Cakrawala VHR Media News Centre

Family Victims Are Trying to Tear Apart the Darkness

Jimmy L. Simanungkalit — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:41:16

Quite a few corruption cases were recently revealed in Indonesia with one institution playing a major role in uncovering these cases, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The situation is quite different for cases of human rights violations. Especially in the New Order era state repression led to violations of the human rights of Indonesian citizens. Unfortunately the legal procedures for human rights cases are still unclear, even though many

A New Medium for the Message of the People

Yerry Nikholas Borang — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:57:37

Marshall McLuhan, in his book "Understanding Media: the Extensions of Man" (1960s) says, "The medium is the message." He indicates the symbolic relation that a medium influences the message we are trying to deliver. Furthermore, the medium is the extension of us, as human kind. He says that the medium and not the content of the message we want to deliver shall be the object of research, because society

The Silent Action of a Guard of Democracy

Kurniawan Tri Yunanto — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:30:46

Joesoef Ishak cannot be separated from the development of press and books in Indonesia. The humble-hearted man started his career as a progressive sometimes even radical journalist particularly towards Soekarno's ideas on nationalism. In the beginning of the independence era, Joesoef worked at Berita Indonesia a newspaper managed by Suaridi Tahsin.

Some of his colleagues praised Joesoef as a person who always searches for balance. When the country

The Real Absurdity of Life

Rosmi Julitasari S — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:39:21

When Romans designed the roads for their cities they decided the roads to be 143.5 centimeters width. Indeed, they were the first nation who developed this concept, but why? In fact, their war chariots were pulled by two horses and if we place the horses side by side the width would be 143.5 centimeters.

And the width of the railway tracks we use today actually had

A Message of Peace from the Children all over the World

Kurniawan Tri Yunanto — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:35:59

We must help vulnerable people

Not only some but all

Peace shall be expressed without discrimination…

These words of a song echo through all parts of the “Peace Spectacle” performed by Teater Tanah Air at Taman Ismail Marzuki Jakarta 13 – 15 June 2008. The children

Laughs from Papua

Hervin Saputra — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:31:16

Indonesia, without its eastern area, is like an imperfect body. The nature of Papua gives the indescribable beauty, as well as its culture. But outside world of Papua often hears about dark side of Papua, more than about the beauty. What people hear about Papua for most is the never ending conflict between indigenous people of Papua and a company of gold mine from United States, Freeport.

A Story of Inlanders against Capitalism

Rosmi Julitasari S — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:05:27

"Capitalism is derives from the word capital. Capitalists are people who have capital. Their principle is to gain as much profit as possible by investing as little capital as possible. By implementing that principle, in practice they often squeeze out their workers to deliver excessive profits without adequately rewarding them. That kind of principle was also implemented by European entrepreneurs. They built factories and employed indigenous people working for

Preserving Freedom, Fighting Violence

Hervin Saputra — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:10:49

"Send our regards to Mr. President." That was the message from the master of ceremony at the 10^th anniversary of The Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence (KontraS) on Wednesday evening (26/3). The message was spoken after Andi Mallarangeng, spokesperson of Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudoyono, delivered his speech and congratulated KontraS.

At first glance, this message does not sound like anything special. But it

Queer Fest in Bandung

Mulyani Hasan — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:00:28

From 27 February to 4 March a free film festival was held in the city Bandung. Surprising, because all the films evolved around the lives of people who have a unique sexual orientation, something which is not often experienced by the general public. They are the people who are attracted to the same sex (homosexuals), undergo gender change (trans-sexuals), and bi-sexuals, those that are attracted to both sexes. Because

A Portrait of Women in One Decade of Reformation

Hervin Saputra — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:38:42

"Who can ever deny these two issues? The involvement of the District Military Command (Kodim) ending a strike by workers of the company where Marsinah used to work. And the destruction of Marsinah's womb, which according to the autopsy could only have occurred if she was executed by a gun shot through her vagina."

That piercing sentence was launched by Tati Krisnawaty in a discussion entitled "10 Tahun

Natural Disasters Also of Human Doing

Rosmi Julitasari S — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:45:09

"Transform Flooding into an Electric Power Source!" this sentence, which tickles the imagination and it critical and brilliant at the same time, is written on one of the winning posters of a competition held as part of the "South to South Film Festival 2008". This poster could very well represent the expression of the anger which has piled up in the mind of Jearnima Pasya, a third year elementary

People of Papua: Getting Poor in Their Riches Land

Rosmi Julitasari S — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:42:03

Papua, the richest island Indonesia owns, has always been oppressed. Poverty, destitution, ignorance, and underdevelopment have not yet disappeared from the lives of the Papuan people. The Papuan society, based on customary law, cannot in any way enjoy the natural resources of their own land. Everything is dredged for the sake of fulfilling the greedy lust of business and government who keep coming back to exploit the land of

Even the sky turns its face away from me

Syaiful Haq — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:28:45

It was September 5^th, 2007, at noon. Finally, the patience came to an end. "We have been trying so many ways, all offices ignored us and people's hearts couldn't be touched. There is no other way; a demonstration is the best we can do." A fragment of an e-mail got into my electronic mailbox.

One of the national television channels displayed the demonstration of hundreds