Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Dozens of child laborers in North Sumatra have been prevented from returning home for the Idul Fitri holiday, a local child welfare NGO has reported.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The banking industry has rebounded from a disappointing 2006, with lending poised to register growth of more than 20 percent by the end of the year.

Jakarta – The scheduled visit of the United Nations special rapporteur on torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak, will give Indonesia an opportun

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The government should stop a plan to introduce the wide use of a modified, high-tech rice hybrid as it will burden farmers, a farming NGO said Monday.

Alfian, Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla is earning praise for a planned Idul Fitri tour of nine provinces, while observers wonder if the Golkar Party chairman is laying the groundw

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Rising investment and an in-check inflation rate are seen pushing Indonesia's economy toward the 6.3 percent growth targeted by the government for the year.

Jakarta – Four political parties are set to form a so-called National League ahead of the presidential election in 2009, according to Taufik Kiemas, chief patron of the Indonesian Democ

Jakarta – In the midst of the current decline in the popularity of national leaders, a potential for the emergence of new leaders is opening up.

Sultani – The Indonesian public's attention of late has been focused on the actions and maneuvering of political figures who want to nominate themselves as presidential candidates for t

Jakarta – Despite corruption charges and allegations of human rights abuses during his three-decade rule, former president Soeharto received a string of courtesy calls Saturday, the fir

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Thousands of Jakartans queued Sunday to receive an Idul Fitri "gift" from new Governor Fauzi Bowo.

Tom Hyland – It was, in a way, a case of taking the mountain to Muhammad – the mountain being a dormant volcano that looms over the planned site of Indonesia's first nuclear power stati

A number of high-profile issues have made headlines in the past month, including the planned construction of the Muria nuclear plant and the political maneuverings ahead of the 2009 pre

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – After a series of environmental, funding and supply contract problems, surging regional demand has given new impetus to Indonesia's US$6.5 billion Tangguh liquefi

Mark Forbes, Jakarta – In a remarkable exodus, tens of millions of Indonesians are filling roads, trains, planes and ferries as they return to their birthplaces to celebrate the Islamic

Jakarta – An Indonesian court has thrown out a lawsuit brought by a mining executive against the New York Times over reports the firm dumped toxic waste into an Indonesian bay, lawyers

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Despite a number of improvements over the years, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) says that significant irregularities are still commonplace in the management of p

Prodita Sabarini, Tabanan – I Ketut Riteg stared blankly.

Bhimanto Suwastoyo, Jakarta – In a land hit by one natural disaster after another, Indonesia's armed forces must shift their focus from the battlefield to emergency and relief efforts,

Jakarta – State prosecutors charged Tuesday former Garuda Airlines director Indra Setiawan with the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, who died while traveling to the Ne

Urip Hudiono and Adianto P.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – A systematic war against corruption, collusion, nepotism and poor bureaucratic practices in all government agencies using a new draft law would improve the cou

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Law enforcers have not performed well in their attempts to fight corruption which has swept from public officials and state institutions to rural administr

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) said Monday that law enforcement had been slow to tackle corruption in government agencies in the first half of this year.

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court's rejection of Muhammad Insa's petition to have re-evaluated the pre-requisites for polygamy, as stipulated in the 1974 Law on Marria

Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – That "Chinese products are everywhere" is a statement few would deny, as you can find Chinese-made goods in just about every corner of the world at the presen

Jakarta – The three Bali bombers on death row in Indonesia are ready to face their imminent execution, a report said here Monday.

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb., The Jakarta Post, Padang – Activists in West Sumatra have protested against a raid on the Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah Islamic sect by police acting on the orders of t

Jakarta – The latest survey on voter preference for possible presidential candidates has shown that incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would be likely to win an election held

Jakarta – Jakarta had its new governor and deputy governor installed Sunday amid a wave of rallies organized by various groups to remind Fauzi Bowo and Prijanto to keep the promises the

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Malang – Dozens of non-governmental organization activists in Malang, East Java, protested Friday's decision to name Samsul Bahri as one of the seven new members o

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Indonesians should prepare themselves for more of the same in 2009 as only familiar faces seem set to compete in the forthcoming presidential elections.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Friday to help the country's drive toward democracy by staying out of politics.

Alfian, Jakarta – A study on the trends of Islam and secularism in politics found that Muslim support for secular politics is getting stronger although the backing for Islam values is s

Jakarta – The support for political parties based upon Islam and with an Islamic mass base is stagnating and tending to decline.

Nurni Sulaiman, Balikpapan – Rain around the city of Banjar Baru on Friday failed to slow the spread of forest fires in South Kalimantan, as a forest reserve in East Kalimantan raised i

Alfian, Jakarta – New members of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) will continue to prioritize investigations of major human rights violation cases, said a Komnas HAM

Fadli, Batam – Unemployment has risen significantly on Batam, Bintan and Karimun islands, following the departure of several major foreign companies from the area and the government's p

Jakarta – Although efforts to develop the Indonesian military or TNI and civil supremacy are continuing, the process of reform is seen as being too slow.

Zakki Hakim, Jakarta – Indonesia, which is losing its forests faster than any other country, hopes to plant 79 million trees in a single day ahead of a major UN climate change meeting t

Ary Hermawan, Denpasar – In a radical move, Bali Deputy Governor Alit Kesuma Kelakan has suggested establishing a red-light district on the island as a way to control prostitution.

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The House of Representatives on Thursday selected seven candidates for the General Elections Commission (KPU) whose names will be submitted to the President f

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Activists asked the government Thursday to immediately establish a witness and victim protection institution to watch over people before they testify in court

Alfian, Jakarta – Despite being the world's most populous Muslim country, Indonesia still suffers widespread corruption and terrorism – so what has Islam contributed to civilization, sa

Jakarta – The Jakarta Police said Thursday that police in Depok have detained three members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) for vandalizing food stalls last weekend.

Usman Hamid – We appreciate efforts to develop the TNI's professionalism and civil supremacy that has been undertaken through various means at legislative and institutional levels.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Violent acts involving Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel in North Sumatra are on the rise, with 12 cases recorded already this year, compared with just 10 las

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday warned the once-powerful armed forces against returning to politics.

Jakarta – Consumers in the country are still seeing prices of goods and services picking up, weighing down their purchasing power and overall confidence in the economy, according to the

Indra Harsaputra, Malang – Sex workers across the country might bemoan their reduced income during the fasting month of Ramadhan as local administrations ban them from operating.