Jakarta – Lively commemorations of May Day on May 1 were celebrated in demonstrations by labour organisations, political parties and other social organisations in a number of parts of the country. The largest demonstrations were held in Jakarta and the West Java provincial capital of Bandung.

BE Satrio, Litbang Kompas – Democratisation in Indonesia appears to be taking a step back. After successfully holding peaceful general elections in 2004, these days political upheavals are centred on the political processes with the political parties.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – So much for maturity, let alone democracy, when political parties, which are supposed to serve the various interests of their members and supporters, instead pursue their own conflicting interests.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Some Indonesians might still remember the case of Samantha, a little girl who made headlines here during the 1990s in an international child abduction case.

The girl was a child of a mixed marriage. Her mother, Erna, was an Indonesian and her father was Dutch. They married in the Netherlands and hold their respective citizenships.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – The Wan Abdurrahman forest preservation area in Mount Betung National Park, South Lampung, is in a sorry state, with 76 percent or 17,000 hectares of the 22,249-ha forest destroyed by illegal logging and land clearing, an environmentalist says.

Budi Hartadi, Malang – Thousands of workers in East Java city of Malang commemorated May Day by blockading the road in front of the mayor's office on Jalan Tugu.

As well as the demonstration in front of the mayor's office workers also held an action in the grounds of the Gajayana Stadium and the Malang City square.

Ahmad Yunus, Bandung – May Day was also commemorated by workers in the West Java provincial of Bandung. Around 3,000 works spilled into the streets of Bandung organising a long-march and convoy.

Deni Mukbar/Siswanto, Jakarta – May Day was commemorated today by hundreds of workers and mass organisations from Greater Jakarta at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta.

Iqbal Fadil, Jakarta – Commemorating May Day on May 1, thousands of workers inundated the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta resulting in a massive traffic jam on Jalan Sudirman.

The workers, who were from a number of trade unions from Jakarta and the satellite cities of Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi, arrived at the roundabout at around 9am on Sunday.

Gunawan Mashar, Makassar – Like pelting the holy wall with stones to excise evil. That's what it was like at a demonstration in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar during the commemoration of May Day – they pelted effigies of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice-president Jusuf Kalla with bottles of Aqua and stones.

AJI/AT, Jakarta – The commemoration of international labour day (May Day) in Jakarta today involved thousands of workers and other social organisations such as students, the urban poor, farmers and women.

Jakarta – Police investigators questioned on Friday another Garuda stewardess in connection with the poisoning death of human rights activist Munir aboard a Garuda flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam almost eight months ago.

Tia Dewi Ambari, who was accompanied by Garuda lawyers M. Assegaf and Wirawan Adnan, was quizzed at National Police headquarters for six hours.

Tony Hotland and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's introduction of concrete antigraft measures at state institutions will have little impact unless law enforcement institutions are reformed and his Cabinet totally supports the move, observers say.

Indra Harsaputra, Madura – Eyes glistening with tears, Lina (not her real name) slowly, painfully recalled for her visitor the horrors she had suffered in Batam, where the 13-year-old Madura native had been offered a job as a shopkeeper but instead was forced to work as a prostitute.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – After 10 years of implementing the declaration of the United Nations conference of women in Beijing, most Asian countries including Indonesia have yet to meet the mandates, particularly in increasing the numbers of women in positions of power.

Otto Syamsuddin Ishak, Jakarta – Law enforcement is one of the Indonesian government's strategies for the settlement of the war in Aceh. Which law does the government seek to enforce? Who will enforce the law and how? Is this law enforcement based on morality or is it merely a political tool?

Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is facing an imminent split, with members opposed to the leadership of Megawati Soekarnoputri ready to set up a new party should they fail to oust the PDI-P leader. The splinter group officially opened an office on Jl. Kertanegara in South Jakarta to consolidate support for their move against Megawati.

Budi Hartadi, Singosari – Although the TNI's (armed forces) interest in participating in regional elections has drawn criticism, army chief of staff Lieutenant General Djoko Santoso has instead given his blessing to the move under the condition that officers not wear their uniforms or use TNI facilities for political activities.

Indonesia is open to be a partner of a commission set up by the UN Security Council to review the prosecution of human rights abusers in East Timor in 1999, when East Timorese voted for independence from Jakarta, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.

Nana Rukmana, Indramayu – Fishermen on West Java's north coast have complained that their operating costs since the increase in fuel prices have become unbearable, and said they hoped the government would soon disburse fuel compensation funds so as to help them out.

A strong quake measuring at least 6.0 on the Richter scale has hit Indonesia, causing panic on Nias island, which was hit by a giant earthquake last month, seismologists said.

Abdullah Alamudi, Jakarta – The controversial bill that seeks to revamp the Criminal Law is turning back the clock 90 years to the time when Dutch colonial rulers and government officials were immune to public criticism and accountability.

Jakarta – Representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Indonesia, Peru, Ghana, Romania, and the United States state of Nevada called on Wednesday Newmont Mining, the world's largest gold producer, to reform its environmental practices at its global operations.

Hera Diani, Jakarta – They fight "infidels", they rail against city nightlife, and now they have turned their overzealous worldview against popular soft rock band Dewa.

However, the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) is not the first group that has lashed out at artists over religion, accusing them of blasphemy.

