Vincent Lingga, Jakarta – Although the government claims otherwise, Indonesia remains the least attractive among East Asian countries for foreign direct investment (FDI).

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court has cleared the way for 13 mining companies to resume mining in protected forests, citing the government's need to improve th

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Hopes of peace in Aceh have received a boost after leaders of 10 major political parties expressed their cautious support for the government's plan to allow form

Mark Dod – East Timor is Asia's poorest country.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Four presidents and seven years since the fall of Suharto's authoritarian regime in Indonesia, his New Order acolytes are still cast as the dalang, the unseen m

An Indonesian appeal court has overturned the convictions of 12 soldiers for massacring Muslim protestors in 1984, a lawyer for the soldiers said, a move likely to anger rights activist

Jakarta – Following a political move by lawmakers to push for the reopening of the investigations into shooting incidents in 1998 and 1999, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victim

Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) is the first faction in the House of Representatives to openly oppose the controversial proposal for a hike in the salary and allowances of

In recent weeks, there has been much talk about efforts to eradicate poverty. The Jakarta Post's Hera Diani talked to H.S.

Jakarta – The government has decided to continue the construction of a controversial highway project in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, but will create a new route to avoid passing through a

Wilhendra Akmam, Jakarta – Ten political parties have agreed to support the nomination of former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) members in regional elections in Aceh in 2005-06.

Mark Dodd – The East Timorese Prime Minister's brother has been granted a lucrative monopoly to sell weapons to the country's Government, with a licence to broker sophisticated military

Sydney – East Timor is in danger of becoming a failed state without outside aid, the fledgling nation's President Xanana Gusmao said on a visit to Australia Thursday.

Dennis Shanahan, Nigel Wilson – East Timor is expected to get more than $13 billion in gas royalties after a new deal with the Australian Government that is $8 billion more generous tha

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New York – The idea of forming an international tribunal to try the 1999 post-ballot human rights violations in East Timor is not likely to gain the support of UN Security Council membe

All of East Timor's fledgling dreams, and all of the threats to those dreams, are on display in The Australian today. First the good news.

Kupang/Yogya/Batam/Samarinda/Jambi/Manado – The price of premium gasoline soared by up to 500 percent in some provinces on Wednesday as the country's fuel shortage bit deeper, with the

Masduki Attamami, Antara, Yogyakarta – Direct regional elections have taken place around the country, and despite some protests they have in general been orderly and peaceful.

The House of Representatives' Commission III on law and human rights agreed recently to reopen the investigation into the shootings of students who staged antigovernment protests in Jak

James Balowski, Jakarta – After criticisms that intelligence agencies had failed to prevent a May 28 deadly bomb blast at a crowded market in central Sulawesi, President Susilo Bambang

Eva C.

James Balowski, Jakarta – "Based on everything we have obtained, the [National Intelligence] Agency [BIN] is believed to have played a major role in a well-planned conspiracy to murder

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer didn't arrive in Melbourne in time on Tuesday to see himself and his Labor predecessor Gareth Evans share a toast with oil-filled champagne glasses.

Negotiations to determine seabed boundaries and ownership of the oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea have been long-running between Australia and it's northern neighbours – previously

Jakarta – The last of a series of informal negotiations between the Indonesian government and members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will be held on July 11-18 with a focus on drafting

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – The TNI (armed forces) fully supports the government's policy of seeking a resolution to the Aceh question which is peaceful, dignified and comprehensive.

Stockholm – Sweden will pay 10,000 kronor (1,050 euros, 1,250 dollars) in compensation to one of the exiled leaders of Indonesia's separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) for remanding him

Dan Eaton – An Indonesian murder mystery set in the skies and involving spies, arsenic poisoning and the national airline is becoming a dramatic test of democracy in the world's most po

Muhammad Nafik, Malang – Despite its pledge to stay away from politics, Muhammadiyah says its decision to give its support to last year's failed presidential bid by Amien Rais was not a

ID Nugroho, Malang – The gender issue could become a serious problem for Muhammadiyah, which claims to be a modern Islamic organization, with all of the 39 nominees selected as eligible

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – At least 50 members of religious hard-line group Islam Defenders Front (FPI) sought an explanation from Governor Sutiyoso about the latter's stance on gambling

Jakarta – The Commission of Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KONTRAS) has urged the government to follow up the United Nations' recommendations to reinvestigate the 1999 bloodsh

Veronica Brooks, Canberra – East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta said Tuesday a revenue-sharing pact with Australia covering the US$5 billion Sunrise natural gas project in th

Jakarta – Indonesia today formally rejected a recommendation by a UN panel of experts that an international tribunal be set up to judge military officers and others accused of atrocitie

AK-38, Jakarta – On Monday July 4, hundreds of Acehnese from Greater Jakarta held a demonstration at the United Nations offices, the US Embassy, the offices of the Minister for Politics

Harry Bhaskara, Surabaya – The loudspeaker in the office, half the size of a village classroom, was blaring; while graphics, projected on the wall, showed the preliminary results of bal

AK-38, Jakarta – Hundreds of Acehnese residing in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi, who support of the Helsinki peace negotiations between the Indonesian government and the Free Ace

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – They come, stay a while, murmur a few words, laugh, leave and get paid.

Jakarta – Indonesia's production of dry un-hulled rice is forecast to slide 2 per cent to 53.10 million tons this year from last year because of a decline in harvest area.

Victor Tjahjadi, Jakarta – A delicate balancing act of resisting international concern over past atrocities while appealing for foreign military help has begun to pay off for Indonesia

[Indonesia in the Soeharto Years. John H. McGlynn, Jeffrey Hadler, Bambang Bujono, Margaret Glade Agusta, Gedsiri Suhartono, et al. The Lontar Foundation. 507 pp.]

Rendi A.

Jakarta – Students at religious and private schools fared worse in the national examinations than their state-school counterparts, while the low quality of teachers nationwide is cause

The central government has ordered local administrations to protect the interests of foreign investors by extending a helping hand to settle disputes, including those related to propert

Marwaan Macan-Markar, Bangkok – Indonesia's hope of emerging as a force for democracy in Southeast Asia faces a reality check in regard to its stance on justice – especially justice for

Jakarta – A surge in demand for industrial products and high global metal prices caused exports in the first five months of the year to jump 30.79 percent from the same period last year

Reporter: Tim Palmer

Tony Hotland and Rendi Witular, Jakarta – Despite criticizing the government for irregularities in its new budget proposal for military operations in Aceh, the House of Representatives

Retired four-star Army general Abdullah Makhmud Hendropriyono is likely to remain in the spotlight, as the government-sanctioned fact-finding team (TPF) has submitted its report to Pres