The press in our former colony, the tiny East Timor, is much more free than ours; the new nation ranks number 57 together with Ghana and a notch above Thailand on a newly released list

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – When asked about the decision of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to oblige his ministers to sign a "political contract" before their appointments, a senior

Newly-elected Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he would consider becoming a globe-trotting advocate for moderate Islam, promoting peace in hotspots such as the Middle

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Oyos Saroso, Jakarta/Lampung – Pardede, a truck driver, had just eaten a meal at a busy roadside Begadang Restaurant, Bandarlampung.

M.

Jakarta – A number of non-government organisations (NGOs) who are concerned with issues of human rights are supporting the Indonesian government's nomination as the head of the United N

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Smack in the middle of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, hordes of international and local reporters have descended on a makeshift courtroom here to witness th

Agus R/Supriyantho/Dian Y/Mahbub, Surabaya – Commemorations of Youth Pledge Day in various parts of the country yesterday were enlivened by a number of demonstrations.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Employers can no longer dismiss striking workers or those implicated in crimes without due process of law, the Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday.

Ivy Susanti, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will review the visa procedures for foreign diplomats to facilitate their travel to Indonesia, particularly Aceh, foreign affairs minist

East Timor on Friday indicted eight Indonesian soldiers and two militiamen for allegedly killing two UN election workers and attacking independence supporters during the country's blood

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Responding to the war on corruption launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the National Police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO) have decided to p

[The following report was filed by the Aceh Working Group on 18 October, following their investigation of three places of detention, in Aceh and Java.

Nala Edwin, Jakarta – The Committee to Monitor the New Order (Komite Waspada Orde Baru, Tewas Orba) says that the Indonesian Cabinet of Unity is ridden with people from former President

Radical Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Baasyir says charges that he was behind the deadly Bali and Marriott Hotel bombings were trumped up by US President George W.

Flamboyan, Jakarta – The head of the European Union's Troika Delegation, Bernard Bot, said on Thursday October 28 that they were interested in visiting Aceh and West Papua.

Sunariah, Jakarta – The Acehnese Popular Democratic Resistance Front (Front Perlawanan Demokratik Rakyat Aceh, FPDRA) has rejected a decision by the coordinating minister of politics, l

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Newly inaugurated Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also known as SBY, is borrowing a page from another president known by his three initials: Amer

The Golkar Party, which dominated Indonesian politics under former dictator Suharto, may have lost this year's presidential election but it now controls the lion's share of important po

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Press freedom in Indonesia remains under serious threat due to the existence of outdated laws, and killings and physical attacks targeting journalists, an inte

Meriam Debora, Jakarta – Moves to nominate Indonesia as the head of the United Nations Human Rights Commission and as a permanent member of the Security Council are presumptuous because

Rowan Callick/Melbourne and John McBeth/Jakarta – Fresh from a re-election victory, Australian Prime Minister John Howard's government is raising the prospect of stronger security coope

Nani Farida and Tiarma Siboro, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – Peace, safety and justice for local officials implicated in corruption are all that the Acehnese are demanding from the Susilo admini

Palembang – More than half of South Sumatra's residents have no access to electricity, due to the remote locations of their homes, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – The environment in the country's major cities is poor condition and adversely affects the population's health, a report says.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The government is making the necessary preparations to facilitate the return of an estimated 160,000 Indonesian illegal workers from Malaysia to celebrate

Rendi A.

Zakki P.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said on Tuesday it would devote much of its energy to alleged graft in the sale of Pertamina supertankers, haj arrangements by the

Abu Bakar Bashir, the Muslim cleric who was cleared last year of leading Jemaah Islamiah, goes on trial again on Thursday accused of involvement in the Bali and Marriott hotel bombings.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Five factions supporting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono boycotted on Tuesday a House of Representatives (DPR) plenary meeting and refused to submit candida

Indonesia's new President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has refused to accept the resignation of military chief General Endriartono Sutarto.

James Balowski, Jakarta – On October 20, former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono – popularly known as SBY – and business tycoon Jusuf Kalla were sworn in as Indonesia's first directly e

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – Home affairs minister M.

M.

Jakarta – At the very start of his tenure, newly installed Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono has fired his first shot.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – After leaving the post vacant for more than two months, the Indonesian Military (TNI) appointed Lt. Gen.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Indonesia's self-appointed guardians of morality, the once disbanded radical Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI), have once again resorted to violence in the nation's

Banda Aceh – A district court in the restive province of Aceh sentenced Tuesday the mayor of the capital, Banda Aceh, to five years in prison for embezzling more than US$386,000 in stat

It all sounds too familiar.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – In an apparent start of the government's "shock therapy" on graft and terrorism, the government announced on Monday it planned to send people convicte

Fachruddin Majeri Mangunjaya, Jakarta – We set off for a Bajau village on Kabalutan island, Palu from the port of Ampana, on Sulawesi's eastern peninsula.

Semarang – About 2,000 people calling themselves the Marhaen People's Alliance staged protest on Monday here, demanding local prosecutors stop a probe into a Rp 14 billion (US$1.5 milli

Jakarta – While giving assurances that there would be no populist measures in its economic policies, the new government remains cautious over whether or not to cut fuel subsidies in the

Agus Sumule, Manokwari – The downfall of former president Soeharto on May 21, 1998, undoubtedly fueled the widespread revival of free speech among the people – including Papuans – in de

Jakarta – Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) governor Abdullah Puteh has said that the existence of the Free Aceh Movement in Aceh is still of concern.

Tom Allard – East Timor is making a last-minute attempt to secure a $3 billion liquid natural gas processing plant and pipeline on its soil as negotiations over the Timor Gap oil and ga

Dadan Wijaksana, Jakarta – Mr.

Zakki P.

Yogyakarta – The National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien Rais said on Saturday he would let Muhammadiyah followers build their own political party if they perceived that PAN had fai