Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Students held a rally Monday at the Finance Ministry's office, urging President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to resolve the case of Bank Century and demanding that Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati resign.

Jakarta – Political experts are pleased at the possibility the next Cabinet will be filled with more professionals, but are worried that the inclusion of representatives from opposition parties may reduce the efficacy of its checks-and-balances mechanism.

Novia Chandra Dewi, Jakarta - Coinciding with five years since the death of Munir, some 300 people demonstrated at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) demanding that investigation into the murder of the human rights activists be completed.

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Thousands of balloons were released into the air on Monday September 7. The coloured balloons with pictures of Munir symbolised five years since the death of the human rights activists.

Febriamy Hutapea & Heru Andriyanto – The nation is quietly being pushed closer toward an Islamic state, Christian politicians and religious groups warned on Sunday, pointing to attempts this month to push through a bill requiring halal product labeling.

Anita Rachman – The government is likely to fall short of its mark in efforts to reduce the illiteracy rate to 5 percent by the end of the year – and officials are blaming a lack of motivation among those who can't read and problems in reaching remote areas.

Nivell Rayda – Police were desperately looking for excuses to pin down the Corruption Eradication Commission after allegations that several executives of the antigraft body were taking bribes were later found to be false, a corruption watchdog said on Monday.

Usman Hamid and Paul Barber, Yogyakarta/London – In October 1999, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) published a report, Ruler's Law, that described how Indonesia's first two presidents – Sukarno and Soeharto – created an environment in which the country's constitutional and legal norms were "allied closely with the authority of the Presidency and the authoritarian charac

Heru Andriyanto – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must appoint a new attorney general to replace Hendarman Supandji, who has failed to effectively support the government's anticorruption drive, Indonesia Corruption Watch said on Sunday.

Tasa Nugraza Barley & Ade Mardiyati – Each year during Ramadan, beggars come to Jakarta to take advantage of the extra generosity of the city's Muslims during the fasting month.

The giving of charity is required from all Muslims to help those in need, and during Ramadan each gift to the poor, or any other good deed, earns extra credit for the faithful from Allah.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Press and Broadcast Society (MPPI) have expressed their strong opposition to the proposed new law on the film industry, which they said was authoritarian.

Ismira Lutfia & Anita Rachman – Indonesia and Malaysia are looking for ways to lower fees involved in the recruitment and transportation of Indonesian migrant workers to Malaysia, an official involved in bilateral talks said on Sunday.

Janeman Latul & Muhammad Al Azhari – Economic and political analysts said over the weekend that the Rp 6.7 trillion ($663.3 million) Bank Century bailout controversy would not generate enough political steam to put serious pressure on two of the country's most senior officials – Vice President-elect Boediono, the former Bank Indonesia governor, and reform icon Sri Mulyani Indraw

Kartika Jahja – Marhaban ya Ramadan. Welcome oh Ramadan. The holy month to abstain from our worldly desires. The blessed month to purify our souls. And how has your Ramadan been dear readers? How much 'buka puasa' slash reunion slash dinner parties at overpriced restaurants have you attended?

Farouk Arnaz & Heru Andriyanto – Monday marks five years since renowned rights activist Munir Said Thalib was murdered in what law enforcement agencies believe was part of a conspiracy to silence his criticism of the military.

Camelia Pasandaran – With Indonesia's controversial state secrecy bill likely to be passed into law this month, analysts are urging legislators to ensure that an independent watchdog is created to supervise its implementation.

Candra Malik, Yogyakarta – Thousands of residents marched down the main Jalan Malioboro thoroughfare on Saturday to demand that the House of Representatives ensure the governor and deputy governor positions go to the heads of the province's royal families.

Eras Poke, Kupang – Hundreds of farmers in two subdistricts of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara are asking for government assistance after their rice and corn harvests failed, as families face critical shortages in their food supply.

Anita Rachman & Ismira Lutfia – Health officials are battling disease that is now spreading among refugees from last week's massive earthquake in West Java, with many complaining of diarrhea and rashes, while victims staying in higher-elevated regions also face intense cold at night.

Jakarta – Dozens of unidentified men mobbed the Matraman Police station on Jl. Matraman Raya, Central Jakarta in the early hours of Saturday morning, hurling stones and flower pots at the office.

Eyewitnesses said that the attackers arrived at 1 a.m. on motorcycles and took on-duty police officers off guard.

Jakarta – Rescuers in Indonesia continued to search Saturday as hopes faded for dozens of people missing after a major 7.0-magnitude earthquake, an official said.

The quake, which struck off the south coast of Java on Wednesday, triggered a landslide that buried dozens of people in the village Cikangkareng, 130 kilometres (80 miles) south of Jakarta.

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – The National Police have agreed to the President's call for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to take an active role in combating terrorism, saying military personnel would be involved in seeking information, conducting raids on terrorists and handling the response to terrorist attacks.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – After more than a decade in the wilderness, the family of Indonesia's former ruler Soeharto is making a comeback into political life, staging a bold attempt to wrest control of the Golkar party created by their father and re-establish a dynasty that foundered amid the mayhem that ended his dictatorship.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A former senior security official experienced in fighting terrorism said on Thursday that deradicalization programs for terror suspects and their supporters should be included in any new Indonesian antiterrorist laws.

