Irwin Arieff, United Nations – The United Nations said on Wednesday it would reduce its presence in East Timor after the tiny territory gained its independence, expected early in 2002,

In the months leading up to President Abdurrahman Wahid's removal as president yesterday, American State Department officials and the National Security Council developed a contingency p

Mark Dodd – The Nobel laureate Bishop Carlos Belo has indicated support for a Fretilin victory at the election for a Constituent Assembly on August 30.

I Made Sentana, Jakarta – Indonesia's new President Megawati Sukarnoputri faces a tough balancing act between building a workable political coalition and fulfilling hopes among financia

Hong Kong – Megawati Sukarnoputri may well put Indonesia on the path to political stability, but even then it may not be smooth enough to tempt back emerging market investors whose sent

Jakarta – Indonesian police authorities have arrested seven of their own senior officers and are hunting down another one in what appeared to be a clean up of the force following Abdurr

East Timor's official television and radio station's have begun broadcasting the second round of campaign messages allotted political parties and independent candidates contesting the A

A joint campaign by seven political parties to hit the hustings in Lospalos Monday was called off because transportation promised by UNTAET failed to turn up.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Despite two bombs in the morning and a gathering of forces for a major political showdown today, it was hard to find signs of concern outside Parliament build

Jakarta – Indonesian MPs Monday opened a special session which could impeach President Abdurrahman Wahid, even though he issued a decree disbanding parliament.

Seth Mydans, Jakarta – In the most peaceful transfer of power in Indonesia's history, Megawati Sukarnoputri was sworn in as president today, moments after the nation's top legislative b

Seth Mydans, Jakarta – When she was still something of a neophyte six years ago, Megawati Sukarnoputri spoke with wonder about the hard work of politics.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Chinese sports officials have decided to withdraw their badminton team from next week's Indonesian Open Championship, citing the unstable political situation

Jakarta – Indonesia's first leader, President Sukarno, was ousted from office 35 years ago by right-wing army generals.

Jakarta – The Indonesian armed forces yesterday staged one of the biggest show of force seen in the capital in years.

Mark Dodd, Aileu – When it came time to harvest new varieties of sweet potato in an agriculture project in Aileu, an East Timor mountain town, the response was overwhelming – the farmer

Jakarta – General Wiranto, the former Indonesian military commander blamed for the violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 independence vote, emerged Friday as a possible vice-president

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – They call him King Rat.

Jakarta – In a new twist to Indonesia's political turmoil, the national assembly chairman Friday warned President Abdurrahman Wahid he would face a snap impeachment hearing if he swore

Muklis Ali, Jakarta – Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday stood by a threat to declare a state of emergency to counter fresh efforts to impeach him, edging the country clos

Ian Timberlake, Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid's threat to declare a state of emergency tonight is a deliberate tactic to foster negotiations with his political opponents, accord

Jakarta – In an effort to end a long-running separatist war, Indonesia's Parliament yesterday passed a Bill granting Aceh province sweeping autonomy.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – The seemingly endless battle between the Indonesian Parliament and President Abdurrahman Wahid over who should rule the country has left the government with

Lee Siew Hua, Washington – The United States said turmoil in Indonesia will threaten its immediate neighbours and hollow out Asean, while endangering US strategic goals.

Jakarta – The shocking escape of an army soldier, held on charges related to last year's bombing of the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building, has sparked a furore among the authorities

Avelinho Coelho, the secretary-general of the Timor Socialist Party (PST) said the Constituent Assembly to be formed after the 30 August election must not be structured like the now-dis

Yogyakarta – Some fifty members from East Timorese prointegration groups held a modest ceremony on Tuesday at Yogyakarta's East Timor Students Dormitory to celebrate what they called "t

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – Some of Jakarta's most influential political leaders are trying to broker a last-minute compromise to save President Abdurrahman Wahid from impeachment.

Jakarta – Despite the faint glimmer of a possible compromise, Indonesians were Thursday bracing for President Abdurrahman Wahid to make good his threat to declare a state of emergency t

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia's defiant police chief General Suroyo Bimantoro yesterday promoted and reshuffled 138 middle-ranking officers, in an apparent bid to garner more suppo

Mark Dodd, Viqueque – East Timorese voters have sent their political leaders a strong message to end violence and work towards improving living standards and social services.

A Defensive Alexander Downer undoubtedly has his eyes on the history books with the publication of the Government's apologia for its handling of the East Timor crisis.

Craig Skehan – An official history of Australia's role in East Timor's transition to independence reveals that the Federal Government knew more than it was willing to admit at the time

Don Greenlees, Jakarta – Seated in a conference room of the Sheraton Nusa Dua Hotel in Bali, an agitated Indonesian president B.J. Habibie thumped his fist on the table.

Banda Aceh – Indonesian troops shot dead three more separatist rebels in Aceh as representatives from both sides entered a third-day of talks here, the military said Wednesday.

Jon Land – Three activists from the Acehnese Democratic Peoples Resistance Front were detained by police in Banda Aceh on July 11 during a protest against the United States-based compan

East Timorese electoral officials Wednesday acknowledged "systematic failures" in the preparation of voters' lists for the August 30 constituent assembly balloting and appealed to the p

A team dispatched to verify rumors of planned election violence in East Timor reported Wednesday they had found the territory's "most vulnerable" areas "calm and serene".

Three days after the start of the official campaign period for August 30 elections, the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) became the first party to publish an advertisement in the East Ti

Teh Jen Lee – The haze caused by fires set to clear land for plantations may be less severe over South-east Asia this year because of lower palm-oil prices.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military and the National Police reconfirmed on Monday their opposition to President Abdurrahman Wahid's intention to declare a state of emergency ahead of the

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – A defiant General Suroyo Bimantoro, the sacked national police chief, said yesterday that President Abdurrahman Wahid's supporters would engineer mass unrest t

Karen Polglaze, Canberra – A new book on Australia's foreign policy approach to East Timor from 1998 to 2000 is highly selective and partisan, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Lauri

Kupang Pos, Kupang – Political discourse on the formation of an Independent Timor (Negara Timor Raya-NTR) within East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) West Timor is treated seriously by TNI Indonesi

Jakarta – The Central Jakarta District Court started hearing on Monday a lawsuit filed by five non-governmental organizations (NGOs) against the government for its failure to prevent th

Jakarta – Indonesian police said yesterday they suspected a concerted bombing campaign was under way after a woman was injured in the second blast here in less than a week.

Joanne Collins, Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday it was still aiming to release a delayed $400 million loan to Indonesia next month, erasing fears an agreement

Jakarta – Political activists are calling for an act of civil disobedience by rejecting all regulations, policies and taxes imposed by the government and the House of Representatives.

East Timor's Independent Electoral Commission has rejected more than 70 potential candidates for the August 30 constituent assembly elections.

East Timor's transitional administration saw a flurry of moves today and over the weekend as political activity began to heat up in the half-island territory ahead of the United Nations