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

Tony Kevin – Tomorrow, Alexander Downer launches a book on Australia's role in East Timor between 1998 and 2000. One wonders why he should wish to reopen this Pandora's box.

Dili – East Timor's defacto parliament, the National Council, was dissolved on Saturday, one day before the start of political campaigning for a new 88-seat Constituent Assembly, taking

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Campaigning began yesterday for East Timor's first election, but confusion reigns in the minds of voters about what they are voting for and whether it bears a

Mark Dodd, Dili – Campaigning for East Timor's first democratic elections began at the weekend, but hopes for a smooth start were marred by a strike and the seizure of a consignment of

Banda Aceh – Violence pitting Indonesian government forces against separatist rebles in the restive province of Aceh has claimed another four lives, police and the military said Monday.

Robert Go, Jakarta – It's just trash for most people, but some Jakarta residents are finding novel ways of using garbage to help build their impoverished community.

G.K.

Jon Land – The start of the formal election campaign period for East Timor's new Constituent Assembly began on July 15.

Max Lane – There are now more political prisoners in Indonesia than there were during the last 12 months of General Suharto's 32-year rule.

Jakarta – Indonesians are bracing for a stormy countdown to the August 1 national assembly session which will decide the fate of embattled Abdurrahman Wahid, the country's first freely-

Jakarta – Top Army officials held on Friday a closed-door consolidation meeting at Wiladatika field in Cibubur, East Jakarta on Friday canceling the weekly Friday sports event between t