Jakarta – The National Police investigators are set to hold a disciplinary hearing, which could spell the dismissal of 16 officers alleged to have received bribes during the Bank BNI sc

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – In 2004, almost six years after the dawn of the reform movement, Indonesia's record on corruption remained shabby as ever.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Regional autonomy, including special autonomy in the conflict-ridden provinces of Aceh and Papua, has made little headway in the years since its introducti

Jakarta – The dream for better legislative representation appeared to have come true when the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) agreed in 2002 to adopt a bicameral legislative system

Bandarlampung – Hundreds of residents of West Telukbetung blocked off access to the local dump over the weekend to protest what they said was pollution caused by the dump.

Yang Razali Kassim – Indonesia's new President, Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has just demonstrated that while he may be new in his job, he is a political leader not to be trifled with.

Banda Aceh – Indonesian troops killed 18 separatist rebels in a single day in the latest clashes in restive Aceh province, the military said on Saturday.

Jakarta – Fears of attacks by Islamic militants are forcing some Christians in Indonesia to abandon traditional churches in favour of more discreet and secure venues this Christmas.

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta – Activists slammed the Rp 13.839 trillion (US$1.483 billion) draft city budget on Thursday, saying would be a gold mine for dodgy deals because it had not been

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Newmont Mining Corp.

Jakarta – Police have arrested nine businessmen and confiscated trucks, boats, heavy machinery and 107,337 cubic meters of timber worth Rp 600 billion (US$66 million) in a series of rai

Indonesia has rejected UN plans for a commission that would study Jakarta's resolve to punish those responsible for human rights abuses in East Timor in 1999.

Jakarta – Ahead of Christmas and New Year's Eve, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has given two precious gifts to Papuans and the family of the late rights campaigner, Munir.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – About 8,000 illegal firearms are circulating in North Sumatra, many of which are being used for violent crimes, provincial police chief Insp. Gen.

Palembang – Some 250 travel drivers from various cities of South Sumatra province visited Palembang Municipal Council on Thursday, to demand that city councillors revoke a bylaw that pr

Jakarta – The head of the Aceh desk at the ministry of politics, legal and security affairs, Police Inspector General Demak Lubis, says that the operation to restore security in Aceh is

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Claiming that security threats will remain high in 2005, the Indonesian Military (TNI) is planning to send personnel to conflict-prone areas to engage in what i

Jakarta – In the era of free competition, it is not necessary for the government to have a controlling stake in "important commodities" to protect the public interest, as it still has p

Jakarta – Around 80 per cent of TNI (armed forces) businesses have no definable assets, in other words they are illegal.

Perhaps no one ever imagined that the citizens of this country would need a police guard to commune with God; yet, this has now become a reality.

M.

Eva C. Komandjaja – Public enemy No.

Marwaan Macan-Markar, Bangkok – The new leader of the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has a serious challenge ahead, having stepped

M.

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta – Pasar Pagi (the morning market) existed long before most malls and shopping centers in the city.

Jakarta – Hundreds of workers took part in a rally in front of City Hall on Tuesday, demanding the administration to increase the monthly minimum wage to Rp 759,953 (US$81.72) for 2005.

Semarang – The Central Java provincial government has proposed that, starting from January next year, provincial councillors will get a monthly payment of Rp 5 million as a housing allo

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – As the Anticorruption Court scheduled the first hearing for his graft case, Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh was rushed to the hospital with an unspecifie

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The popularity of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has dropped sharply over the past month due to people's unmet reform expectations, according to a survey b

Indonesia's military needs at least 70,000 more troops to ensure security and would ideally be almost double its current size, a report quoted the head of the army as saying.

John Mcbeth, Jakarta – With palace aides already worried about a slide in his popularity, the time has arrived earlier than he would have wished for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono t

Yuli Tri Suwarni and Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, Bandung – Former West Java governor Nuriana has been accused of bribing all 100 members of the previous provincial legislative council to c

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced on Wednesday that all members of the United Indonesia Cabinet have submitted their wealth report

Slamet Susanto, Sleman – A former general manager of a Yogyakarta start-up newspaper was sentenced to nine months in jail on Wednesday for defamation.

Rusman, Tenggarong – Police officers violently broke up a picket inside the Kutai Kartanegara regental administration compound here on Wednesday, beating several picketers who were camp

Banda Aceh – At least two separatist rebels were killed and another 30 taken into custody in Indonesia's conflict-hit Aceh province in the past two days, the military said on Thursday.

Medan – Leaders of a union on Wednesday reported alleged arbitrariness by plantation company PT Tolan Tiga Indonesia to Medan councillors.

The United States welcomed creation of a joint Indonesia-East Timor commission on the 1999 bloodshed in the former Portuguese colony, but made clear the necessity of a separate UN inqui

Jakarta – A group of Muslim hard-liners called on the House of Representatives on Wednesday to begin work on a bill that would limit the construction of other religions' places of worsh

Shawn Donnan, Jakarta – Indonesia and East Timor announced this week they would establish a bilateral "truth and friendship commission" to heal wounds between the two countries left by

Jakarta – Army chief of staff General Ryamizard Ryacudu has revealed that army businesses, particularly those which are part of foundations "only" generate 30 billion rupiah per year.

There have been mixed reactions this week to a proposal by Indonesia and East Timor to set up a joint commission to investigate the violence in East Timor four years ago.

What is a good inconsistency?! For our honored Constitutional Court, that is probably the only way to describe their recent decisions.

Zakki P.

Veeramalla Anjaiah, Jakarta – With its huge population and dynamic economies, Asia is increasingly poised to become the new strategic center of gravity in global politics, and Indonesia

John Aglionby, Jakarta – Indonesia and East Timor have agreed to set up a truth and friendship commission to address the issues of 1,500 murders and thousands of other human rights viol

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The Golkar Party held a coordination meeting Tuesday evening to discuss its new political stance following the election of Vice President Jusuf Kalla as its ch

Indonesia and East Timor announced plans for a historic joint commission to draw a line under past hostilities and resolve the 1999 bloodshed that marred the East Timorese march to inde

Washington – US officials do not want a planned Indonesian-East Timorese commission on 1999 violence in East Timor to supplant UN efforts to determine if justice has since been done, a

Tim Johnston, Jakarta – The case against the alleged leader of Jemaah Islamiah, the terror group behind the Bali bombings, was boosted yesterday when Abbas, a confessed senior member of