by more than $500,000.
Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta – The trouble with praise or accolades is that when you get too much, you get too high. And at the ongoing 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Indonesia is getting plenty of praise, and deservedly so, one might argue.
Zakki P. Hakim and Riyadi Suparno, Jakarta – High costs in the Indonesian economy remain the main barrier to attract foreign investment, including investors from Switzerland, according to visiting Swiss Minister of Economic Affairs Joseph Deiss.
Hera Diani and Suherdjoko, Semarang – The younger generation of the National Mandate Party (PAN) expressed disappointment on Monday over the election of Soetrisno Bachir as the party's leader, saying the process was undemocratic and only accommodated the party's elite instead of the grassroots.
A group of twenty men and women who are victims of human rights violations in 1965 have called for the Commission on Truth and Reconciliation (KKR) to be disbanded until such time as there has been a proper historical account of the G30S/PKI. (G30S - September 30 Movement)
Suherdjoko, Semarang – Businessman Soetrisno Bachir took over the National Mandate Party (PAN) leadership on Sunday from founding chairman Amien Rais, as the party seeks to modernize itself.
Some positive statements made by both sides ahead of the Aceh peace talks, which resume today, suggest a historic agreement may be in the making.
ID Nugroho, Surabaya – Siti, a 50-year-old woman, is one of thousands of people living in modest rented houses in the village of Lebak Jaya in Kenjeran, Surabaya, East Java, situated near the factory walls of PT UBS.
Dili – An increasingly bitter dispute between the government of East Timor and the country's spiritual leaders over plans to demote religious teaching in schools escalated Monday after two Roman Catholic bishops accused the Dili executive of causing "great offense" to their church.
Jakarta – Separatists from Aceh province have dismissed a government offer of self-government for the tsunami-hit region ahead of a new round of peace talks in Finland this week.
Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, Jakarta – Even before the new National Mandate Party (PAN) leader, Soetrisno Bachir, was elected in Semarang, Central Java, over the weekend, a close confidante of its charismatic outgoing leader Amien Rais, spoke ominously of the party's future.
Jakarta – The Dec. 26 tsunami that swept Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam not only devastated infrastructure but also caused extensive damage to agricultural land, with some areas needing up to five years before returning to full production.
Separatist rebels in Aceh province accused Indonesia's military of stepping up their campaign in the tsunami-shattered region, a charge that underlines the obstacles to peace ahead of a crucial third-round of talks in Finland later this week.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono laid a wreath at an East Timor cemetery where Indonesian soldiers massacred dozens of pro-independence protestors 14 years ago.
Jakarta – The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) is looking into allegations that the city administration has violated regulations on hypermarket development in the capital.
Around 200 East Timorese protesters were attacked this morning (April 9) by East Timorese police, including special branch paramilitary forces.
Jakarta – Sutinah and her husband, residents of Rawa Badak, North Jakarta, have to feed six children, not to mention her parents, who all live in the same house. Rundown and crammed with cheap plastic furniture, their 30-square-meter dwelling represents the family's difficult economic condition well.
Hera Diani, Jakarta – Since its establishment five years ago, the National Ombudsman Commission has experienced many dark moments in their offices, quite literally.
Suherdjoko, Semarang – Violence marred the second day of the National Mandate Party's (PAN) national congress on Friday after a significant number of participants failed to obtain registration cards.
Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta – The probe into the death of a noted human rights campaigner has suffered another setback, with top Garuda Indonesia officials denying any role in the case and giving conflicting statements regarding pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto's assignment letter.
Rendi A. Witular, Dili – Indonesia and East Timor announced on Friday an agreement on territorial borders as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono began his two-day visit to the country's former colony.
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – A top-level government delegation will hold a third-round of peace talks with officials of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Finland next week in a bid to seek a peaceful way to end nearly three decades of armed conflict in Aceh.
Nick Gentle, Banda Aceh – Out of all the countries affected by the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami, Indonesia was dealt the heaviest blows, and now the country is facing up to the most daunting rebuilding task.
Nick Gentle, Banda Aceh – In the streets surrounding Banda Aceh's grand mosque, the city's commercial heart is starting to beat again. The stunning white building stands about 2.5km inland, yet its minarets and domes bear the scars of the tsunami.
Indonesia hopes to sign a peace deal ending three decades of conflict with separatists in Aceh province in July, its vice president said in an interview.
Vice President Yusuf Kalla expressed optimism over the peace process ahead of a third round of talks due to get under way in Finland next week.
Nick Gentle, Banda Aceh – Darmin's first catch since the tsunami is a good one.
In a little less than 12 hours, the three-man crew of his eight-metre fishing boat has hauled in more than a tonne of tuna, mahi-mahi and something the locals call cakalang – all good-eating fish worth up to 60,000 rupiah ($50) apiece when they get to the local fish market.
Matthew Moore – As is usually the case with those watching him for the first time, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono left few people unimpressed. On just the third trip ever by an Indonesian president to Australia, Yudhoyono pushed every button he could to reassure his neighbours he knows how they think and understands their concerns.
Jakarta – Claims reported in The Jakarta Post that the New Zealand Green Party paid protesters to rally outside New Zealand's Parliament are an outrageous lie, the party's Co-Leader Rod Donald says.
With a 21-gun salute, Indonesia's president was greeted in East Timor on a visit to bolster reconciliation between Jakarta and the territory it once occupied with brutal force.
National anthems of both countries were played at Dili's rudimentary airport after Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrived on a Garuda Indonesian flight direct from a tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Prime Minister John Howard has always recognised history and its interpretation as a potent political weapon.
Puji Santoso, Kampar – New rounds of protests have broken out in Kampar regency on Thursday following a report that a minister had given his approval for ousted Kampar Regent Jefri Noer to resume office. The protesters came from two different camps; one group supporting the minister's decision, the other opposing it. Each group consisted of around 20 people.
Jakarta – A new survey shows that the amount of poor people in the country was 66 percent higher than was earlier predicted. Why? It emerges that the country's poor couldn't afford to be counted in the last survey – because it was too expensive.
Rendi A. Witular, Wellington – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono began his two-day visit on Wednesday to New Zealand aimed at boosting trade and regional security, amid two separatist protests against Indonesia that marred his arrival.
Julian Lee – Channel Seven and SBS have refused to air an ad campaign condemning the Prime Minister, John Howard, for "stealing" billions of dollars of East Timorese oil and gas revenues, a stance that may trigger court action and highlights the thorny issue of freedom of expression.