James Balowski, Jakarta – At midnight on May 18, the Indonesian government declared an end to its two-year civil emergency in Indonesia's northern-most province of Aceh.

The World Bank exposed corruption in the implementation of a 203,000 dollar poverty-busting grant in Indonesia, saying it has blacklisted five individuals and two firms in the scandal.

Dean Yates, Jakarta – Indonesian negotiators and Acehnese rebels Will begin a fourth round of peace talks in Helsinki on Thursday, with the atmosphere badly strained by the government's

It has been seven years since Soeharto stepped down as president on May 21, 1998, after 32 years in office.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Legislators and the government have agreed not to open the door for more talks with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) should the next round fail to strike a deal to p

Jakarta – More than 2,000 Indonesian workers have staged a strike in a garment factory that produces famous US designer brands to protest ill-treatment and unpaid overtime fees, a labor

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Hundreds of containers of humanitarian relief aid are still stranded in Belawan port in North Sumatra despite central government instructions that all of them b

Len Garae, Port Vila – Vanuatu's Prime Minister has blamed "foreign elements" for an incident last week where the Indonesian flag on the vehicle of Jakarta's ambassador to Port Vila was

The Australian-led military intervention in East Timor is considered one of the most successful peacekeeping missions in history.

Margie Mason – Big tears stream down Siti Fauziah's cheeks as she snuggles her doll and buries her face into her mother's shoulder.

Astrini D Anindita, Jakarta – The People's Representative Assembly (DPR) is calling on the government to end negotiations with Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders in Helsinki because they

Wimar Witoelar, Jakarta – Time stood still for a moment on the morning of May 21, 1998. Millions of hearts skipped a beat upon hearing the announcement on television.

Dozens of Indonesian students have burned a picture of ex-dictator Suharto in a rally to mark the seventh anniversary of his fall after 32 years of iron-fisted rule.

Rendi A.

Jayapura – The court hearing at the Jayapura State Court on Monday May 23 in the case of Filep Karma and Yusack Pakage who are charged with raising of the Morning Star Flag was marred w

Salim Osman, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hopes to persuade United States legislators to end a ban on selling military equipment to Indonesia on his first tri

Fedhly Averouss Bey, Jakarta – Whoever it was who took Munir's life has yet to be uncovered and police are still investigating it.

Jakarta – "History speaks for itself." This was the response a mother of a victim killed during the 1998 Trisakti shooting in West Jakarta gave when asked about the zero law enforcement

Ambon – Residents from the Batumerah subdistrict blocked a main street in Ambon city from Friday night to Saturday morning to protest police detentions of several locals.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – The Jakarta administration's plan to build more toll roads connecting busy areas might be seen as a good idea to some people, but transportation experts believ

Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesian Muslims staged rally outside the US embassy in Jakarta on Sunday, condemning the alleged desecration of the Muslim holy book Koran by American soldiers

Jakarta – About two-thirds of the nation's wood-based industry has collapsed, with a "high cost economy" and aging machinery making them uncompetitive against more efficient economies s

[Excerpt from report by Emmy F FROM Detik.com web site on 22 May.]

Michael Casey, Jakarta – Thousands of protesters across Indonesia marked the seventh anniversary of the fall of former dictator Suharto yesterday by burning his portrait and demanding h

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – Jose Ramos-Horta sips Cuban rum and listens to classical music in the thatched-roof house he has built on a hill overlooking Dili harbour.

Indonesian State Minister for Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said on Friday that the government would develop nuclear technology by 2017 for various peaceful purposes, inclu

Michael Casey – Thousands of protesters across Indonesia marked the seventh anniversary of the fall of former dictator Suharto on Saturday by burning his portrait and demanding his pros

Anthony Paul – At first glance, the latest news from Aceh seems promising: On Wednesday, Jakarta lifted the state of emergency declared a year ago, when the army stepped up its campaign

Advocate on behalf of East Timorese in Australia, Sr Susan Connelly, has said the Immigration Minister's change of heart on her decision to immediately deport 50 East Timorese asylum se

Andra Jackson – Fifty refugees from East Timor facing deportation are celebrating after being told at the last minute their claims for protection will be reconsidered.

Dili – Tens of thousands of government supporters gathered in East Timor's capital Friday to mark the 31st anniversary of the foundation of the ruling FRETILIN party in festivities that

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – A team hunting the killers of Indonesia's leading human rights activist says the country's main intelligence agency was in close contact with the chief suspect.

Jakarta – The Fact Finding Team (TPF) in the case of the death of rights activist Munir believes that the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) is being uncooperative in solving the case.

Jakarta – The government's plan to provide free education for elementary and secondary school students must be a long-term policy and not a short-term move to counter political pressure

Riyadi Suparno, Jakarta – After more than a week of assessment, the International Monetary Fund has praised Indonesia's overall economic performance and the policy directions pursued by

M.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – As the expiry date of the contract between the city administration and PT Jakarta Monorail draws near without agreement, transportation activists are calling f

Jakarta – State Minister of State Enterprises Sugiharto finally disclosed on Thursday 16 state enterprises allegedly riddled with corruption, following demands from lawmakers who wanted

Jakarta – Seven, for some, is a lucky number.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The government lifted on Wednesday the one-year civil emergency in tsunami-devastated Aceh through a presidential regulation, which also spells out th

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The fact-finding team tasked to assist the investigation into the death by poisoning of Munir Thalib Said revealed incriminating evidence of the invol

Taufik Basari, Jakarta – The atrocities that occurred in East Timor in 1999 have been recognized as gross violations of human rights that constitute international crimes.

"Don't go around digging up old skeletons," so an old Indonesian saying goes.

Rendi A.

Jakarta – The Central Jakarta District Court ruled on Wednesday that former members of the now-outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) could proceed with a class-action lawsuit agains

Jakarta – Indonesia's lifting of emergency rule in the tsunami-hit Aceh province was a "cruel joke" that came even as the armed forces were stepping up military operations, separatist r

Dan Eaton, Jakarta – Indonesia must show separatist rebels in tsunami-hit Aceh province that the central government is ready to compromise if it ever hopes to achieve a peace deal, a re

Dili – East Timor's political and military leaders unanimously criticized Thursday the UN Security Council's decision to ignore Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation that the ne

The United Nations has marked the end of its peacekeeping operations on East Timor, celebrating a mission credited with bringing stability to the tiny country following its bloody break

Jakarta – More witnesses and suspects have blamed General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Nazaruddin Sjamsuddin for corruption at the national election organizer, making it more dif