News
Pilger's "Free The Forgotten Bird Of Paradise"
Author John Pilger talks about the short history and struggle of West Papua.
Too Precious to Mine
Alexandra Crosby writes on Central Java farmers' refusal to get stuck in cement.
Wildlife Illegal Trade and Smuggling in Indonesia Remains High
ProFauna Demands Government’s Practical and Political Efforts to Save Forests in Java
Malaysia: Penan demand against government for forestry licenses
Dictionary of a disaster
Author and researcher John Roosa comes up with a mini-encyclopedia explains some of the key terms pertaining to the events of 1965-66.
Indonesian Government proposes 21 million hectares of plantations to meet climate targets
Indonesian Army, Kopassus, Implicated in New Assassinations
Journalist Allan Nairn writes that Indonesian Special Forces Chosen By Obama for Renewed US Aid Ran '09 Activist Murders.
Indonesia Gives Ultimatum to the Stranded Refugees at Merak
In a drastic and sudden move, the Government of Indonesia has given an ultimatum to the Tamil refugees at Merak.
Censorship Makes a Comeback
Writer Hilmar 'Fay' Farid writes of the recent book bannings which mark a return to the repressive practices of the New Order.
V Film Festival Opening Film: CLARA 21 April 2010, at Goethe Haus, Jakarta
FAO and WWF: birds of a feather promote “planted forests” together
Bank watchdog boycotts ADB annual meeting in Tashkent
The Politics Of Listening: Common Room, Bandung, Indonesia
Co-director of the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival and professor of cinema, Ithaca College, Patricia Zimmermann, writes about the Bandung-based group Common Room.
Activists imprisoned for waving flags, says Human Rights Watch report
Human Rights Watch report.
Papua New Guinea: Indigenous peoples lose their rights to investors
World Rainforest Movement on Papua New Guinea.
What is carbon trading for?
Writer Chris Lang explains what carbon trading is for.
Police file criminal defamation charges against magazine
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) reports the police legal pursuit against Tempo magazine over police corruption story.
ETAN condemns US plan to get back in bed with Indonesia's Kopassus killers
British author arrested for book on death penalty; Film on Political Prisoners Banned
The Singapore government's pattern of repressing free expression continues with the recent arrest of a British journalist for writing a book critical of the city-state's death penalty, and the ban of a film about ex-political prisoners by a Singaporean filmmaker, report the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Amnesty International.
Environmental reporter’s death in Indonesia must be fully investigated
Terror Against Merauke Journalists
Merauke Regency, Papua province, Indonesia: SMS threats escalated into suspicious death for a Merauke (West Papua) journalist.
PBI on the Death of Papuan Journalist
Murder or Suicide? Merauke Journalists Terror Continues
Merauke Regency, Papua province, Indonesia: The Merauke Police, journalists and NGOs are all busy with the recent suspicious death of a journalist. Police deny it was a murder, and have also denied it had something to do with the current provincial election, but others are not so sure.
Thai webmaster makes court appearance
South East Asia Press Alliance ALERT on 16 August 2010
NGOs Open Letter to Indonesia's President on August 17 Independence Day
Giant eucalyptus plantation company destroys Benzoin forest gardens in Indonesia
Environmental activist and write Longgena Ginting challenges eucalyptus plantation.
How FAO helps greenwash the timber industry’s greenhouse gas emissions
Environmental activist and writer Chris Lang questions the UN body's role in greenwashing.
Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) in Indonesia and the Indonesian Solidarity (IS) in Australia
Responding to the fate of Indonesian Fishermen in detention Centre in Darwin, Australia.
Sixth Year of Munir's Death
Australian-based organisation Indonesian Solidarity remembers Munir
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Re-Examining Gender Based Violence, Strengthening Advocacy Work: 21 Days Of Learning For 16 Days Of Activism
ETAN/WPAT Calls to Suspend Training and Funding of Indonesian Police Unit Detachment 88
Freedom FilmFest 2010 Starts on October 16!
FreedomFilmFest2010 is back for the 7th year. The annual human rights film festival will be held throughout the month of October & November, gracing cities across the nation including Petaling Jaya, Johor Bahru, Miri and Georgetown!
Freedom FilmFest 2010 Dimulai Oktober 16!
FreedomFilmFest2010 kembali buat tahun ke-7. Festival filem hak asasi tahunan ini akan berlangsung sepanjang bulan Oktober & November di Petaling Jaya, Johor Bahru, Miri and Georgetown!
Suspect in killing of Filipino journalist surrenders to authorities
SEAPA Alert.
