Tia Agnes, Jakarta – A monolog performance titled Tan Malaka: I am a Red Haired Deer should have been held by a theater group from the West Java provincial capital of Bandung at the Main Theater at the Bandung Francaise D’Indonesie Institute (IFI) on Jl. Purnawarman Bandung on March 23-24.

Rebecca Henschke – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Padjaitan has accused the organisers of the International People’s Tribunal on 1965 (IPT 65) of being “kurang kerjaan” [someone with not enough work to do so they make things up to keep busy] and juveniles lacking natio

KoPi – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), a social organisation concerned with the environment, has released a list of big companies causing the forest and land fires in Indonesia.

Parliza Hendrawan, Palembang – The bad old practices of the New Order dictatorship of former President Suharto are still being applied in some government agencies in Indonesia.

Abraham Utama, Jakarta – A new life begins after 50. This is what has been the case for a number of retired Indonesian military (TNI) generals, because shedding their official military uniforms has not necessarily meant ending their careers.

Despite repeated pledges by the government that it will put an end to the massive forest fires sweeping across Riau, Kalimantan and Sumatra, which have been widely blamed on big and usually politically connected wood pulp and palm oil companies clearing land ahead of the planting season, the choking haze blanketing a large swathe of South-East A

Environmental activists say that in order to avoid legal liability for the massive forest fires sweeping across Riau, Sumatra and Kalimantan, big palm oil and wood pulp companies pay local people to start fires that conveniently spread onto their concession areas providing a cheap way to clear land ahead of the planting season.

Lani Pujiastuti, Bogor – Currently there are 10,922 companies holding Mining Business Permits (IUPs) in Indonesia. Of this total, only 29 percent pay tax.

Man: As state official... Do I lack honesty? Lack loyalty? Lack integrity? Come on, what else?

Woman: Lack a conscience?

Andri Yunarko, Jakarta – On Monday April 27 the Indonesian People’s United Resistance (PPRI) held a press conference at the offices of the Jakarta Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) to declare its position on the commemoration of International Labour Day or M

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has slammed the disbanding of meeting of victims of human rights violations in West Sumatra on Sunday February 22.

Fariansyah Bagenda, Bekasi – A protest action by striking workers from the company PT Metindo Erasakti which are affiliated with the Fraternity of Indonesian Muslim Workers  (PPMI) was blocked by members of the Pancasila Youth (PP) on Thursday January 15.

Yan Muhardiansyah – A number of different student groups in the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan continue to hold protest actions against the government’s recent increase in the price of fuel (BBM).

On the afternoon of Wednesday November 19, a demonstration was held by the Islamic Students Association (HMI).

Sherr Rinn – On Monday October 20, the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (Pembebasan) held protest actions in several Indonesian cities including Jakarta, Medan and Siantar in North Sumatra, Yogyakarta in Central Java, Tarakan in East Kalimantan, Palu and Poso in Central Sulawesi, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Ternate in North Mal

A month after Indonesia ratified the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution – supposedly a turning point in ending the annual haze problems that create havoc in Indonesia and neighboring Singapore and Malaysia – massive forest fires are again generating thick haze in Riau and other parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Khairul Ikhwan, Medan – A demonstration commemorating Labour Day in the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan was joined by around 4,000 workers. The action was centred at the Majestik traffic circle because government offices were closed for the May Day public holiday.

1st Man: He’s coming here to inspect the situation yeah?

2nd Man: No fool, he’s off to a party meeting

Jakarta – The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) and several other labour associations have emphatically rejected the issuance of a presidential instruction (Inpres) on limiting wage rises in order to stimulate the economy and overcome a slump in the value of the rupiah.

Jakarta – As of mid-August this year the number of discriminative regulations has risen two-fold, from 154 in 2009 to 342. Of these 334 are regency or municipal regulations and the province with the most discriminative regulations is West Java.

Jakarta – More than half of voters are confused about the current political situation. A survey by the Soegeng Sarjadi School of Government indicates that as many as 51.45 percent of respondents have yet to make their choice of political party. Yet the 2014 legislative and presidential elections are less that a year away.