Oleh Ahmad Arif – The global financial crisis, which began far away in the United States, appears to have also become a bugbear for workers in Indonesia. Starting with national industries that are dying because global markets are stagnating, millions of workers are faced with the threat of dismissal.

Jakarta – The number of workers that have already been dismissed appears to be extraordinarily large. At least, this is the version being given by employers. The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has stated that hundreds of thousands of workers have quietly been losing their jobs – a euphemism for being sacked (PHK).

Yogyakarta – Hundreds of students and non-government organisation activists in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta took to the streets on December 10 to commemorate Human Rights Day.

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

Denpasar – The signing of the Anti-Pornography Law by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has attracted protests in the Indonesian resort island of Bali, with two of the students planning to demonstrate against the law being arrested by police.

[The following is a statement from (the temporary) National Collective of National Student League For Democracy-The Politics of The Poor (Liga Mahasiswa Nasional untuk Demokrasi-Politik Rakyat Miskin, LMND-PRM), Indonesia, about the capitalist crisis now and the solutions being taken by our government, the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Jusuf Kalla re

Andi Saputra, Jakarta – Hundreds of environmental activists from several different non-government organisations held an action at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta on December 6 in which they painted a miniature globe on a 20 metre length of white cloth symbolising a bomb that is about to explode.

Hery Winarno, Jakarta – The image of the Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) appears to be starting to fade. At least this what can be read from the results of a survey conducted by the National Survey Institute (LSN), which found that the PKS occupies fourth place among the political parties considered to be most Islamic.

Suwardiman – Young voters, particularly first time voters, are a potential vote base that political parties should consider targeting in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections.

Taufiqqurrahman, Jakarta – Demonstrations are again set to enliven Jakarta and the nearby satellite city of Tangerang today. Not being half-hearted, nine separate protest actions will open the first working day of the week with traffic congestion along roads being used by residents to travel to work being a real possibility.

Sign in rice field: Here will be built the Trans Java highway

Kid: Yahoo...! With the compensation we can buy a car right dad!

Jakarta – The threat of a wave of dismissals as a consequence of the global crisis is beginning to be concretely felt by the manufacturing sector. As of Thursday November 20, the government has received requests from several companies that plan to dismiss 12,600 workers and lay of at least 1,200 more.

Writing on semi-trailer: 2028. Rice imports.

Experts are warning that the failure to invest in infrastructure and a steady decline in arable land due to environmental degradation and land conversion for housing and industry will result in Indonesia becoming almost entirely dependent upon food imports to meet its needs.

Jakarta – Around 100 people held a protest action in front of the United States Embassy in Central Jakarta on November 15 demanding that a G20 ministerial level meeting in Washington be dissolved. The protesters, who came from the People’s Struggle Front (FPR), said that the meeting would not solve the problems facing ordinary people.

Rachmadin Ismail, Jakarta – In the lead up to the weekend be prepared to face traffic jams as a result of protest actions. Today, Friday November 14, at least six groups of demonstrators will be protesting on the streets of the capital city and nearby Bekasi.

Makassar – At least 50 journalists demonstrated at the South and West Sulawesi (Sulselbar) regional police headquarters in Makassar on November 13 over a case involving Upi, who has been declared a suspect in a case of defamation against Sulselbar police chief Sisno Adiwinoto.

Man: Hey, don’t forget to arrest the hoodlums in ties Mr...!

Writing on shirt: hooliganism

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – The state, through President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), should issue an immediate apology and rehabilitate the names of the pro-democracy activists and the families of the victims of the forced abduction in 1997-1998. This is necessary in order to solve the impasse in the legal proceedings into the case.

Jakarta – Believing that the government has failed to side with them, workers have started campaigning for people not to vote in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections. The reason, they feel that it is pointless giving political support to the government.

Henni Marlina, Jakarta – Hundreds of demonstrators from the Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM) held a demonstration against a joint decree (SKB) signed by four ministers on wages. They were demanding that a minimum national wage of 3.5 million rupiah per month be put into effect.