Max Lane – At least 50,000 workers, mostly members of the Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggles (FNPBI), joined protests in 19 cities in Sulawesi, Bali, Java and Sumatra.

Banda Aceh – At least three people were killed and four others were wounded in the latest violence between separatist rebels and government forces in the Indonesian province of Aceh, a

Max Lane – Contrary to many predictions circulating in Jakarta during the last few weeks, the Indonesian capital remained calm after the Golkar-Central Axis-led majority in the House of

Jakarta – Labor unions are threatening massive strikes following Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Al-Hilal Hamdi's decision to amend controversial Ministerial Decree No.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Fresh signs of Government fragmentation came last week with the demand from Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri's office that journalists seek special accred

Robert Go, Jakarta – Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung once again pushed Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri into a more prominent role in the process of ousting President Abdurrahman Wahid

Seth Mydans, Jakarta – She is the immovable object of Indonesian politics – stolid, silent, imperious, a puzzle to her countrymen even as she commands unrivalled popularity.

Tim Dodd, Jakarta – For more than 30 years until Soeharto's fall in 1998, the writings of Indonesia's pre-eminent novelist and political prisoner, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, were banned in

Vaudine England, Jakarta – A spate of recent anti-communist incidents and violent threats is part of a plot to destroy Indonesia's fledgling democracy, philosophers and activists say.

Melbourne – Tough negotiations over a Timor Sea oil and gas production treaty are likely to resume between Australia and East Timor later this month in Dili as commercial deadlines loom

Fifteen militia commanders on Saturday accepted the 30 August 1999 referendum result, because it was, as they said, the decision of the majority.

Banda Aceh – Continuing violence involving Indonesian government forces and separatist rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has left at least five killed, police and residents said S

[Despite a legacy of organized crime, Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso has said that freeing Jakarta of thugs is "easy." Researcher Tim Lindsey, Associate Professor and Director of the Asia

Agencies in Jakarta and Geneva – The United Nations and foreign diplomats yesterday condemned as a mockery jail terms imposed by a Jakarta court on six men convicted in connection with

Jakarta – Police have arrested both a leader of the ethnic Dayaks who killed more than 500 settlers on Borneo island this year, and the commander of a Muslim militia fighting Christians

Jakarta – Despite a massive crackdown against hoodlums by the city administration, thugs are still operating freely in a number of markets in the city, extorting money from vendors and

Jakarta – An anti-communist group in Indonesia has said it will stage vigilante-style raids on book stores in the capital on May 20 to rid them of leftist publications, local media repo

Vaudine England – The survival of several animals key to global biodiversity – the Sumatran tiger, the Asian elephant and the orang-utan – have been put at risk by Indonesia's disappear

Vaudine England, Jakarta – The pillaging of the nation's forests has increased dramatically since the fall of former president Suharto and within 10 years the remaining trees will be go

Tomi Soetjipto, Jakarta – As Indonesia's politics descends deeper into gloom, Indonesia's tarnished military is repolishing its image and trying to position itself as the nation's savio

Jakarta – The Gramedia bookstore here has withdrawn from its shelves all books related to communism, socialism, Marxism and Leninism including the best-seller, Palu Arit (Hammer and Sic

Jakarta – In the reform era where journalists have more freedom to write, they apparently face violence and intimidation, mostly from the public, government officials and the police.

Lindsay Murdoch – Indonesia has dropped prosecutions against six people who have been under investigation for more than 12 months over crimes against humanity in East Timor, including t

Jakarta – The Catholic church in Indonesia on Thursday disassociated itself from a separatist group in the violence-torn Maluku islands.

Jakarta – Manpower and Transmigration Minister Al-Hilal Hamdi revealed on Wednesday that some 80,000 Indonesian laborers overseas have little protection, since they are not registered w

Hamish McDonald – Negotiators for Australia and East Timor yesterday began a secrecy-shrouded meeting in Brisbane in the search for agreement on the seabed boundary in the Timor Sea, af

Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta – A group of Indonesian legislators on Thursday endorsed a proposal that would give rebellious Irian Jaya province more powers including an all-indigenous uppe

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – Jakarta has dropped prosecutions against six people who have been under investigation over crimes against humanity in East Timor, including the notorious mili

Bagus Kurniawan/FW, Yogyakarta – Students from various universities across the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta took their action to the street to commemorate National Education Day, wh

Jakarta – Sixty-seven people were killed in Aceh province between April 11 and April 29, Aceh's Human Rights Care Forum (Forum Peduli HAM Aceh) revealed on Wednesday.

Jakarta – An increasing number of Indonesian migrant workers find themselves in grim circumstances these days due to unjust salary reductions, along with the threat of rape, repatriatio

Pip Hinman – The International Monetary Fund is tightening the screws on President Abdurrahman Wahid to deliver on austerity measures in return for its US$5 billion bailout package.

Jon Land – In the wake of the second round of negotiations between Australia and East Timor on the Timor Gap Treaty and the disputed seabed boundary, Australia's big business press are

Vanya Tanaja, Dili – Thousands of small traders at the Dili market (Mercado Lama) are being pressured to move to two refurbished markets in Comoro and Becora, on the western and eastern

The labor sector must be allowed to participate in the political process because they too have rights, said the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party of Timor Avelino Coelho.

Jakarta – Labor rallies held in several major cities to commemorate World Labor Day were predominantly marred by vandalism and clashes between workers and police.

Jakarta – Indonesian workers took the opportunity of Labor Day on Tuesday to hold rallies and voice their demand for better pay and working conditions.

John Haseman, Bangkok – Indonesia is resuming extensive military operations in the troubled province of Aceh after almost a year of fruitless political negotiations, humanitarian pauses

Max Lane – Between 100,000 to 500,000 supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid are expected to gather in Jakarta for a mass prayer meeting on April 29, just one day before the Indonesi

Jakarta – Police shot four people and detained another seven following a riot that broke out in Manokwari, Irian Jaya, Monday afternoon.

Jakarta – A list of the declared wealth of 77 officials and legislators issued by the State Officials' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) here on Tuesday revealed House of Representatives

Djoko Tjiptono/HD, Jakarta – Around on thousand of Indonesia workers from greater Jakarta marched to flood at the Monas National Monument square in a rally to commemorate International

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – The notorious East Timorese militia leader Eurico Guterres will be free within weeks after a Jakarta court yesterday sentenced him to six months' jail for inc

Mark Dodd, Dili – The United Nations' Serious Crimes Unit, the taskforce gathering evidence to prosecute perpetrators of the violence that swept East Timor in 1999, is on the point of c

Jakarta – Thousands of people braved heavy rain on Monday as they marched through the city's thoroughfares in a display of support for President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, whose polit

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – As Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri's legislators lobbed their strongest shot yet against President Abdurrahman Wahid, acting as shock troops in the atta

Shoeb Kagda, Jakarta – Indonesia's Parliament yesterday issued a second censure against embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid, raising the political temperature to a new high, but the b

Manado, North Sulawesi – Environmentalists said here over the weekend that the submarine tailing disposal (STD) used as a waste disposal system by gold mining firm PT Newmont Raya Minah

Craig Skehan – The Australian Government yesterday urged Indonesia to push ahead with the prosecution of all those involved in killings and other human rights violations in East Timor i

Seth Mydans, Jakarta – April 30 – Legislators today overwhelmingly censured President Abdurrahman Wahid for corruption and incompetence, setting the stage for possible impeachment of th