Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – Skyrocketing cooking oil prices have threatened the traditional food industry in Indramayu regency, West Java, putting many cracker producers at risk of going ou

Recent reports of a mother and her two children who died of hunger in the South Sulawesi capital Makassar and of five people who died of malnutrition-caused illnesses in the East Nusa T

Ambon – A district court in Ambon, the capital of Indonesia's Maluku province, has sentenced two members of the pro-independence group RMS to 15 and 17 years in prison for "plotting aga

What an unfortunate year for Indonesia's tourism industry.

Iqbal Fadil, Jakarta – Those of you planning activities in the capital today should be on guard for traffic jams.

Zakki Hakim, Jakarta – Indonesia's Human Rights Commission has opened inquiries into mass killings and widespread rights abuses during the 32-year Suharto dictatorship, in an attempt to

Jakarta – Prosecutors demanded Tuesday that late former president Soeharto's heirs pay a total of Rp 13.9 trillion (US$1.5 billion) in damages to the state for misusing scholarship fund

Nurni Sulaiman, Balikpapan – Security forces said they were boosting border security around Berau and Nunukan, East Kalimantan, in anticipation of an expected 300 Jamaah Islamiyah membe

Jakarta – For squatters of Kampung Bayam in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, life goes on as usual, despite the city administration's plan to eject them and restore the area to its origina

Jakarta – Al-Qiyadah, an Islamic sect that rose under the leadership of Ahmad Mussadeq, emerged in response to changing times and Islam's international reputation, the South Jakarta Dis

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – The number of lepers has nearly doubled and the disease has spread to almost every regency and city in West Java over the past year, due to poor sanitation,

Muhammad Nur Rochmi, Jakarta – Three protest actions will be held in Jakarta on Tuesday March 11.

Batam, Riau Islands – The manggrove forest along Nongsa Beach in Batam is reportedly being threatened by fuel waste dumped from foreign-flagged tankers in the Strait of Malacca.

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – Cases of human rights violations committed by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in the 1960s are still being neglected.

See: Comments on the US Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2007 - E

Tifa Asrianti, Bekasi – Five churches in North Bekasi held Sunday services from Permata Jijau Permai housing estate despite a rumor members of the Cooperating Bureau of Mosques and Pray

Ken Yunita, Jakarta – Three protest actions will take place in Jakarta and neighboring Bekasi on Monday March 10. One of the demonstrations will be held at the Singapore Embassy on Jl.

Jakarta – The Golkar Party has drawn criticism for proposing only political groups winning at least 30 percent of national votes in the 2009 legislative election should be allowed to no

The National Awakening Party (PKB) patron and former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was positive about his prospects in the upcoming 2009 presidential elections, after his recent

Bribery issues filled public spaces last week, following the dramatic arrest of a top prosecutor by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Jakarta – A lack of knowledge about Saudi Arabia's legal system and culture is partly to blame for the imprisonment of many Indonesians working in the Islamic state, a non-governmental

Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – Hanifah, 23, carried her two-year-old daughter to join a crowd at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle here Saturday, as part of activities marking Internationa

Jakarta – The commemoration of International Women's Day (IWD) was marked by the accumulation of bitter gifts in the form of the soaring price of basic commodities and soybean, the bact

Jakarta – Violence against women has steadily increased after nearly a decade of political reform, with state institutions both in central and regional governments among the main perpet

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – Despite rises in the number of female workers, legal protection of their rights remains weak, female activists say.

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – The clock reads 10:15 p.m. as Evi, a shop attendant at a perfume store, walks out of Plaza Senayan in South Jakarta.

Jakarta – The National Awakening Party (PKB) is gathering public support in its ambitious goal of winning 65 percent of the vote in the 2009 legislative elections.

[Sukarno and the Indonesian Coup: The Untold Story by Helen-Louise Hunter. Praeger Security International (May 30, 2007). ISBN-10: 0275974383. Price US$75, 216 pages.

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – At least five people, including three aged under five, died recently from malnutrition in Rote Ndao, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), following government "financial

Agustina Wayansari, Jakarta – Five Indonesian businessmen, including pulp and paper tycoon Sukanto Tanoto, are among the 1,125 wealthiest people in the world, according to Forbes magazi

Djoko Tjiptono, Jakarta – Cloudy weather and the threat of rain will not be enough to deter protesters, with at least four protest actions planned for capital city today.

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The National Commission of Human Rights has found human rights abuses in the prolonged land dispute between the Sakai tribe and forestry company PT Arara Abad

[The full text of this report is available at http://www.usindo.org/publications/briefs/2008/R

Erick P.

Rendi Akhmad Witular, Jakarta – The "only" courageous move taken by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his 3.5 years in office was his recent policy to broadly accommodate corpor

Jakarta – A coalition of human rights groups will highlight the threat to freedom of religion in Indonesia during the ongoing United Nations Human Rights Council plenary meeting in Gene

Adianto P.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Compared to the executive and legislative branches of power, the judiciary is less cooperative when it comes to reporting wealth, the Corruption Eradication Com

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Prevention is the key to combating Indonesia's widespread corruption, as eradication efforts rely too heavily on repressive measures, law experts say.

Suherdjoko, Semarang – Central Java Governor Ali Mufiz has urged the central government to postpone a plan for the construction of a nuclear power plant near Mount Muria at Balong villa

Novia D.

A.

Fery Firmansyah, Jakarta – In the lead up to the extended long-weekend holiday, Jakarta will be rocked by nine protest actions on Thursday March 6.

Ramadhian Fadillah, Jakarta – Eight protest actions will rock Jakarta today, Wednesday March 5. So be on the lookout for traffic jams near points such as Jl. Gatot Subroto.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – The media should not highlight Muslim hardliners who take the law into their hands in the name of religion, academics said Tuesday during a discussion organized

Purwokerto, Central Java – Teachers from hundreds of junior high schools in Banyumas protested on Monday to the regency's alms charity agency over the "compulsory" collection of alms fr

Jakarta – Attorney General Hendarman Supandji came close to breaking down at news one of his prosecutors handling corruption cases was charged by the Corruption Eradication Commission (

Debnath Guharoy, Consultant – If knowledge is power, then Indonesia has a long way to go. This is not to cast aspersions on the country, but to highlight an opportunity for investors.

Jakarta – Major political parties emerged the winner in the tug-of-war that preceded the House of Representatives' endorsement Monday of the election bill.

Ramdhan Muhaimin, Jakarta – Four protest actions will enliven activities in the capital today, Tuesday March 4.