Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Human rights activists have urged the government to release all Aceh civilians accused of involvement in the separatist group there after a peace deal

AK-25, Jakarta – The defense department is still pursuing its plan for budget increases for the security operation in Aceh.

Niken Widya Yunita, Jakarta – The position of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, which has persisted in opposing negotiations between the Indonesian government

Miswar, Banda Aceh – August 15 will be a historical moment for the Acehnese people, because on that day the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and th

Hera Diani, Jakarta – Some 50 members of hard-line Muslim groups gathered outside the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday, while dozens of others clad in white robes packed a co

Last week's disclosure of indications of money laundering involving hundreds of billions of rupiah related to the personal accounts of 15 police officers is the biggest test yet of the

Ng Boon Yian, Singapore – Years after being battered by the financial crisis, the Indonesian banking sector seems to have picked itself up again, luring more foreign investors to take u

Jakarta – Fuel imports undertaken by state oil and gas company PT Pertamina have exceeded annual consumption by more than 50 percent, an official said on Thursday.

Jakarta – The government is now focused on formulating a dispute settlement mechanism, if violence arises after the peace deal with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has been signed.

Manado – The Manado District Court ruled in favor of mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya in a defamation case against an environmentalist on Tuesday.

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu – Three non-governmental groups slammed the Central Sulawesi provincial administration on Tuesday for extending the security operation in Poso, saying the operatio

Jakarta – A number of non-government organisations (NGOs) have declared their opposition to the formation of the Indonesia-East Timor Truth and Friendship Commission (KPP).

Dili – East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta has said he is convinced that none of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members would accept the presence of an Internati

Jakarta – The ongoing increases in global oil prices and a volatile rupiah exchange rate have become major obstacles for the government to meet its 2005 state budget targets, according

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – The US is to provide $20 million worth of technical assistance to help reform Indonesia's much-maligned court system.

Max Lane – East Timor's local elections are now in their eighth month.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The US government is trying to persuade Congress to fully lift the military embargo imposed on Indonesia as cooperation between the armed forces of the two coun

James Balowski, Jakarta – Despite earlier opposition, leaders of Indonesia's parliament now appear to be willing to allow provincial-based political parties to be established in Aceh.

AK-25, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has declared it will grant amnesty to members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and activists accused of subversive acts against the state.

Jakarta – The United States congratulated Indonesia Wednesday for reaching a draft peace deal with rebels in Aceh province, and said the accord would make it easier for Washington to re

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – When reform swept across the country in 1998, forcing authoritarian ruler Soeharto to step down, everybody hoped the movement would improve the life o

Fedhly Averouss Bey, Jakarta – A court hearing of a class action by ex-members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was marred by a demonstration by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI)

Jon Lamb – On July 25, Lieutenant Colonel Lance Collins, a leading intelligence expert on East Timor and Indonesia, blew the whistle on the Australian Defence Force's intelligence manip

Hera Diani and Slamet Susanto, Jakarta, Yogyakarta – More condemnation has been heaped on the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for issuing draconian fatwas outlawing liberal Islamic thoug

Kuala Lumpur – Forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra province covered Kuala Lumpur and 32 other areas of Malaysia with a smoky haze Tuesday, reducing visibility in some places to a half-m

Jakarta – US mining giant Newmont Mining Corp.

Jakarta – A draft law on Indonesia's national intelligence body denies detainees basic rights and violates local and international laws, an international rights group said.

Neles Tebay, Rome – The government is beginning to pay the price for its reluctance to honor its commitment to fully implement Law No. 21/2001 on special autonomy for Papua.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The House of Representatives plans to send a four-member delegation to the US to lobby congress in an attempt to block passage of a bill that raises questions ab

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papuan leaders reacted cautiously on Monday to the bill recently approved by the US House of Representatives, stressing that Papua is legally part of Indo

AK-41, Bandung – The Acehnese community from the Bandung Community of Acehnese Families (Keluarga Masyarakat Aceh Bandung, Kamaba) will hold an all-Java Acehnese Society Dialogue Forum

Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – Support for the Aceh peace negotiations is strengthening.

Murizal Hamzah/Emmy Kuswandari, Banda Aceh – Questionnaires to ascertain the public's views on the Helsinki peace process are being distributed in the northern Aceh district of Bireuen.

Jakarta – Noted Indonesian antigraft campaigner Teten Masduki has been named as one of the six recipients of this year's Ramon Magsaysay awards, organizer announced on Monday.

Eva C.

Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – A lack of students might cause 53 of the 106 private universities in Yogyakarta go bankrupt this year because they could not afford to meet operational cost

Concluding its seventh congress last week, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued eleven fatwa that sparked concern over its increasingly conservative stance.

Asia News Network, Jakarta – Indonesia's economy is once again at a crossroads as it enters the second half of the year.

The Catholic Church is demanding that an international tribunal investigate human rights abuses during East Timor's bloody breakaway from Indonesia six years ago.

Canberra – Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network bankrolled last year's bombing outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, a key militant charged for the attack told Indonesian police, the

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Calls for the government to begin training programs for millions of unskilled workers using billions of dollars in dedicated funds may be impossible to ans

Jakarta – The government should be more serious in handling problems in Papua following foreign intervention like the support given by an American senator for Papuan freedom.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Question: Is it a working visit if it's just a visit without working? Will it still be called a study tour if it's just about touring but no studying?

Jakarta – The US State Department announced on Friday that Washington would not support any effort that would allow Papua to gain independence from Indonesia.

Jakarta – The Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) will soon send a protest letter to the US administration through its embassy here against the US Congress adopting a bill questi

Jakarta – Three members of the European Union peace monitoring team arrived in Aceh on Saturday, more than two weeks ahead of the scheduled arrival of the full peace mission.

Jakarta is again pondering restricting the number of older cars in the city. It is also mulling the banning of motorcycles from main thoroughfares.

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Interfaith leaders condemned on Friday the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for its issuance of fatwas on Thursday that outlawed liber

Ambon, Maluku – Hundreds of displaced persons living in shelters across Ambon are suffering from malnutrition, a health official says.

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – Indonesia denied Saturday that any of its security forces trained in the United States had a history of human rights violations, as alleged in a report release