Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The government's plan to revive its domestic spy agency, which former dictator Soeharto used to watch critics and stifle dissent, drew fire on Friday from human rights activists.
The rights campaigners expressed fear the agency would be misused by security forces, which they said enjoyed impunity despite their alleged rights abuses.
Jakarta – As malnutrition cases across the country hit the headlines, the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) has drawn attention to the government's failure to disburse the fund for the poor generated by slashing the fuel subsidy.
Jakarta – The government will soon negotiate an out-of-court settlement with PT Newmont Minahasa Raya (NMR), a local unit of a US-based gold mining company, which non-governmental organizations have accused of polluting Buyat Bay in North Sulawesi, State Minister of the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said on Thursday.
Jakarta – Caning was officially allowed Friday in Indonesia's troubled province of Aceh, with 20 law breakers set to be caned in the near future, a local government official said.
Rusman and Blontank Poer, Samarinda/Surakarta – Although East Kalimantan is popularly known as natural resource-rich province, malnutrition is still rampant in the area. Government data reveals that 174 infants, out of total 360,298 infants in the province, are currently suffering from malnutrition.
Dozens of East Timorese asylum seekers could be granted permanent visas after having their cases reviewed by Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone.
Senator Vanstone said she had reconsidered the cases of 53 of the asylum seekers. Six had been ruled out and not all of the remaining 47 were likely to gain a visa, she said.
Jakarta – Yesterday, Megawati Sukarnoputri inaugurated the Volunteers for Democratic Struggle (Relawan Perjuangan Demokrasi, Repdem), a social organisation affiliated with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). At the same time, the general chairperson of PDI-P also inaugurated Repdem members as members of her party.
Jakarta – Indonesia's military threw its backing on Friday behind a controversial government anti-terror plan to revive a far-reaching intelligence network used to quell dissent during the country's authoritarian past.
Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – In a bid to prevent future terrorist attacks, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the country's governors on Thursday to revive a regional intelligence agency that once helped Soeharto's New Order regime silence opposition voices.
Bangil (East Java) – An Indonesian court on Thursday jailed for three years the wife of a top Malaysian terrorism suspect, wanted in connection with a string of deadly bombings, for hiding her husband.
David Adam – Another catastrophic giant earthquake similar to the one that caused carnage across the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day last year is lurking off Indonesia, say scientists.
Barry Neild, Jakarta – Hopes that talks between Indonesian leaders and separatists from tsunami-hit Aceh would end a long-running war were evaporating Thursday as rebels reacted with anger at Jakarta's refusal to compromise.
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) rejected a cease-fire demand from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), and said it would continue to crush the rebel group until they fully surrender their arms.
"I did this so that we would not be a nation of coolies and a coolie among nations" - Indonesia's founding President Sukarno
Hera Diani, Jakarta – Indonesian Muslims donate about Rp 19.3 trillion (about US$2 billion) annually, but poor management prevents much of this money from really helping the poor, according to a researcher.
Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – A planned new antiterror agency is expected to have branches in regencies throughout the country gathering crucial information for the agency's counterterrorism work.
Alisa P, Jakarta – In a report on the results of the military operation over the two years that Aceh was under a state of emergency to members of the People's Representative Assembly's (DPR) Commission I, armed forces (TNI) chief General Endriartono Sutarto failed to mention the number of civilian casualties reporting only on the members of Free Acehnese Movement (GAM) who were kill
Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Colonized by the Dutch, occupied by the Japanese and led by authoritarian leaders for several decades, Indonesia has entered the final phase of its transition into the world's third-largest democracy in a series of direct local elections or pilkada that will see authority finally devolved from the central government in Jakarta.
Jakarta – Non-governmental organizations are seeking public support to file a request for a judicial review of a new presidential decree on land which has widely been deemed as authoritarian.
Jakarta – A number of former activist who were part of the popular struggle against the New Order regime have formally joined the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Sunariah, Jakarta – Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi has said that the time limit for the Fact Finding Team (TPF) investigation into the death of human rights activist Munir will be extended if by June 23 they have not finished their job and uncovered the perpetrator of Munir's murder.
Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – The government says it will form a special antiterror agency in a move that is hoped will overcome the lack of coordination between authorities and different agencies in trying to prevent future terrorist attacks.
It is hard to get excited about suggested "breakthroughs" on resolving the conflict in Aceh. Promises have been broken and repeated initiatives have fallen by the wayside. The end result of years of political pledges and hundreds of hours of diplomatic speak, is that the suffering continues unabated.
The Indonesian military claimed Wednesday to have killed almost 4,000 rebels of the Free Aceh Movement during the two-year-long martial law and civil emergency that ended last month, while only about 200 soldiers died, half of them for non-combat reasons.
The fourth round of Helsinki Talk ended last week. The informal talk resulted in several points of agreement between RI and GAM for drafting the formal agreements.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla optimistically commented that the talk has made significant achievements.
Hera Diani, Jakarta – With just two weeks left of its mandate, a government-sanctioned fact-finding team remains unable to speak with former National Intelligence Body (BIN) chief A.M. Hendropriyono over possible links between the body and the poisoning death of rights activist Munir last September.
