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 – Indonesia is currently facing a second phase of deindustrialisation. One of the indicators is the dependency on foreign companies. Renegotiation of the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) will not be effective in overcoming the problem of national deindustrialisation.

Muchus Budi R., Solo – Scores of protesters from the group People’s Solidarity Against Violence (Sorak) have condemned the violence that took place during a clash between the Indonesian military (TNI) and Urutsewu farmers in Kebumen regency, Central Java.

Jakarta – Conflicts between the Indonesian military (TNI) and the people shows that internal reform within military as an institution is not fully complete. The security approach, like the era of Suharto’s New Order regime, is still being used by the TNI, particularly when confronted by problems.

Hendra A Setyawan, Jakarta – The discourse on the simplification of political parties such as by increasing the parliamentary threshold (the minimum number of votes required to obtain a seat in the national parliament) is the principle challenge facing new political parties seeking to get into the parliament through the 2014 general elections.

Parwito, Kebumen – A video of a clash between the Indonesian military (TNI) and residents of Urut Sewu in the area of the army’s Research and Development Office (Dislitbang) in Kebumen regency is being circulated. Released by the Urut Sewu Kebumen Farmers Advocacy Team (TAPUK), it is an amateur video recording taken by a Kebumen resident.

Parwito, Kebumen – Only 16 percent of the ownership of all the land controlled by the Indonesian military in Indonesia is clear. The ownership of the remainder, 84 percent, is unclear and to this day is still the subject of disputes with local people.

Adi Lazuardi, Jakarta – It is predicted that the authority provided to the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) under the draft intelligence law could give rise to new rivalry between the national police, particularly in anti-terrorism projects.

Jakarta – The deliberations on the Draft State Intelligence Law cannot be separated from the historical context of the role of intelligence agencies in past cases of human rights violations.

Yogyakarta – Scores of demonstrators from the North Maluku-Yogyakarta Special Province Student Alliance for Weda held a protest action at the zero point intersection in the heart of the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Monday April 4.

Jakarta – It would be better if the deliberations on the Draft Law on Land Acquisition for Development be delayed while legal uncertainty over the control of land by communities remains unclear.

Jakarta – Threats against workers, democracy and human rights activists have increased in 2010. This includes threats against journalists, which have begun to face threats to their lives. Conversely, cases of threats and violence against human rights and democracy activists are never able to be resolved.

Medan – Protesters calling themselves the Women’s Liberation Progressive Committee (KP3), which is an alliance of the North Sumatra Islamic University (UISU) Islamic Students Association Commissariat (HMI-KOM) faculty of agriculture, the UISU HMI-KOM faculty of literature, Free Women (Perempuan Mahardhika), the Political Union of the Poor (PPRM)

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of woman activists in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta from the Indonesian Women’s Movement (Gerpari) commemorated International Women’s Day (IWD) with an action rejecting polygamy, unregistered marriages, contract marriages and underage marriages.

Andi Aisyah, Makassar – Scores of women activists held an action commemorating the 100th International Women’s Day (IWD) in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar today.

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Commemorating International Women’s Day today, global capitalism became the target of sharp criticism. Muslim women from the Islamic organisation Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) said that capitalism promotes the destruction of the family institution, violence against woman and murder.

Iman Herdiana, Bandung – International Women’s Day (IWD) was marked by a protest action by hundreds of workers from the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI) in the city of Cimahi, West Java.

Jakarta – The institutionalisation of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion and beliefs is causing women, particularly those from minority groups, to progressively lose their sense of security. The terror that they face includes threats to life.

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) is pushing for corporations, both national and multi-national, to be deemed as parties that can also be held liable for human rights violations.

Nurvita Indarini, Jakarta – Dita Indah Sari and labour are two things that are inseparable. But over the last three months, she has chosen to work within bureaucratic circles. And in those 3 months, her weight has dropped by 3kg. Duh!