PT Freeport Indonesia, a subsidiary of Freeport McMoran Cooper and Gold – of which 90.64 percent of the shares are owned by Freeport CEO James R. Moffet – is the largest mining company in the world. Freeport contributes 95 percent of the entire production of gold by Freeport McMoran and a significant percentage of its copper production.

M Hernowo – Case of human rights violations that took place around the time of the fall of the New Order regime have still not been fully resolved. Moreover President Suharto’s decision on May 21, 1998 to release his grip on the reigns power, which he held for 32 years, has been taken advantage of by some groups.

Yohan Wahyu – If we look at the still sidelined state of workers and employees, the need to unite and organise oneself should be a big one. The historical facts in Indonesia however show the reverse, with political parties claiming to be based among workers not in fact “selling well” in the eyes of the voting public.

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Reports of moves by member of the House of Representative’s (DPR) Commission I on defense, foreign affairs and communication to overturn the United States ban on Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin entering the US has been criticised by human rights victims.

Jakarta – On Tuesday November 9 activists from the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and other organisations working against violence and crimes against humanity visited the Coordinating Ministry of Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Kemko Polhukam) on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta.

Hen Hen, Jakarta – A number of social and student organisations held a protest action in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building on May 21 to commemorated 12 years of reformasi or political reform.

Let us unite to overthrow the pro-imperialist government of SBY-Boediono and the rotten political elite. Replace them with a United Government of the Poor!

Anung Wendyartaka – To this day there has yet to be any visible sign of a breakthrough in the improvement of workers’ standard of living. On the one hand, the basic rights possessed by the working class are still felt to be inadequate and on the other, workers themselves appear to fail to appreciate their existence.

Anwar Khumaini, Jakarta – Newly appointed Deputy Minister of Defence Lieutenant General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has already once been refused entry into the United States. He does not however feel there will be any difficulties in performing his duties in the superpower country.

Jakarta – A coalition of non-government organisations (NGOs) have expressed their opposition to the appointment of Lieutenant General Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin as Deputy Minister of Defense saying that he was involved in many cases of gross human rights crimes when he was an active member of the Indonesian military (TNI).

Rachmadin Ismail, Jakarta – There has been no significant change in the handling of cases of missing person or human rights violations since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been in office. Over the next period therefore, Yudhoyono is being urged to show more courage.

Ayu Fitriana, Jakarta – Around 3 hundred people coordinated by the Solidarity Committee for Munir (Kasum) held an action in front of the Supreme Court building on Thursday July 16 to protest against the court’s decision to uphold the acquittal of former top spy Muchdi Purwopranjono for the 2004 assassination of rights activist Munir.

I respectfully bow my head
To all of you the victims
Because to you alone I shall bow my head
[But] to the oppressors
Never will I bow in submission
I shall always stand erect

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – “The courts are simply an extension of the perpetrators of human rights violations”. Thus spoke the late human rights activist Munir during a speech at a demonstration at the Supreme Court in 2004. Likewise is the human rights situation at the start of 2009, including the investigation into his murder.

Jakarta – Although admitting that they may contains some truth, statements by a number of public officials on human rights violations during the National Human Rights and State Defense Seminar at the Department of Defence on Thursday December 18 are believed to be incomplete have the potential to mislead the public.

Oppose the 2009 elections of the political elite – an election of the human rights violators, capitalists, corruptors and opportunist!

Jakarta – The Talangsari incident in Lampung regency in February 1989 is threatened with the same fate as other cases of gross human rights violations.

[The following is a slightly abridged translation of a statement by the People's Struggle Front (FPR) condemning recent acts of violence by police against peaceful protests opposing the Indonesian government's planned fuel price hikes.]

Greeting of struggle,

Jakarta – Waves of protesters commemorating 10 years of reformasi took to the streets on Wednesday May 21. At least 6,000 people from a number of mass and student organisations gathered at the State Palace and the House of Representatives (DPR) between 11am and 6pm. The protesters presented seven people’s demands to the government.

[The following is a compilation of abridged translations from Detik.com and Tempo Interactive covering protest actions around the country on May 21 against the Indonesian government's planned fuel price increases.]

Anti-fuel price hike protest in Bogor ends in clash