Dusk had only just fallen when a black Land Cruiser entered the grounds of the national police headquarters on Jalan Trunojoyo in South Jakarta on Sunday May 29. Just a few metres from the gate the vehicle stopped. "Should we turn right Sir? To the chief of police's office", asked the driver. "Ah, you. No! We're going to the public relations desk.
Jakarta – The Minister of Defense, Juwono Sudarsono, says that the Helsinki meetings which are an informal forum for discussions between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are a personal initiative on the part of Vice-president Jusuf Kalla.
Aboeprijadi Santoso, Helsinki – The Helsinki peace talks on Aceh may have to find a way to respect the Acehnese right to their own political parties, which the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) apparently is asking for as a compromise for dropping its independence demands. If this key factor is not agreed upon, the talks may be in jeopardy.
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – With the glamor of life in the metropolis a constant attraction for the young and a source of frustration for those who cannot afford to enjoy it, the family of 17-year-old Yuni Anggraeni never expected that she would go that far.
The perpetrators of the 2004 bombing at the Australian embassy in the Indonesian capital felt no remorse for the 10 innocent people who died in the attack, a suspect in the blast told a Jakarta court on Tuesday.
Jakarta – The Indonesian government and the budget committee of the nation's Parliament Monday agreed on a set of new assumptions that will be used to base the current state budget.
Jakarta – Deputy police chief General Commissioner Adang Daradjatun has acknowledged that it may take 15-25 years for the Indonesian police to be able overcome its culture of violence and this depends on developing factors which support and impede the process. Nevertheless, this cannot become an obstacle to the independence of the police.
Krystof Obidzinski, Bogor – Barely a day goes by without a story appearing in the Indonesian media about illegal logging. Often these stories bemoan the loss of timber smuggled on boats out of Papua, trucked across the Kalimantan-Sarawak border, or ferried through Riau's labyrinthine archipelago.
Jakarta – Separatists in Indonesia's Aceh province warned on Monday that Indonesia's powerful military may try to destroy an emerging peace deal to end the bloody, 30-year rebellion. The army denied it had any such intention.
Suherdjoko and A'an Suryana, Pekalongan/Jakarta – After successful direct elections in Kutai Kartanegara regency last week, direct regional elections were held on Sunday in Pekalongan and Cilegon municipalities and Kebumen regency.
Jakarta – One of Southeast Asia's most wanted Islamic militants may be hiding on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital, police said on Monday as they stepped up security at luxury hotels and embassies after a US warning.
Jakarta police spokesman Tjiptono said that although police in the capital were already on high alert, they had yet to see signs an attack was imminent.
East Timor will soon start opening up its untapped oil and gas reserves to investors, the Timorese government says.
A major oil and gas conference in Darwin has heard that the fledgling democracy hoped to offer licences by mid 2006 after conducting the first comprehensive seismic survey of 6,600km of Timor's undisputed maritime area in February.
Jakarta – The head of rebels fighting for independence in Indonesia's Aceh province accused the military on Monday of not wanting peace as that would undermined its interests in the resource-rich area.
Jakarta – The Attorney General supports public floggings as punishment for cases of gambling in Aceh. This support was conveyed by the Attorney General when meeting with a number of Acehnese figures last week to discuss Qanun (by-law) Number 13/2003 on gambling which stipulates the punishment of public flogging.
Harry Bhaskara, Jakarta – The fourth round of peace talks in Helsinki ended last Tuesday without a deal being struck to end the 30-year conflict in Aceh. But President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono said in Tokyo on Thursday that the prospect was promising. Earlier, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that Indonesia was "on the right track".
Dwi Wiyana, Bandung – Army Chief General Djoko Santoso said the TNI (armed forces) duties' are to safeguard the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh. But he said if the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) continues to create disturbances armed clashes can't be avoided.
Lisbon – East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri repeated Sunday his denial that his impoverished country had reached a deal with Australia over sharing oil and gas reserves worth billions of dollars under their shared Timor Sea.
Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Reform Movement's "opposition" to the party's central leadership board led by Megawati Sukarnoputri continues unabated. Indeed there is a possibility that they will form a new political party if their legal efforts run aground(1).
Agus Supriyanto, Jakarta – Tristanti Mitayani, a parliamentary member of Commission I, says she disagrees with the deputy speaker of parliament, Soetardjo Suryogoeritno, who said that the parliament is demanding that government end negotiations with Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Singapore – Indonesian military chief General Endriartono Sutarto said Saturday he was hopeful ongoing peace talks could lead to a permanent solution to a separatist rebellion in Aceh province.
Alan Boyd, Sydney – "Twelve brutal Indonesian troopers armed with high-caliber rifles. Schapelle Corby, 27, an innocent and defenseless girl from Queensland, Australia, shackled to a pole. This is Indonesia's concept of a 'justice' system. Evil triumphs when good people do nothing. Don't shoot Corby!"
Indonesia's armed forces chief said the normalisation of military ties between Jakarta and Washington would help strengthen democracy in his country and ensure regional stability.
General Endriartono Sutarto said Saturday the full restoration of military links was a matter for the political leaders of both nations to decide, but said he would like to see this happen.
Jakarta – The government-sanctioned fact finding team, set up to assist the police in the investigation into the death of rights campaigner Munir will make a formal report to the President about its difficulty in obtaining access to the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).
Simone Lee Egger – Accommodation was once so scarce in East Timor that a bed in a converted shipping container cost nearly £60 a night.