Although during his 2009 election campaign President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pledged to uphold human rights, the reality over the two years of his administration indicates a different reality. Human rights violations continue to occur and are disregard by the state.

We fully support the strike by PT Freeport Indonesia workers for better wages and conditions. The government must guarantee legal protection to the workers and protect them against intimidation and threats while they are on strike and conducting negotiations with the company in accordance with Law Number 13/2003 on Labour.

Addi Mawahibun Idhom, Yogyakarta – Jalan Malioboro in Central Java city of Yogyakarta was the focus today for International Labour Day 2011 or May Day commemorations by six different groups of protesters voicing a number of different demands.

Mojokerto – Scores of activists from the Independent Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle (FNBPI-Independent) held a protest action and distributed leaflets in front of the Mojokerto municipal government offices in East Java on Tuesday June 15.

Judi Prasetyo, Jombang – Workers from the Independent Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI-Independen) have agreed to boycott the coming July 8 presidential elections by not using their right to vote or to golput.

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

Ahmad Bayasut, Balikpapan – Despite the beads of sweat pouring down their faces, the protesters continued to enthusiastically shout “Viva Workers! Viva the Poor!”.

Factory workers from the East Java Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM) held a demonstration to greet International Labour Day on May 1 in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya demanding the abolition of contract labour and outsourcing.

[The following is a compilation of abridged translations taken from Detik.com on the May Day rallies held in Indonesia on May 1.]

State Palace 'attacked en masse' by thousand of workers

Dita Indah Sari – The uproar over the planned revisions to the labour law has yet to subside. The character and process of the next round of deliberations of the revisions, which were agreed to in a meeting at the State Palace on April 7, have also been criticise by labour organisations.

Based on Law Number 31/2002 on Political Parties, no less than 209 political parties in the country – including those who already had the status of a legal body and those who did not – have had their status annulled. As a result, there are now 50 recorded political parties in the country.

Hestiana Dharmastuti, Jakarta – Around 2500 people from Aceh Papua Solidarity (Solidaritas Aceh Papua, SAP) will hold a demonstration rejecting the extension of the military emergency in Aceh.

[The following is a translation of discussion paper presented by Indonesian labour leader and general chairperson of the People’s United Opposition Party (Popor), Dita Indah Sari, at a public meeting titled “An evaluation of three months of the military emergency in Aceh” which was held in Jakarta on August 14.

[The following is a translation of a statement released by the Committee for the Formation of a United Opposition Party (Komite Pembentukan Partai Persatuan Oposisi, KP3O) following a bomb attack on the national parliament building in Jakarta.]

Lhok Sukon, Banda Aceh -- The management of PT ExxonMobil Indonesia began dismissing around 1000 workers on Monday, this is the third time the company has dismissed contract workers this year.

Jakarta – During the period of the government of Megawati Sukarnoputri and Vice-president Hamzah Haz the use of the term political prisoner remains valid. Records since May 2003 indicate that 23 people have been detained as political prisoners, the vast majority being accused of insulting the head of state.

[The following is a statement issued by the Central Leadership Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (KPP-PRD).]

The imperialist attack by the US and its allies was launched today. Starting at around 4am today, as the people of Iraq slept in fear, bombs and hundreds of heavy weapons rained down on Baghdad.