Jakarta – An Indonesian court yesterday sentenced a half-brother of former president Suharto to four years' jail for corruption involving US$11.4 million in state funds.
Probosutejo, who was head of a timber company, failed to repay interest-free loans from a state reforestation fund totalling 100.9 billion rupiah, Judge Mohammad Soleh ruled.
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Indonesia is seeking one of the 53 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) for 2003-2004, hoping that its own poor human rights track record will not count against it.
Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security and Political Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono reiterated here on Wednesday that there is no place for separatist movements in the country – in Aceh, Papua or Maluku.
Sarah Stephen – Ebrihim Sammaki fled Iran after the fall of the Shah, and fell in love with an Indonesian woman, Endong, while he was living in Indonesia. Nine years ago, they married and had two children. Then, two years ago, Ebrihim decided to seek a better life for his family.
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Despite the decision of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) to drop from its agenda human rights abuses in East Timor, the opportunity to reopen the rights cases, which have implicated a number of Indonesian Army generals, is still available, a noted lawyer has said.
Seven of Indonesia's Kopassus special forces soldiers have been found guilty by an Indonesian court over the murder of Papuan pro independence leader They's Eluay in 2001. But the seven men face at most three and a half years in jail, and in some cases haven't even been stripped of their place in the Army.
Presenter/Interviewer: Tim Palmer, Indonesia Correspondent
Jakarta – Human rights groups on Tuesday called for a deeper investigation into the killing of an independence leader in Indonesia's Papua province, saying the conviction and jailing of seven soldiers haven't uncovered who gave the order for the slaying.
An Indonesian military court has sentenced four special forces soldiers for up to three and a half years jail for the murder of Papuan pro-independence leader Theys Eluay in November 2001. Another three Kopassus soldiers are still awaiting their verdicts. Mr Eluay was killed while being driven home from a dinner hosted at the Kopassus headquarters in the Papuan capital Jayapura.
Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The trial of an Aceh activist in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh, on Monday turned tense when more than 150 supporters of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) staged a demonstration to protest the trial and the arrest of two other SIRA activists.
Solo – About 1,000 protesting Islamic students Monday demanded the release of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir – the alleged leader of the al-Qaida-linked group Jama'ah Islamiyah – who is to face trial for treason this week.
Nani Farida and Tiarma Siboro, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – The effort to bring peace back to Aceh faces another stiff test after the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebel group threatened to boycott a Joint Council meeting if it went ahead in Tokyo as planned.
Moscow – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin signed a friendship treaty yesterday, as Jakarta seeks to revive a Soviet-era relationship in the face of growing distance with Washington.
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – An activist from the radical group Islamic Youth Movement (GPI) was on trial on Monday for allegedly insulting President Megawati Soekarnoputri during an antigovernment protest in mid-February.
Jakarta – In a bid to secure its "dignity and honour" the Supreme Court is considering imprisonment without trial for people deemed to be in contempt.
Next month – our northern neighbour is celebrating it's first birthday as a free country. But while there's much to celebrate – the country's justice system is struggling. Critics say the government isn't doing enough – to bring those responsible for past violence – before a court of law.
Indonesian music sensation Inul Daratista is getting complaints from muslim clerics. She may be one of the country's most popular artists but the clerics say her gyrating dance movements and skimpy costumes are indecent and immoral.
Transcript:
Jakarta – Police in Maluku province arrested seven suspected separatists on Sunday during a dawn raid on a house in the provincial capital of Ambon, police said.
Megan Saunders – Ami is only six, but she knows her family is at crisis point. "What have we done wrong?" the youngest of five children asked her mother as the family fought to remain in Australia. "I said to her: 'I don't know, darling' and she starts crying," says her mother, Teresinha Maia.
Dili – The Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (CAVR) has already heard over 2,000 statements on human rights violations committed during the 25-year independence struggle against Indonesia, but needs an extension of its mandate, the independent body announced Monday.
Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri is eyeing Romanian tanks and other military hardware to beef up Indonesia's military strength, yet few know how she plans to pay for the purchases.
Jakarta – An Indonesian Muslim militant turned himself in to authorities on Monday after supporters had spirited him out of police custody, a prosecutor said.
Wamena – With the apparent approval of the governor of Papua, Yab Solosa, a joint military unit composed of Kopassus, Kostrad 413 and Rapid Reaction Force troops took action in the direction of the District of Kuyawage, west of Wamena, and burnt down the homes of inhabitants, as well as schools, medical centres and teachers' homes.
Jakarta – At least 2,000 people marched through the streets of Yogyajarta in central Java on Sunday, calling for a holy war against the United States in one of the largest protests here against the US-led coalition in Iraq in recent weeks.
Four Indonesian special forces soldiers who killed a Papuan provincial leader while trying to silence his calls for independence were jailed for between 36 and 42 months.
"The defendants were proven guilty of jointly engaging in mistreatment that led to the death of Theys Hiyo Eluay," said Judge Colonel Yamini in a military court.
