Ary Hermawan and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Rights activists have condemned the government for its lack of commitment to settling unresolved human rights abuse cases and urged it to set a clear-cut agenda.

Jakarta – Two people including an Indonesian military officer were killed in a clash between security forces and separatists in the remote eastern province of Papua, a military official said on Saturday.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The end of the Truth and Reconciliation (KKR) law raises further questions about the government's commitment to the human rights section of the Aceh peace agreement signed in Helsinki last year.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Aceh was like a wild horse in need of a brave jockey to tame it, the former rebel leader making a strong run for governor in the Indonesian province's first democratic elections said yesterday.

Jakarta – State oil and gas company PT Pertamina said Friday it had discovered that tens of thousands of liters of kerosene designated for household use were being hoarded at a number of fuel depots in Depok and Bogor.

It was the first such finding since kerosene shortages hit Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi last month, causing panic buying among households.

Chris Brummitt, Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court has ruled the country's much criticized truth and reconciliation commission is illegal, casting doubt on whether victims of rights abuses under former dictator Suharto will ever see justice.

Amnesty International welcomes the decision of the Indonesian Constitutional Court to decriminalise the act of insulting the President or the Vice-President, as a significant step towards a comprehensive safeguard of the right to freedom of expression in the country.

Dayah Tanoh – Before last year's peace deal, Cek Bi used to lie awake at night listening to gunfire rattling through her village. Now, the 40-year-old widow hopes Monday's elections will make the government-rebel truce in Indonesia's Aceh province irreversible.

Amy Chew, Banda Aceh – He was convicted of treason and imprisoned at the Keudah Prison in the provincial capital here in 2003.

When the epic tsunami struck on Dec 26, 2004, it swept away the prison walls in a massive torrent and Irwandi suddenly found himself a free man. "The tsunami came, the jail went away and I went home," he laughed.

Jakarta – The government's plan to extend the ban on polygamy is being blown out of proportion by those who oppose it, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says.

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court scrapped Thursday an 2004 law mandating the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) because judges said it made no sense.

The surprising ruling further sets back the chances of victims of human rights violations to have their cases resolved and receive compensation.

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.