Sunariah, Jakarta – The Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (Front Perlawanan Demokratik Rakyat Aceh, FPDRA) has rejected a decision by the coordinating minister of politics, legal and security affairs to extend the civil emergency in Aceh.

Meriam Debora, Jakarta – Moves to nominate Indonesia as the head of the United Nations Human Rights Commission and as a permanent member of the Security Council are presumptuous because of the many cases of human rights violations in Indonesia which have yet to be resolved.

Flamboyan, Jakarta – The head of the European Union’s Troika Delegation, Bernard Bot, said on Thursday October 28 that they were interested in visiting Aceh and West Papua.

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – Home affairs minister M. Ma’ruf has prohibited all of the staff in his department from living with a women or men as man and wife without being officially married.

Fedhly Averouss Bey, Jakarta – The International Non-Government Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) believes that the economic team in the Indonesian United Cabinet of newly inaugurated President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) will side with donor and creditor nations.

Jakarta, Kompas – The new coordinating minister for politics, law and security, retired Admiral Widodo Adi Sutjipto, says that all of the ministries which are under his coordination will be prioritising efforts to resolve prolonged conflicts in Indonesia such as Aceh and West Papua.

Suwarjono, Jakarta – Just because they weren’t wearing a tie, a journalist was denied entry to the State Palace to cover a cabinet meeting. The in question journalist was in fact a woman.

Jakarta – The structure and makeup of the Indonesian United Cabinet of newly inaugurated President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will not effect any substantial changes because its members are lacking in professionalism, integrity and ability.

Jakarta, Kompas – As many as four people and a priest in the Puncak Jaya regency of West Papua were killed by shots suspected to have been fired from a TNI (armed forces) helicopter. Fearing for their lives as many as 500 people living in and around the area where the shooting occurred have sought refuge on Wijaya Mountain.

Dian Yuliastuti, Jakarta – Scores of students from a number of student and labour groups have demonstrated demanding that the new government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice-president Jusuf Kalla create a democratic government.

Adi Mawardi, Surabaya – Scores of students from a various groups in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya held actions at the State Grahadi Building on Wednesday October 20. They were calling for a government which is clean, free from corruption, collusion and nepotism along with one which will uphold the supremacy of law.

Rofiqi Hasan, Jakarta – Scores of students in Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali, held a demonstration on Wednesday October 20 to coincide with the inauguration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice-president Jusuf Kalla.

Suwarjono, Jakarta – Journalists have returned to a “period of gloom” at the new presidential palace. The freedoms which were enjoyed during the presidencies of B.J. Habibie, Gus Dur (Abdurrahman Wahid) and Megawati Sukarnoputri are gone.

Jakarta, Kompas – President-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) is being urged to form a clean and productive government.

Eka Saprianawati, Jakarta – The inauguration of president and vice-president elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla (SBY-JK) on October 20 will be greeted with demonstrations. As many as 25 non-government organisations (NGOs) and student groups plan to demonstrate calling on SBY-JK to keep their election promises.

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – Two days before his inauguration as president, some 100 students from the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI) and the Greater Jakarta Student Executive Council (BEM Jabotabek) held a demonstration against president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). They failed however to meet directly with SBY.

Jakarta, Kompas – The Aceh Working Group or AWG is urging the government to investigate human rights violations which have taken place in Aceh, many of which have been suffered by political prisoners in a various Acehnese jails.

Jakarta – The coordinator of Indonesia’s NGO Coalition for International Human Rights Advocacy (HRWG), Rafendi Djamin, hopes that president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) will repeal the state of civil emergency in Aceh as part of the program of the first 100 days of his administration and in such a way establish a process of development a

Jakarta, Kompas – In examining the Draft Law on the Fundamentals of Intelligence, the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) has the potential to became a body which will be inseparable from the state. The stipulations in the law could turn BIN into a super-body, with excessive powers and a tendency to take over judicial functions.

Jakarta – The Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (Front Perlawanan Demokratik Rakyat Aceh, FPDRA) and the Acehnese Democratic Women’s Organisation (Organisasi Perempuan Aceh Demokrati, ORPAD) are calling on the new government to repeal the state of civil emergency and withdraw all TNI (armed forces) and police troops from Aceh.