Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Five years ago, they were the leading lights of a reform movement that toppled the regime of former President Suharto, surviving such horrors as abduction and t

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – When you're talking tar, few cigarettes can match it with Indonesia's kreteks, the aromatic tobacco and clove mix preferred by 90 per cent of smokers here.

A military commander overseeing Indonesian West Timor has ordered his men to shoot on sight any armed militiamen found trying to cross the border with independent East Timor.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – The head of Indonesia's military, General Endriartono Sutarto, said he "didn't know" that an American mining company last year paid the military about $US5.6 mi

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – Adhong is a former junior officer from the Indonesian Army.

Three Indonesian policemen were wounded in the latest skirmish with rebels despite a ceasefire agreement in Aceh province, police said.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen.

Robert Go, Jakarta – The police force is under fire again, this time for allegedly mishandling a dispute between one of Indonesia's richest men and the country's most respected weekly n

Marco Kusumawijaya, Jakarta – Many Jakartans have just seen the movie The Gangs of New York.

Religious leaders have requested members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police to stop backing prostitution and drug trafficking to help reduce the spread of HIV.

Moch. N.

Damar Harsanto and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The police confirmed on Thursday that the fire that razed the sixth floor of the finance ministry building and destroyed records of

Jakarta – The Indonesian provinces of Aceh and Papua, as well as Ambon city in Maluku province, are still closed to foreign researchers for security reasons, an official said on Friday.

Jakarta – The US Freeport company paid the Indonesian military (TNI) about US$5.6 million last year to protect employees of its giant copper and gold mine in Papua province, according t

Jakarta – International credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service has maintained its positive outlook for Indonesia, on the back of the country's political stability and continued

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The national meeting of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) ended on a low note on Thursday as party executi

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – The legendary Tempo magazine, which began life in March 1971 by copying Time's style and format, is a national institution in Indonesia.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Pressure is growing on the Indonesian government to reduce its dependence on foreign loans, with critics saying that as much as 30 per cent of donors' funds is bein

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Local officials have allegedly marked up the cost of the projects to renovate and build school buildings here by as much as 100 percent.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – A retired military officer has admitted that reforms are moving very slowly within the Indonesian Military (TNI) but put the blame on the government's

Chris McCall – Small boys play on a rusting warship off Dili harbour, the detritus of war that has become their home. On the beach, men scavenge for rubbish they can use or sell.

Chris McCall – In the mist of East Timor's central mountains, Florindo Soares explains why he helped kill his neighbour's brother 25 years ago.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia's human rights tribunal yesterday convicted Brigadier-General Noer Muis, a former military chief in then-East Timor, of crimes against humanity committed

Andrew Burrell, Jakarta – A senior Indonesian military officer convicted yesterday over the bloodshed in East Timor in 1999 will remain free, despite being sentenced to five years jail

John McBeth, Jakarta – The troubled task of clearing the way to resume limited military cooperation between the United States and Indonesia now lies in the hands of agents of the US Fed

Chris McCall – It is only a rough map, but the message is clear. East Timor is shown surrounded by Falintil freedom fighters, with a huge cross close to Dili.

Sem Karoba is a student leader and representative of the West Papua Presidium Council (West Papua's alternative to the Indonesian government) who is on his second visit to Ireland, lobb

Jayapura – A crowd of some 100 students demonstrated on Monday before the provincial legislature against Jakarta's move to split Papua into three provinces, arguing it would attract mor

Indonesia's top political parties – all of which are regarded as corrupt – are busy contemplating possible coalitions ahead of next year's general election, keenly aware that no party w

The emergence of a corruption case involving state-owned oil and gas Pertamina has created a new threat not only to former Mines and Energy Minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita, but also to

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Leaders of the Indonesian military (TNI) have agreed to pay more attention to sea security and secessionist movements in Papua and A

Rick Kelly – The long standing plan of the Australian government to maintain control of East Timor's oil and gas reserves reached its dinouement late last week, as the East Timorese app

Australia promised East Timor millions of dollars in a secret aid deal that convinced the world's newest nation to give up claims to a huge undersea gas field, a newspaper reported.

Larissa Dubecki – The State Government will give financial aid to about 1600 East Timorese refugees in Australia fighting to gain permanent residency status.

Alan Boyd, Sydney – East Timor is preparing for next year's withdrawal of United Nations peacekeeping troops with a diplomatic offensive aimed at confronting worsening security and soci

Terry MacAlister – United Kingdom BP has been warned by a panel of experts led by the US senator, George Mitchell, that it could trigger human rights abuses if it proceeds with a $2bn g

Jakarta – The Indonesian Press and Broadcasting Community (MPPI) issued a statement on Monday protesting violence against the press and journalists, which the organization said posed a

Jakarta – Dozens of journalists rallied near the State Palace on Monday to protest against the recent attack on the offices of Tempo newsmagazine.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The government plans to submit a new bill as part of an addition to the set of antiterrorism bills, one of which was endorsed by the House of Representa

Banda Aceh – Eight Indonesian student activists said here Monday they have begun a hunger strike to demand freedom of speech in the restive province of Aceh.

John Martinkus – Forty kilometres from the Papuan capital of Jayapura, its border with PNG has become a no-go area for Indonesian police and human rights workers – and home to Kopassus-

Tim Colebatch – They fooled me. Perhaps they fooled you, too. These days the spin doctors are everywhere, and they know how to pull the wool over our eyes.

Craig Skehan – Despite its natural splendours, cultural diversity and tragic history of decolonisation gone awry, Papua has not loomed large in world or regional affairs.

Indonesia remains the most corrupt country in Asia, according to a new survey.

A prayer rally in the province of East Java in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-populated country, attracted hundreds of thousands of Muslims to pray for peace and a non-violent en

Dili – The East Timorese government defended today the imposition of restraints on the activities of foreigners in Timor-Leste and rejected suggestions of that the proposed law about im

Aboeprijadi Santoso – Instead of expressing regret over Dili's indictment of Indonesian generals (as East Timor President Xanana Gusmao did) or flatly rejecting it (as Indonesian Foreig

Kalinga Seneviratne, Sydney – The Australian government is denying claims that it bullied the world's newest country, and one of its poorest – East Timor – to grab a large slice of a US

Richard Woolcott – John Howard may regard intervention in East Timor as Australia's "most positive and noble act" in 20 years, but our most senior former diplomat sees only needless dam

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – A House of Representatives (DPR) special committee of inquiry into corruption at state oil firm Pertamina alleged on Friday a number of former ministers and cr