Jakarta – With only weeks to go before their tenure ends on Sept. 30, 29 lawmakers have made a desperate attempt to challenge the government's "imprudent handling" of the Century Bank debacle.

Adek Berry, Cipanas (Indonesia) – Rescuers in Indonesia are continuing to search for dozens of people buried by a major earthquake that killed at least 63 people, as anger mounts at the slow response from authorities.

Jakarta – The price of subsidized fertilizer may increase by as much as 80 percent next year as a result of a proposed lower subsidy allocation, the Office of the State Minister for State Enterprises and state fertilizer firms estimated in a joint simulation.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Governor Fauzi Bowo said Friday that the administration should proceed with enforcing the 2007 Bylaw on Public Order because it had been passed by the City Council.

"We have taken note of the objections, but we must implement the bylaw because it is valid and has been approved by the council," Fauzi said.

Aubrey Belford, Jakarta – Simmering anger in Indonesia over Malaysia's "theft" of a traditional dance is spurring unlikely calls for war in the latest spat between the two traditionally testy neighbours.

Febriamy Hutapea & Ismira Lutfia – With less than a week to go before lawmakers endorse it, the controversial film bill is coming under a hail of media criticism in a last attempt to stop its passage.

Jon Afrizal, Jambi – The illegal trade in Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatraensis) and their body parts in Jambi province has gone on unabated and has caused the tiger population to dwindle year by year.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – Rescue workers were frantically sifting through rubble with their hands to find victims of Wednesday's earthquake in Indonesia, with many young children missing and feared dead after a landslide buried a games arcade in a village in West Java.

AHRC-STM-186-2009

"What we should fear most is the feeling of fear, because the feeling of fear will destroy our judgement, our logic. – Munir Said Thalib (1965-2004)

Yogyakarta – Scores of protesters from the National Student League for Democracy-Politics of the Poor (LMND-PRM) held a protest action at the Gajah Mada University traffic circle on Friday September 4.

Agus Maryono, Purbalingga, Central Java – Hundreds of teachers from various schools across the Central Java town of Purbalingga rallied outside the regent's office Friday to protest overlapping policies which they said had played havoc with their careers.

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta – If the purpose of the recent terrorist attacks in Indonesia was to undermine democracy and rattle investor confidence, the July bombings of the luxury JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels present hard choices for freshly re-elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Kuala Lumpur – Indonesia will demand a minimum monthly salary of RM800 for its domestic helpers at a bilateral meeting with Malaysia to be held in Jakarta on September 5 2009, Indonesian media reported today.

Febriamy Hutapea – Indonesia's press and broadcasting community on Friday slammed the new film bill, which is due to be endorsed next week, saying that it was too authoritarian and will damage democracy.

JP/IrmaJP/Irma – Nothing is more alluring for politicians and opportunists right now than jumping on the bandwagon to condemn the costly Bank Century bailout. The target is clear: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, vice president-elect Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The Jakarta Post's Rendi A.

Jakarta – A majority of people want President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to prioritize competence and personality over political and ethnic background when selecting personnel for his new Cabinet in the next five years, says a recent Indo Barometer survey.

Surabaya – Hundreds of workers from Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Pasuruan, Mojokerto and Kediri staged a rally Thursday against 10 companies in East Java that recently sacked thousands of workers.

The protesters claimed the East Java administration failed to stop the mass layoffs, which saw 1,500 employees lose their jobs.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – An Indonesian banking scandal set to rival those of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis threatens to undermine the final days of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first government.

Camelia Pasandaran & Anita Rachman – The government found itself in Constitutional Court on Thursday defending its education autonomy law against nine citizens who want it annulled on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.

Irwin Fedriansyah, Cikangkareng – Rescuers dug through rocks and debris with their bare hands Thursday in search of dozens of villagers believed buried in a landslide triggered by a strong Indonesian earthquake that killed at least 57 people and damaged thousands of buildings.

Aubrey Belford, Jakarta – The Islamist mastermind allegedly behind deadly July suicide bombings in Jakarta is likely hiding out on Indonesia's main island of Java, a top anti-terrorism official said Thursday.

Ismira Lutfia – What better symbols to present to Muslim-dominated television audiences in this holy month of Ramadan than Arabic cultural icons such as camels and deserts?

At least, that seems to be what most Indonesian broadcasters think, and it's what the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) has been disappointed with.

Jakarta – The recent bombings in Jakarta should be a wake-up call for Islamic organizations and clerics to promote noble Islamic values in order to prevent the rapid spread of terrorism, analysts said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Camelia Pasandaran – The General Elections Commission officially announced the results of the April 9 legislative elections on Wednesday, with House Speaker Agung Laksono of the Golkar Party and Balkan Kaplale of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party failing to win seats.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Senior legislator Theo L Sambuaga has denied suggestions the House of Representatives is secretly working with Indonesia's Ministry of Defense to delay passage of the military tribunal bill, which would allow members of the Armed Forces to be tried in civilian courts.

Jakarta – A survey by Indo Barometer says that the people want President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to embrace all political parties in the next cabinet. The survey was conducted of 1,200 respondents in the country's 33 provinces.