Jakarta – Indonesian rights activists and analysts have criticised a decision to revive a separate army command for Aceh as a misguided attempt to impose a military solution in the troubled province.
The emphasis on force to end the separatist struggle could damage Indonesia's fledgling democracy and the army's own reform drive, they warned.
Anna Peltola, Stockholm – Separatist rebels in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province said on Tuesday they would not meet Jakarta representatives face-to-face in peace talks scheduled for this weekend.
Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – Indonesia's president has always avoided reporters, but new curbs on journalists covering her activities have sparked fears the government may be trying to retreat behind barriers familiar under ex-autocrat Suharto.
Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The problem of flooding in the capital city was worsening due to continuing violations of the Jakarta Master Plan, which had resulted in a decrease in the number of water catchment areas, an expert has said.
Jakarta – The United States is offering support – including millions of dollars for police training and increased intelligence sharing – to help Indonesia crack down on potential terrorists within its borders.
Singapore – It would be easier to fight terrorists in Indonesia if the US resumed normal military ties with the country, the chief of the US Pacific Command said Tuesday.
Erick W., Palu – The situation in Luwuk, Banggai, Central Sulawesi remained tense on Monday as thousands of people marched through the small town to protest against the assault by local police of four officers from the local administration on Sunday.
The president has recently appointed eighteen ad hoc Human Rights judges. Can Indonesia's Court of Human Rights function objectively and independently from the International Court of Justice? Indonesia is endeavoring to improve its human rights record.
Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The resignation of legislator Sophan Sophiaan from both the House of Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) may have been triggered by intense pressure to tow the party line on controversial issues, a fellow legislator said.
Dili – The Constituent Assembly has nearly completed its two-month debate on the 151 articles of East Timor's first Constitution, keeping the popularly elected body on schedule to promulgate the historic document in early March.
A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Political observers expressed concern on Saturday that amid the crisis of leadership the nation was facing, the government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri had failed to accommodate the aspirations of the people.
Jakarta – Economic factors and not intimidation are now the main reason why many East Timorese refugees are reluctant to go home from Indonesia, the UN refugee agency said Monday.
With less than four months to go before East Timor attains full independence, an estimated 60,000-75,000 of them are still in Indonesian West Timor.
Yemris Fointuna, Jakarta – Prosecutors from the Attorney General's Office have begun questioning two army officers as part of their investigation into the 1999 murder of a Dutch journalist in East Timor, officials said on Saturday.
Kuala Lumpur – Malaysian manufacturers Monday urged the government to allow the employment of Indonesian women workers amid a recent ban on the intake of Indonesian workers.
Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Activists have demanded that the Inspectorate General of the Ministry of Home Affairs mount an immediate investigation into Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso for allegedly violating ministry decree No. 50/1999.
Jakarta – Indonesia criticised neighbouring Malaysia on Monday for Kuala Lumpur's decision to halve the number of Indonesians working in the country and said the move could backfire and spark an influx of illegal workers.
Semarang – Employees of state-owned telecommunications firm PT Telkom's Central Java and Yogyakarta regional offices will strike on Monday to protest plans to transfer the unit to state-owned telecommunications company PT Indosat, according to a labor union chief.
A'an Suryana and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – A team established to save Golkar is accusing certain leftist groups of trying to dissolve the party by exploiting corruption allegations against its chairman Akbar Tandjung, a suspect in a Rp 54.6 billion financial scandal involving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).
I Wayan Juniartha, Denpasar – Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, ended its annual meeting here on Sunday, calling on the international community to put an end to what it sees as a new form of imperialism.
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – The dissolution of the Environmental Impact Control Agency (Bapedal) has ignited fears that all previous efforts by the organization to conserve the environment will come to a standstill, activists said.
Jakarta – The Indonesian government will not extend any logging contracts until a survey is conducted of all forest concessions, Forestry Minister Muhammad Prakosa said Monday.
Robert Go – Tattooed and multiple-pierced 19-year-old Ismail, aka Pluto, cannot remember how long he has been homeless.
All he knows is that he started out in Medan on Sumatra Island and roamed the tough streets of Jakarta before ending up in Yogyakarta in Central Java. "I'm well travelled, compared to other Indonesians," he said wryly.
Jakarta – New witness testimony in a corruption case against Indonesia's parliament speaker Akbar Tanjung has further discredited his claim that he used state funds to buy food for the poor.
Tanjung is under investigation by state prosecutors for the suspected embezzlement of 3.8 million dollars from the state logistics agency Bulog in 1999.
Jakarta – Two Indonesian national parks, homes to the endangered Komodo dragon and Javanese rhinoceros, have been earmarked by the United Nations for a million dollar ecotourism project.