SEAPA Alert: Denied access to TV, radio, Burmese independent candidates resort to giving leaflets
Greenpeace's Open letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Mr. Marty Natalegawa
Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director, Von Hernandez, writes to the Indonesian government.
Unchanged media environment eyed in Malaysia's drop in world press freedom ranking
SEAPA Alert on Malaysia: The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) notes with no surprise Malaysia's slippage in the World Press Freedom Index created by Reporters Without Borders, from a score of 44.25 (2009) to 50.75, which places us 10 notches down to a ranking of 141 out of 178 countries. More pertinent is the fact that Malaysia has been in the bottom third almost without fail in the past 10 years, thanks to the unchanged legal and regulatory framework with regard to freedom of expression, which includes media freedom.
Managing Indonesia’s Forests
Seasoned campaigner Patrick Anderson talks to the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club Panel about the Indonesian forests, the peoples living in them, and challenges both the activists and the government are facing.
Short Obituary of Asmara Nababan by Clinton Fernandes
Author, academic and activist Clinton Fernandes recalls his meeting with the recently deceeased Asmara Nababan.
Obituary: Asmara Nababan (Updated)
Author, activist ad academic Clinton Fernandes wrote further about his Indonesian friend, the human rights and social justice campaigner Asmara Nababan who passed away last week.
Attacks on several human rights websites after release of Indonesian torture video
Hongkong-based Asian Human Rights Commission is under attack.
British journalist convicted for condemning death penalty
The International Freedom of Expression eXchange reports on journalist Alan Shadrake in Singapore.
Open Letter to President Obama on The Eve of His Visit to Indonesia
West Papua Advocacy Team's message to President Obama.
Secret Files Show Kopassus Targets Papuan Churches, Civilians
American journalist Allan Nairn reveals documents leak from notorious US-backed Indonesian Special Forces as Obama Lands in Indonesia.
Democracy Now's Amy Goodman interviews Allan Nairn on the Kopassus document leak
President Obama arrived in Indonesia today (ed: Nov 9, 2010) on the second stop of a ten-day trip to Asia. It’s Obama’s first state visit to Indonesia after having lived there for four years as a child. We go to Jakarta to speak with investigative journalist and activist Allan Nairn, who has just released secret documents from Kopassus—the feared Indonesian special forces—which has been responsible for human rights abuses since the 1950s. Earlier this year, the Obama administration lifted a 12-year funding ban for the training of Kopassus. While Obama talks about human rights, the documents indicate that Kopassus targets churches and civilians and includes a Kopassus enemies list topped by a local Baptist minister in West Papua. Nairn will continue to release documents on his website AllanNairn.com.
Citarum and IWRM: A Guinea Pig for ADB
Citarum, a river 270 km long, is one of the important rivers in Java. Millions of people, especially those who live in Jakarta, are dependent on this river for their needs in agriculture and industry, and for their supply of clean water. Without the Citarum River, Jakarta would be a dead city since 80% of its water supply comes from the mentioned river. Ironically, it may no longer be sufficient to call Citarum as the river which can guarantee millions of lives. Many are now reporting Citarum as the longest ‘trash bin’ in the world. [1]
Water is Life. A Forgotten Struggle.
Millions of campaign on water issues in Asia could not alter the Bank’s direction, but a single report, ‘Charting Our Water Future,’ significantly altered it towards the reverse direction. As the Water Financing Program (2006-2010) will be closing this year, the Bank found its decade-long work in the Water Operational Framework 2011- 2020 in the report. To rescue the implementation of the shortsighted Strategy 2020, the Bank has to address the gloomy arithmetic of water status in major Asian countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Uzbekistan and Cambodia through a set of prescriptions which will overhaul the water sector in each government that has given the private sector a leading role.
World Rainforest Movement's Open Letter to Cancun
Dear Friends: We would like to share with you the following open letter to the government representatives participating in the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will take place in Cancún, Mexico this November 29 to December 10.
HRW Calls Indonesia to Stop Stalling on Investigating Torture Video Episode
Human Rights Watch today urged the Indonesian government to use the newly available video testimony of a torture victim to mount a thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation into the episode. The torture of Tunaliwor Kiwo, a Papuan farmer, and his neighbor, was recorded with a mobile phone on May 30, 2010, and the video came to light in October. Kiwo recounted the details of his torture in videotaped testimony only made public in recent days.
Struggle against impunity: SEAPA's statement on the first anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre
Ampatuan Massacre commemoration.
