Wijaya Kusuma, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of women activists from the Central Java city of Yogyakarta held a peaceful action on Friday March 8 at the zero kilometer point near to the central post office to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD).

Putra Prima Perdana, Bandung – Commemorating International Women’s Day (IWD) 2013, some 150 workers, the majority of which were women from the Independent Trade Union Federation (FSPM) and the Bango Soy Sauce Independent Trade Union, held a protest action in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung on Friday March 8.

Ambon – Student activists from the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN) held a protest action on the main road in front of the Sirimau Sectoral Police Headquarters (Mapolsek) in Ambon, Maluku, on Friday March 8.

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Scores of people from the Greater Jakarta Labour Joint Secretariat (Sekber Buruh Jabotabek) held a candle lit vigil at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Wednesday evening for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Puji Utami, Semarang – Scores of activists from the Legal Resources Center for Gender Justice and Human Rights (LRC-KJHAM) along with a number of Central Java women’s organisations in the provincial capital of Semarang held a protest action to stop violence against women.

Moch. Andriansyah – Hundreds of young people from the One Billion Rising (OBR) community held huge street dance at the Bungku Park in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya in an action protesting violence against women on Valentine’s Day.

Wijaya Kusuma, Yogyakarta – One Billion Rising (OBR) rising activist in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta (Yogya) will hold a dance action as a form of opposition to and concern over the widespread acts of violence and rape against women.

Jakarta – Presidential Instruction Number 2/2013 on The Handling of Domestic Security Disturbances is easily subject to misuse by regional heads for their own political interests. This is because regional governments themselves are often the cause of horizontal conflicts.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) and a number of Islamic mass organisations oppose attempts to ban female circumcision by any groups on the grounds that it represents a religious teaching, the implementation of which is a human right protected by the Indonesian constitution.

Aditya Revianur, Jakarta – The coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Haris Ashar says that the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) should issue a list of 2014 presidential (capres) and legislative (caleg) candidates that have committed crimes against humanity.

Feri Fernandes, Lhokseumawe – The administration of the northern Acehnese town of Lhokseumawe has officially issued a circular banning women passengers from straddling motorbikes. The circular has been posted at busy city centres. Below are the contents of the circular.

Feri Fernandes, Lhokseumawe – A local government circular banning women passengers from straddling motorbikes has been posted at public locations in the northern Acehnese town Lhokseumawe. The circular will be in effect for three months before being signed into law as a mayoral regulation.

Irman I.P, Lhokseumawe – Ulema Consultative Assembly (MPU) chairperson Tgk H Asnawi Abdullah from the Northern Acehnese city of Lhokseumawe supports the plan by Lhokseumawe Mayor Suaidi Yahya to issue a regulation banning women from sitting astride motorbikes when riding as passengers.