ID Nugroho, Surabaya – Five private companies in East Java have been included on the environment office's blacklist of polluters, State Minister of the Environment Rachmat Nadi Witoelar Kartaadipoetra said on Wednesday.

Ridwan M.

Jakarta – National Police (Polri) Chief Da'i Bachtiar said here Wednesday (27 April) setting up police stations in conflict areas and regions bordering other countries was to be have top priority in Polri's physical development programmes.

Popular rock group Dewa has been reported to city police by a number of Muslim organizations led by the Islamic Defender Front (FPI) for using the Arabic script of Allah on the cover of its Laskar Cinta (Love Militia) album. FPI accused Dewa of blasphemy and demanded an apology. The Jakarta Post interviewed residents here to get their comments on the issue.

Zakki P. Hakim, Jakarta – While welcoming last week's declaration of the New Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership, a coalition of NGOs criticized the absence of an action plan to address issues such as the expansion of multinational firms, debt reduction and trade liberalization.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The government issued on Wednesday a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) that will enable the postponement of direct regional elections for regents, mayors and governors.

Due to poor preparation, some regions are not ready to hold the unprecedented direct elections, scheduled to start in June.

Aguswandi, London – Oppression is bad for a government's image, especially a government such as Indonesia that is still struggling to repair its reputation internationally. It deprives it of its legitimacy and provides other countries with a justified reason to censure it.

We heard resolute words from Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Wednesday – that in three years, there should be no more elementary school buildings on the verge of collapse.

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – It's been seven months since rights activist Munir Said Thalib, popularly known as Munir, died of arsenic poisoning on a flight to the Netherlands, while the government-sanctioned fact-finding team and the police have yet to complete the inquiry into the case.

Agus Supriyanto, Jakarta – TNI (armed forces) chief General Endriartono Sutarto has again said that he will allow active TNI members to be nominated to run in regional elections. If they were not given permission to do this he said, he would be violating the law.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – Fresh violence broke out on Sunday in Mamasa regency in West Sulawesi province, leaving four people dead and two others seriously injured. In addition to the fatalities, seven houses were also burned down during the attack.

Two among the four died after being shot by unknown assailants while two others died after a fire razed their homes.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The city administration has been urged to prepare a concrete action plan to make Bylaw No. 2/2005 on air pollution control enforceable.

The bylaw, which will take effect early next year, bans, among other things, smoking in enclosed public places and requires public transportation vehicles to use compressed natural gas (CNG).

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – At least 756 people, including five foreigners and several members of the Indonesian military (TNI) and police, have been arrested during month-long anti-drug raids in residential and entertainment centers across the capital.

Rendi Witular, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) denied on Monday reports saying it had reduced its naval presence in a maritime area of Ambalat that has been at the center of dispute with Malaysia.

TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said he had no knowledge of a deal with Malaysia to limit the presence of warships in the area to one each.

Jakarta – Prof Dr Muladi, chairman of the Golkar Party's legal, human rights and regional autonomy department, has urged the government to seriously lobby China and Russia in anticipation of the possibility that a United Nations Commission of Experts will propose the formation of an international tribunal to settle human rights abuses allegedly committed by Indonesia in East timor i

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto's comment, that servicemen would be able to contest in the regional leadership elections without first having to resign, has raised concerns over the return of the military to practical politics.

Jakarta – A non-governmental organization (NGO) urged the government on Monday not to issue a regulation allowing for a direct appointment of regional election materials providers.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – With the walls around the alleged massive corruption in the General Elections Commission (KPU) starting to crack wider open, the commission is on the verge of losing the celebrated public trust it once proudly vaunted.

Jakarta – Several Islamic organizations, led by well-known vigilante group the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), have reported popular rock band Dewa to the city police for alleged blasphemy over the use of the word Allah written in Arabic script on the cover of its Laskar Cinta (Soldier of Love) album.

Jakarta – Indonesia's military named as its spokesman a general indicted by UN prosecutors for alleged war crimes during East Timor's break from Indonesia in 1999 – a posting likely to anger rights groups calling for those involved in the violence to be punished.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – As the government tries to draw up an inventory of the myriad business interests of the Indonesian Military (TNI) as part of the preparations to remove them from military control as required by law, the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) claimed that it now only has interests in three business units.

Police on Sunday attempted to stop reporters from covering protests held in conjunction with the arrival of Asian-African leaders in Bandung. The protests, however, went unnoticed by the leaders as the police had cordoned off the streets leading to the main venues the night before.

Ahmad Alheid, Menado – Dozens of students from a number of organisations in the North Sulawesi city of Menado held a demonstration opposing the Asia Africa Conference on Friday April 22. They believe that the conference agenda is taking a soft line on neo-imperialism.

Bill Guerinl, Jakarta – Indonesia is one of the most resource-rich countries in the world, with coal, gold, bauxite, nickel, copper, silver, tin and iron ores being its main mineral deposits. Yet declining investment in the country's mining sector has been a drag on growth since 1997, when US$2.6 billion of new investment was made.

Leony Aurora, Jakarta – The legal battle over a ruling by the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) on the sale of two tankers by Pertamina looks set to return to square one after the Supreme Court decided that all the appeals against the ruling would have to be heard by the same judicial panel.

M. Azis Tunny, Ambon – Ambon police officers stormed the Pattimura University campus and attacked students there on Wednesday after a minor quarrel, leaving at least 10 students injured, three of whom had to be admitted to a local hospital after suffering serious injuries.