Local Sharia Laws Violate Rights in Aceh
Human Rights Watch reports that two local Sharia laws in Indonesia’s Aceh province violate rights and are often enforced abusively by public officials and even private individuals. HRW said the country’s central government and the Aceh provincial government should take steps to repeal the two laws, Human Rights Watch said.
Proposed cyber sedition law in Malaysia seen as threat to free expression online
The following is a statement from the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), SEAPA's associate member based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
APC says, A stand for WikiLeaks is a stand for freedom of information online
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is deeply concerned about recent attempts by governments to limit access to online content recently published by whistleblower website WikiLeaks. APC is troubled by actions taken by private companies such as EveryDNS.net which disabled the domain name system services for WikiLeaks.org, Amazon which repealed web hosting services and Paypal which restricted access to WikiLeaks' account to prevent supporters from donating money.
WikiLeaks - Don't shoot the messenger, say IFEX members
Since online whistleblower WikiLeaks started publishing classified U.S. embassy cables on 28 November, it has come under fire on several fronts, from hacking attacks to hosting companies pulling the plug. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Index on Censorship and other IFEX members have condemned the attacks for "threatening the core principles of freedom of speech."
WPFC's 2009 insult laws survey: steps forward, steps back
Spreading defamatory information through the Internet can land you in jail for up to six years in Indonesia - a greater crime than if you defamed someone through traditional means. It's just one example where new media has fuelled restrictive governments to seek even more special protection for public officials, says the World Press Freedom Committee (WPFC) in its just-published annual survey of insult laws.
Thai Government Urged to Respect Netizens' Rights
SEAPA ALERT: Internet activists in Thailand criticized the government for infringing on the rights of online users and called for amending the controversial Computer Crime Act.
Open Letter: Free West Papuan Political Prisoners of Conscience
Indonesian Solidarity's letter to Kevin Rudd for the release of Papuan political prisoners.
Philippines: Aquino’s Order to Free ‘Morong 43’ a Positive Step
HRW Report: Government Should Investigate Allegations of Mistreatment.
A Story of Social Struggles
World Rainforest Movement's Human Rights Day message.
Project Censored reveals top 25 censored stories of 2009-2010
IFEX and Project Censored: This year's top story? "Global plans to replace the dollar."
WikiLeaks Reveals U.S. Diplomats Pushed Bangladesh to Re-Open Mine Opposed by Thousands
Wikileaks on Phulbari Coal Mine case as cables confirm long-standing concerns of human rights groups.
At least 44 journalists killed for their work in 2010
IFEX members report on deaths in the media throughout 2010.
Editor found dead; journalists injured in office raid
Indonesia's Alliance of Independent Journalist (AJI) reports on the rough start to 2011.
Journo group condemns death threats against Malaysian video project participant
IFEX Alert on attack to Malaysian video-maker.
Media Democracy and Social Justice in the Asia Pacific
Colleen Mihal of the Global Social Change Film Festival and Institute, writes of how civil society media is re-emerging in the era of global corporate and entertainment journalism.
Filipino reporter who spoke out against illegal mining gunned down
A radio broadcaster who spoke out against environmental abuse was shot dead this week in Palawan, a far-western island province in the Philippines. He was the second journalist killed under the new administration, report the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and other IFEX members.
Human Rights Watch accuses UN of being soft on abuse
Human Rights Watch's annual report on human rights has faulted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other major leaders for taking a soft approach of "quiet dialogue" and "cooperation" to avoid publicly singling out countries that abuse human rights.
A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission: Outrageous verdict in Papuan torture case
With sentences between 9 and 12 months imprisonment for disobeying orders, a military court in Jayapura, Papua gave an outrageous verdict on January 24, 2011 in a case of severe torture. Tuanliwor Kiwo, an indigenous Papuan was tortured for 3 days in June 2010. He was detained by personnel of the Kwanggok Nalime military post in the Puncak Jaya region after he was suspected of supporting separatists in the area. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is shocked to see how this show trial avoided holding the perpetrators accountable for the key crime in this case -- torture.
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FORESTS: Forests with the people
Part of the World Rainforest Movement series on the International Year of the Forests.
LIVE STREAM: The Middle East, the Revolution, and the Internet
On Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 at 12:00 PM EST (GMT-5) Access will be hosting a live streamed online symposium entitled: The Middle East, the Revolution, and the Internet.
Media groups denounce Mubarak's unparallelled onslaught on free expression
It started with Egypt shutting down Twitter, the video-sharing website Bambuser and some independent online newspapers. Then it was most of the country's Internet and cell phone networks. By 30 January, Egypt had shut down the operations of the Arabic satellite TV channel Al Jazeera, blaming it for encouraging the Tunisia-inspired protests across the country that have escalated into a call for an end to President Hosni Mubarak's three decades of rule.
