Fedhly Averouss Bey, Jakarta – Allowing ex-political prisoners, in particular ex-members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), to become legislative candidates brings with it consequences for the security forces. The security forces must work hard to ensure that the bad things which happened in the past are not repeated.

Jakarta – On Monday morning, February 23, four non-government organisation (NGO) activists who have publicly rejected the military operation in Aceh continuing during the 2004 general elections, were arrested by a special unit of the Mobile Brigade (Brimob). As of Tuesday February 24, the whereabouts of the four activists remains unclear.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – As many as five student, youth and women’s activists in Aceh have disappeared since February 16. Aceh Papua Solidarity (Solidaritas Aceh Papua, SAP) suspects that they have been arrested by the TNI (armed forces) or police.

Sunariyah, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has condemned the arbitrary arrest and detention of activists in Aceh.

Heru Margianto, Jakarta – Six Acehnese activists have been arrested by security forces in Central Aceh. One has already been released but as of Tuesday February 24, the whereabouts of the other five remains unknown. The reason for the arrests is unclear.

Jakarta – Arriving in two Metromini busses at around 11.30am, scores of demonstrators calling themselves the Alliance Against Rotten Non-Government Organisations demonstrated at the offices of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) on Jalan Cisadane in Central Jakarta on Friday February 20.

Jakarta – Provisional People’s Consultative Assembly (MPRS) Decree Number XXV/1966 cannot in any way be the basis for Article 60 sub-section (g) of Law Number 12/2003 on the general elections. This is because the MPRS decree only specifies that the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) is a banned organisation.

Ambon – The commander of the XVI/Pattimura Territorial Military Command (Kodam), Major General Syarifudin Summah, has threatened to shoot on sight anybody to tries to disrupt the elections in the Maluku islands.

Jakarta – The Democratic Party has been accused of flirting with the Aceh Emergency Military Command by three Acehnese women’s non-government organisations. They say that political party membership cards are being used as a replacement for the red-and-white identification cards.

Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta – Hundreds of students from a number of different organisations demonstrated today in front of the People’s Representative Assembly (DPR). They demanded that the Golkar Party be disbanded and that its general chairperson, Akbar Tanjung be jailed. A bit late maybe?