The United States and Indonesia have agreed to reschedule nearly 500 million US dollars in debt owed by Indonesia and due to mature shortly.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – When the Indonesian Government hived the police force away from the military two years ago, it hoped it would be another step on Indonesia's road towards democr

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Analysts blamed the deadly gunfight between police and soldiers in Binjai, North Sumatra, on the reluctance of the Indonesian Military (TNI) to focus on the na

Tim Dodd – Now let us see if we can follow this logic through.

[The Indonesian military has discharged 20 soldiers accused of involvement in a bloody gun battle between the army and police in North Sumatra.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – At least 100 soldiers armed with grenades, bazookas and rifles attacked a police station in North Sumatra on Sunday night, killing four policemen and leaving

Papuan independence activists have welcomed Vanuatu's strong support for their cause at the United Nations, and have urged other Pacific countries to add their voice to the campaign.

Tiarma Siboro and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – A coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) urged the United Nations on Monday to send a rapporteur to investigate the Free

Max Lane – In the last years of the New Order and since the fall of Gen.

"This would never have been possible in the Suharto era," mused one member of the audience at a showing of the film Shadow Play in Jakarta Monday.

Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri broke with tradition when she failed to attend the anniversary of the victory over the 1965 foiled communist coup which led to the rise of for

Muhammad Nafik and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Jakarta – Demands have resurfaced for the government to reveal the truth behind the abortive September 30, 1965, coup as a perquisite for rec

A lobby group in Darwin, Australia, claims Indonesian authorities are persecuting and intimidating civil democratic groups in the province of Aceh.

The top leadership of the Indonesian military has responded angrily, making revengeful accusations against West Papua's leading human rights organisation, ELSHAM, for daring to accuse a

Geneva – Newly-independent Timor -Leste, formerly East Timor, has just 47 doctors for its 850,000 citizens because of large-scale emigration, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on

Rachel S.

Diarmid O'Sullivan – The struggle over land and natural resource rights is a key aspect of the conflict in Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, that pits the Indonesian state against an

Farah Farouque – Flag raising is common at public events.

Banda Aceh – A female student was shot dead and a soldier was wounded in the latest violence to hit the troubled Indonesian province of Aceh, the military and residents said on Sunday.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – The dossiers of British academic Lesley McCulloch and American nurse Joy Lee Sadler will be submitted to the Banda Aceh district prosecution office on Monday,

Middlemen, smugglers, exorbitant tariffs in foreign countries and a dire need for agricultural reform are all leading Indonesian farmers to take drastic action to protect their liveliho

Ellen Nakashima and Alan Sipress, Jakarta – Indonesia's decision to detain and interrogate Seyam Reda, a German citizen suspected of links to al Qaeda, marks a significant shift for Ind

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – Legal experts and human rights activists have warned of extensive human rights abuses and political suppression should a new bill on terrorism being drafted by

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The seemingly forgotten issue of enacting an anti-terror law resurfaced in Indonesia after several prominent figures, including the military chief and the head

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Drug addicts in a crowded Jakarta kampung are being submitted to one of the toughest drying-out regimes around.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – At least four people were injured, including two police officers, when dozens of Army soldiers attacked the Langkat Police station in Binjai regency, North Suma

Sian Powell – Turf wars over extortion rackets often trigger armed clashes between the Indonesian military and the nation's police force, a conference on the weekend was told.

Simon Elegant, Jakarta – George W.

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Indonesian police have questioned 19 soldiers as witnesses in an investigation into the killing of two American school teachers and an Indonesian last month in

Dean Yates, Jakarta – Foreign countries must stop giving the impression Indonesia is home to a terrorist network, otherwise this could incite popular anger in the world's largest Muslim

Slobodan Lekic, Magelang – They take classes in human rights, are required to carry a handbook listing international conventions and are taught to put themselves in the place of prisone

[One of Australia's top Indonesia-watchers says that Indonesia's military is promoting, not fighting, communal violence.

Jakarta – In line with sharia law, the Aceh legislative council is proposing that caning be one of the punishments for people who tempt Muslims to desert religious teachings.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Dozens of activists and city councillors marched to the Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday, demanding the annulment of the recent election of Sutiyoso and Fauzi

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – For a fleeting moment on Monday it looked as if Indonesians might be getting closer to the truth about the Bush Administration's contentious claim that their co

Jakarta – The number of people with HIV/AIDS has increased sharply in the northeast coastal areas of West Java in the past two years because of increased drug use and prostitution in th

Jakarta – Religious radicalism has no place in the world's most populous Muslim country due to the fact that the sociocultural diversity of the people here would discourage such extremi

Jakarta – About 60 per cent of Indonesia's four million civil servants are unqualified for their jobs, according to the State Administrative Reforms Minister.

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Life is hard for thousands of farmers in the northern coastal areas of Tangerang regency.

A former Australian University lecturer who is being held by police in the Indonesian province of Aceh is reportedly sick and in need of medical attention.

Pontianak – Indonesia's environment minister said on a visit to the smoke-choked island of Borneo on Friday corruption was blocking the international help needed to tackle forest fires.

Jakarta – Outspoken activist Azas Tigor Nainggolan was arrested by city police on Thursday for slandering Governor Sutiyoso by alleging that he had bribed city councillors.

After decades of authoritarian rule, Indonesia closed its notorious Department of Information three years ago and declared censorship was dead.

New York – On the eve of East Timor's joining the United Nations, the president of the former Indonesian-held territory said he would not advise other regions to use armed struggles as

Ray Brindal, Canberra – East Timor doesn't recognize a claim by PetroTimor Comphanhia de Petroleos SARL over energy-rich concessions in the Timor Sea, according to a senior East Timor g

East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao on 27 September marked his country's admission as the UN's 191st member with a defence of the right to independence of both the Palestinians and th

Irwin Arieff, United Nations – The tiny Southeast Asian nation of East Timor, the first country to be born in the 21st century, won a seat at the United Nations on Friday, swelling the

Dili – East Timor becomes the 191st member of the United Nations on Friday, an historic day for the world's newest nation after a bloody transition from Indonesian rule, but East Timore

Ellen Nakashima and Alan Sipress, Jakarta – Police are investigating an allegation that Indonesian army special forces carried out the ambush in Papua province last month that killed tw

Catharine Munro, Jakarta – In a sign Papuan independence still strains relations between Indonesia and Australia, Canberra this week had to repeatedly deny suggestions it supported sece