Project Borneo 3D
Project Borneo is looking for 10 adventurous, passionate and courageous leaders (aged 18 - 35) to feature in a 3D film and a 6-part TV series. These 'real life action heroes' will live in the jungle in Borneo for 5 months, work with acclaimed scientist Dr Willie Smits and Orangutan Outreach, and report to millions of young people across the globe, connected via Microsoft's Partners in Learning and the social action network, Taking ITGlobal.
Thailand: Investigate Departure of Rohingya ‘Boat People’
Human Rights Watch: Motorless vessel with 91 migrants turns up 700 kilometers away.
Exile on Main Street
Ronald Saut writes about the sad truths of the Jakarta streets.
Indonesian journalist survives stabbing
The Indonesian Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) reports on the stabbing of a Papua-based journalist.
Terror in Jakarta - ISAI Offices bombed
Three explosive devices were sent to three targets in Jakarta. One of them is Ulil Abshar Abdalla of the Liberal Islamic Network in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta. It was also the only one that exploded during the diffusing attempt.
Checkpoints Story Contest
Stopped at the checkpoint? Got a story to tell? Want a chance to win $500 and have your story acted by a top professional actor and then filmed by a high end film crew to go viral on EngageMedia in Indonesia? Then enter FLEFF's Checkpoints Story Contest now.
Nominate your labour video of the year!
For the second year in a row, LabourStart is sponsoring a Labour Video of the Year competition, open to trade unionists and film-makers from around the world.
1st Iinternational Uranium Film Festival Rio de Janeiro 2011 May 21st - 28th
1º FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE FILMES SOBRE ENERGIA NUCLEAR RIO DE JANEIRO 2011
Enemies of the Internet
At the last World Day Against Cyber-Censorship on March 12, Reporters Without Borders released new survey of online freedom of expression.
Web designer sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment for lese majeste, cyber-crime law violation
The Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA) in Bangkok reports that a web designer is sentenced to 13 years prison time, mainly for using the file transfer protocol (FTP).
Precedent-setting land deal in palm oil expansion zone in Borneo
The Forest Peoples Programme reports that a new oil palm plantation being developed in Indonesian Borneo (West Kalimantan) has relinquished community lands to which it had gained a government permit. The company PT Agro Wiratama, a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and subsidiary of the giant Musim Mas group, agreed to relinquish more than 1,000 hectares of its 9,000 hectare concession back to the community, following interventions by community representatives and NGOs.
Say no to World Bank sponsored sweat-shops in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea group, ActNow, is calling the public to send a message to the World Bank, through its subsidiary the International Finance Corporation, on their role in the Special Economic Zones legislation.
On notorious anniversary, Philippine journalist shot
A female broadcaster killed in the anniversary of the death of another female journalist.
April 10th "NO MORE FUKUSHIMA": Global Call for Solidarity Actions Against Nuclear Plants
We took big risk depending on nuclear energy in exchange for creating unlimited prosperity. Then we are now facing assumed danger. Human being seems to take wrong choice. We have to make sure. No more nuclear plants.
REVISED: MALAYSIAKINI WEBSITE SUSPENDED (not Twitter account)
Unprecedented censorship of Malaysian online media ahead of crucial election. Internet censorship by Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition ahead of the crucial Sarawak state election, which is due on coming Saturday, 16 April, has reached an unprecedented level.
Activists from around the world attack British mining giant
The date 14 April marked the 13th anniversary of the first concerted intervention by “dissident shareholders” in what is now the world’s third most powerful mining company.
Indonesian Green Activist addresses Rio Tinto Shareholders in London
Seasoned Indonesian environmental campaigner Chalid Muhammad attended the Annual Shareholders Meeting of the Rio Tito mining corporation, held in London today (April 14 2011).
Ahead of election, cyber-attacks cripple online media
New York-based press advocacy group the Committee to Protect Journalists raises alarms over attacks against Malaysia's three news and commentary sites that preceded the election in Malaysia's Sarawak state, on the island of Borneo.
Friends of the Earth International joins protests against Barrick Gold
Today, during the annual general meeting (AGM) of mining company Barrick Gold in Toronto (Canada), Friends of the Earth International is supporting a loud call from communities around the world for a halt to gold mining and Barrick Gold's destructive practices. Campaigners are present at the meeting and join a protest rally outside the meeting venue. Barrick Gold, the largest gold miner in the world, has been the subject of many documented studies of human rights abuses and environmental devastation globally, including in the Philippines, Tanzania and Australia.
