John Aglionby, Jakarta – The foreign office minister John Battle yesterday defended the resumption of British arms sales to Indonesia in spite of the rapidly escalating social unrest, a

Since the coming to power of Indonesia's brutal New Order regime in 1965, discussion and dissemination of Marxist ideas has been banned in Indonesia.

Conor O'Clery, East Timor – The electricity power station in Los Palos, a remote town on the eastern plains of East Timor, survived the devastation wrought on the former Portuguese colo

Jon Land – The low wages that workers receive in East Timor today are little different from the pre-referendum rate, but given the dramatic increase in food and basic commodity prices s

Sam King, Dili – The stated aim of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) is to effectively administer the country during the period of transition to a po

Jonathan Thatcher, Jakarta – Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid on Wednesday backed his controversial former top general Wiranto, but said he would have to step down if found guilty

Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) top brass lashed out at rumors of a coup attempt by the armed forces, saying such a move was contradictory to TNI culture.

Max Lane – For the first time since 1974, a public split has emerged within the Indonesian army's top generals over how best to preserve the political authority of the Indonesian armed

Jakarta – A team promoting reconciliation in the strife-torn Maluku islands has named four men suspected of stirring up sectarian violence, and linked former president Soeharto and ex-

Vaudine England in Makassar, South Sulawesi and Agencies – Indonesia's leading reformist soldier and the regional commander for Sulawesi, Major-General Agus Wirahadikusumah, wants a neu

Makassar – A fierce clash between demonstrators, armed with swords and wooden bats, and military troops erupted at about 9pm local time in Makassar on Tuesday evening.

Jakarta – The government has officially revoked Presidential Instruction No. 41/1967, which restricted the observance of Chinese religious practices and traditions.

Jakarta – On Monday, the government announced a planned revision to the 1999 election law which would include dissolving the present General Elections Commission (KPU).

Andrew Marshall, Jakarta – Indonesia's powerful bank restructuring agency went on the offensive on Tuesday in the battle over control of the country's largest automaker, Astra Internati

Jakarta – Indonesia on Monday urged the United Nations to give Jakarta the chance to complete its own inquiry into atrocities in East Timor before stepping up international action.

Canberra – The commander of the multinational peacekeeping force in East Timor said Monday that he had issued a warning to his troops after a group of women complained of sexual harassm

Washington – Indonesia's struggle for democracy is facing tough challenges and must be supported from the outside, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Tuesday.

Terry McCarthy – On the streets of Ambon, people describe what's happening in their homeland as perang – war.

Jakarta – Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has said he plans to continue replacing senior government and military officials in an effort to wipe out corruption and strengthen prof

Banda Aceh – Representatives of 15 international non- government organizations concluded their two-day meeting here on Sunday putting more pressure on the Indonesian government to soon

Ian Timberlake, Dili – East Timor's leadership plans to start paying volunteer public servants as part of measures to ease growing frustration over the lack of progress since Indonesian

Jakarta – The marginalization of Christians and a power struggle among local politicians are behind bloody year-long clashes in Indonesia's Maluku islands, analysts say.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) claims to have uncovered a plot to provoke violence in Ambon and clashes in other parts of the Maluku province, where thou

Three people have been injured in Dili during violent scuffles when thousands of poor and unemployed East Timorese scrambled to apply for jobs offered by the United Nations administrati

Jakarta – In the wake of mounting criticism for its alleged indifference, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas Ham) set up on Friday a commission to investigate atrocities in

Vaudine England – Throughout the telling of their individual stories of fighting and displacement, the Christian refugees now in Bitung, North Sulawesi, are clear on one point – the roo

Michael Richardson, Singapore – Like many other institutions from the rule of former President Suharto of Indonesia, the headquarters of the central bank in Jakarta has an impressive fa

Jakarta – The government decision to start a fresh investigation into alleged widespread sexual abuse during the May 1998 riot received mixed reactions from female activists concerning

New York – The United States warned Indonesia's military on Friday not to overthrow the country's new president and to cooperate with national and UN investigations into human rights ab

Reuters, Tokyo – Indonesia faces a bank-sector meltdown and a political break-up that could trigger a financial crisis, according to a senior official of the Japan Bank for Internationa

Jakarta – The government will intensify taxation efforts and reduce new foreign borrowing and investment spending to control the budget deficit for the 2000 fiscal year at a maximum of

Dili – A number of pro-Indonesian militiamen and members of their families were attacked when they tried to return to their homes in East Timor, a UN official said Friday.

Reuters in Jakarta – Indonesia's military said on Friday it would send hundreds of crack troops to the bloodied Malukus to help quell widespread violence between Muslims and Christians.

United Nations civilian police have arrested a pro-Indonesian militiaman implicated in one of the first mass murders in East Timor last year.

Sangwon Suh and Tom McCawley, Jakarta – Abdurrahman Wahid must have the toughest job on the planet.

Daniel Cooney, Jakarta – Indonesia's president ordered a major shake-up of the military and bureaucracy Thursday, replacing an armed forces' spokesman who had challenged his authority a

Severin Carrell – Tony Blair is to resume the sale of Hawk jets and other arms to Indonesia by lifting a Europe-wide embargo imposed during the East Timor crisis.

Community and business leaders on the Indonesian island of Bali have asked their local parliament to seek greater autonomy within Indonesia.

Tim Dodd, Jakarta – Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid yesterday sacked a key economic official over the snail-like pace of banking reform, which is becoming a drag on economic reco

Rin Hindryati – Indonesian ad agencies say their business is heating up, thanks to improving consumer demand and a strong holiday season.

Banda Aceh – Representatives of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have rejected President Abdurrahman Wahid's offer of protection and possible clemency if leaders of the rebel gro

Michael Shari, Jakarta – Indonesia is preparing to take stern measures to regulate its debt-plagued financial system.

Jakarta – Over 400 East Timorese who fled their violence-ravaged homeland following the August 30 self-determination ballot have died from various diseases in their refugee camps throug

Peter Symonds – Continued intense fighting between Christian and Muslim groups in the Indonesian provinces of Maluku and North Maluku is fueling religious antagonisms in other parts of

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Hundreds of charred and rotting Muslim corpses are being bulldozed into mass graves on the North Maluku island of Halmahera, say aid workers, police and milit

Jakarta – Thousands of people attended a ceremony to hoist the separatist Free West Papua flag in a town in Indonesia's easternmost province of Irian Jaya, a report said here Tuesday.

Reuters in Jakarta – Separatist leader Thom Beanal says Indonesia's eastern Irian Jaya province could be independent by 2003 but freedom may have a bloody price, as it did in East Timor

Agence France Presse, Jakarta – The central bank may have violated procedures relating to US$11 billion worth of emergency liquidity for debt-ridden banks during the Asian financial cri

John Martinkus, Kupang – Exiled pro-Indonesian militia leader Eurico Gutteres who was widely blamed for the destruction of Dili wants to negotiate a return to East Timor for himself and

Dili – A piece of cardboard torn from a Tiger beer carton covers the small beef satays (kebabs) to help them smoke on Emilio Gomes' grill.