Mark Baker in Manila and Lindsay Murdoch in Jakarta – The Indonesian Government is under mounting pressure to crack down on the fundamentalist Jemaah Islamiah movement after new evidence linking it to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network and terrorist raids across South-East Asia.
Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – A Melbourne-educated Indonesian lawyer has been appointed to judge crimes committed in East Timor in 1999 despite having represented former armed forces chief General Wiranto and having helped prepare the prosecutions.
Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – As a governor, Sutiyoso should abide by the law. Ironically, he has long violated a ministerial decree that bans him from holding the post of commissioner at the city-owned market operator, PD Pasar Jaya.
Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Two top separatist leaders in Indonesia's Papua and Aceh provinces have been killed in the last three months, raising suspicions that the Indonesian government is out to cripple the separatist movements by targeting their leaders, even as it promises to negotiate with them.
Jakarta – An Indonesian general predicted a long war against separatist rebels in Aceh despite the killing of their military leader. "This war will still be long," said Kostrad strategic reserve commander Lieutenant General Ryamizard Ryacudu, whose men shot dead Abdullah Syafii on Tuesday.
Jakarta – The proposed formation of a Riau Islands province has stirred strong discord pitting the central government and the islands' inhabitants – some of whom oppose the idea – against the current Riau province on the mainland, which seeks a democratic compromise on the issue.
Rita A. Widiadana, Denpasar – Indonesia will soon become "the backyard" nation among Asian countries if it fails to combat serious corruption and a lousy work ethic, says noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid.
Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Due to its alleged "inhuman and violent practices" recently, the City Public Order Agency (Tramtib) has come under strong criticism from some members of the public and non-governmental organizations, with some groups calling for its dissolution.
Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – West Java, a large province closest to the capital, Jakarta, has hidden its decade-long teacher crisis behind its achievements in the field of education.
Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – The Health Ministry secured Rp 500 billion (US$48 million) this year from the state's fuel subsidy reduction to provide medical services for the country's 37.3 million poor.
Denpasar – Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organization in the country, is certain to play a more active role in mediating and moderating the current political and social problems both on domestic and international levels because of itscredibility and independence, says its chairman.
Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – A key Indonesian parliamentary committee has demanded that the Government of President Megawati Sukarnoputri consider cancelling the Prime Minister's planned visit to Indonesia next month.
Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – State-run oil and gas company Pertamina revealed on Friday how it misled the public about the price of kerosene. It's explanation partly explains why the price is about double the Rp 600 "retail price" set by the company.
Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Owing to the rising costs of fuel and spare parts, the city administration has said that it will soon increase city bus fares by between 10 and 20 percent.
Jakarta – A man at the center of a bribery claim involving ex-Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid and the son of former dictator Suharto has spent part of the money on gold and his house, media reported Saturday.
Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – City councillors have expressed regret at the violence and repression used by some Jakarta administration officials during its controversial identification card raids early this week.
Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim has said the construction of both the toll road, which leads to the Soekarno-Hatta airport and the Pantai Indah Kapuk real estate are a cause of the city's flooding problems.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda yesterday described Australia as the archipelago's "backyard" and said the government had no choice but to get along with Canberra.
Even though it has been almost two and a half years since an eruption of violence in East Timor, not a single Indonesian military and police officer responsible for security in the territory at that time has been prosecuted.
Berni K. Moestafa, Jakarta – A review by a government watchdog has exposed glaring imbalances in a plan to extend the payment period for large debtors of the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) that, if not revised, risked the government's effort to recoup some $13 billion in lost state funds.
Jakarta – Five suspected members of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network arrived in Indonesia from Yemen last July with a plan to blow up the United States Embassy in Jakarta, a high-ranking US official has revealed.
Singapore – East Timor's Nobel Peace Prize-winning foreign minister said Friday he was confident Indonesia would be able to crack down on suspected members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.
Jakarta – An international labour body has strongly criticised Indonesian manufacturers for refusing to pay the new minimum wage, saying world retailers were unwilling to buy from "dirty sources."
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The death of Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Commander Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie, has solidified the separatist movement and increased the guerrillas' will to fight for the independence of Aceh, says GAM spokesman Ayah Sofyan.
Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – To avoid more bloodshed following the killing of military commander of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Tengku Abdullah Syafi'ie, the House of Representatives (DPR) urged the government on Thursday to intensify dialog with the insurgents and resolve the Aceh question through peaceful means.
Jakarta – Three cars were set ablaze and a man was shot by police when a riot broke out Thursday in an Indonesian town over an attempt to extort money from returning migrant workers, officials said.