Jakarta – TNI (armed forces) chief General Endriartono Sutarto says that placing TNI headquarters under the department of defense requires maturity on the part of the minister of defense in order that the TNI not be used as a tool of power.

Melly Febrida, Jakarta – The poor performance of the People’s Representative Assembly (DPR) has provoked four non-government organisations (NGOs) to launch the NGO Coalition for Clean and Effective Parliament (Koalisi LSM untuk Parlemen Bersih dan Efektif).

Suryani Ika Sari, Jakarta – The debate on the Jakarta provincial minimum wage (UMP) continues. In a meeting which was held by the Provincial Council for Wage Affairs this afternoon, Thursday November 11, employers and the Jakarta provincial government agreed to a UMP of 711,000 rupiah per month.

Arin Widiyanti, Jakarta – Around 100 students from the Anti-Corruption Student Network (Jaringan Mahasiswa Anti-Korupsi, Jamak) held a demonstration at the Attorney General’s office in South Jakarta on Thursday November 4 demanding the arrest of a number of cabinet ministers.

Jakarta – As well as having the potential to violate human rights, the revisions being made to Law Number 15/2003 on Eliminating Criminal Acts of Terrorism which are being considered by the Department of Law and Human Rights are far more repressive and are a step backwards in terms of efforts to respect and uphold values of human rights in Indon

Suliyanti, Jakarta – The deputy chairperson of the People’s Democratic Party (PRD), Lukman Halim, has proposed that the People’s Representative Assembly (DPR) commissions be temporarily frozen in order to cool down the increasingly sharp dispute developing between the parliament and the government.

RR Ariyani, Jakarta – A grouping of non-government organisations (NGOs) who are handling the Buyat Bay pollution case including the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) and the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) hope that an integrated technical team will be able to act independently.

Eworaswa, Jakarta – Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) are questioning plans by the defense minister to increase the defense budget by 5.59 per cent (26 trillion rupiah).

Nala Edwin, Jakarta – The Committee to Monitor the New Order (Komite Waspada Orde Baru, Tewas Orba) says that the Indonesian Cabinet of Unity is ridden with people from former President Suharto’s New Order regime.

Agus R/Supriyantho/Dian Y/Mahbub, Surabaya – Commemorations of Youth Pledge Day in various parts of the country yesterday were enlivened by a number of demonstrations.