Dozens of supporters of a hardline Indonesian Muslim cleric snatched him from prosecutors and spirited him away shortly before he was due to be taken to jail, reports said.
Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The chance to bring justice to the victims of the 1999 human rights violations in East Timor has vanished, after the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) agreed over the weekend to drop the agenda from its future meetings.
Nani Farida, Jakarta/Aceh – President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Sunday dismissed speculation that the Indonesian Military (TNI) would launch an immediate military operation in Aceh should peace talks fail to settle the Aceh problem.
The Justice Party (PK), a small but vocal Islamic political party officially merged into another Islamic party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) in a move that would enable its candidates to take part in the 2004 general elections.
As a confirmed candidate in the 2004 direct presidential election, President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) seem well aware that the choice of a running mate will be as vital as building solid and stable party coalitions.
The armed conflict between the Indonesian armed forces, TNI, and the Free Acheh Movement, GAM, is hotting up again and victims have started to fall also.
This condition was spearheaded by the torching of the office of the Joint Security Committee (JSC), the peacemaker of the conflict.
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Defense analysts have thrown their support behind government moves to look for other arms suppliers in a bid to cut its dependence on the United States, which has imposed a military embargo on the country since 1991.
Graham Gerard Ong – It may pale in comparison to reports about the postwar reconstruction of Iraq, but the recent public announcement of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's official visit to Moscow and her meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Monday deserves to be taken seriously.
Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Textile and engineering giant Texmaco announced last week that it had defaulted on a US$25 million letter of credit facility from Bank BNI 46.
Five civilians have been killed in Indonesia's rebellious Aceh province, police and the military said.
The latest killings brought the death toll during an upsurge of violence over the past two weeks to 40, further straining a four-month old ceasefire agreement between the government and separatist rebels.
Banda Aceh – Indonesia's military and separatist rebels in Aceh have traded charges over reports of six killings in the province ahead of expected talks next week aimed at saving a floundering peace agreement.
Jakarta – The National Commission on Anti-Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has expressed its concern over the possibility of the Indonesian government resorting to military force to resolve the Aceh conflict.
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Supreme Court shifted 64 mid- and low-level division heads from their posts on Thursday, the biggest reshuffling to occur in the country's judicial history, in an effort to boost its poor performance and repair the corrupt judiciary.
Jakarta (Antara) – About 200,000 Indonesians are still taking refuge in a number of areas across the country due to social conflicts, a minister said on Friday.
"Actually, the government has prepared to resettle the refugees of certain areas and Rp 750,000 in cash for each refugee family," Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah was quoted by Antara as saying.
Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The trial of Muhammad Nazar, leader of the Aceh Referendum Information Center (SIRA) who stands charged with sowing hatred against the government, began on Thursday at Banda Aceh District Court.
"The defendant incited the public to carry out actions that violated the law," chief prosecutor Muhammad Masril told the hearing.
Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has officially announced that its privatization exercise for several state-owned enterprises (SOEs) will be delayed until the end of the Iraq crisis. However, several analysts and economists argue that the privatization exercise conducted by the government so far could be delayed even further.
Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has won critical support for "firm action on Aceh" that will likely include a military operation.
The go-ahead will be given only after a final attempt to salvage the four-month old peace pact is made, through a last round of talks with the rebel groups later this month.
Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has begun preparations to launch a military operation in Aceh, ending a peace pact that has been shredded in recent days by escalating violence.
Banda Aceh – Muhammad Nazar, 27, chairman of the Information Center for an Aceh Referendum (SIRA), went on trial here on Thursday for sedition, his second brush with the law in two years, AFP reported.
The head of Indonesia's Supreme Court has hit out at Amnesty International for describing trials of suspects in the 1999 East Timor violence as "not honest, truthful or fair." "That group has never been satisfied with other people's work," Bagir Manan was quoted by the Koran Tempo daily as saying.
Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Despite strong criticism and opposition from numerous parties, the government and the House of Representatives looked set to go ahead with the controversial education system bill, which would reduce national education to religious matters.
Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia's recent decision to revoke free visa-on-arrival facilities for tourists from nearly 40 countries has come under fire for dealing another blow to the tourist industry and jeopardising thousands of jobs in the country.
Azis Tunny, Ambon – Maluku authorities renewed their warning against the South Maluku Republic (RMS) separatist movement, saying strong measures would be taken against those supporting for RMS and its affiliate, the Maluku Sovereignty Forum (FKM), in observance of the separatist movement's 54th anniversary on April 24.
M. Taufiqurrahman and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Marked by the presence of hundreds of people alleged to be those taking part in storming the weekly's office, the trial of the Tempo attack began on Wednesday at the Central Jakarta District Court, with prosecutors accusing the defendants of only committing a minor offense.
Jakarta – Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, accused of leading the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror network, had ordered the assassination of President Megawati Sukarnoputri when she was still vice-president, according to a copy of his indictment obtained yesterday.
Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The government has expressed concern over the rising infant mortality rate, which has increased from 47 babies per 1,000 births in 1997 to 51 babies in 2001 amid the lingering economic crisis.