A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Semsar Siahaan was a powerful artist who revealed the complexities and injustices of society with a clear eye.

Edward Aspinall – The international community needs to be cautious in welcoming signs of an apparent breakthrough in the recent Aceh peace talks in Finland.

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – A discussion here on Wednesday identified shortcomings in Law No.

Eva C.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Mismanagement at the Leuwigajah dump in south Cimahi was to blame for the collapse of mountains of garbage on Monday, which killed over 55 people and flatten

It has taken Indonesia many years, and an international scandal, for the country to finally wake up to the immensity of the looting that has been going on for decades in its lush tropic

Urip Hudiono and Sri Wahyuni, Jakarta/Yogyakarta – To hike or not to hike.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Outgoing Air Force Chief of Staff Marshall Chappy Hakim has suggested that the President consider a high ranking Air Force officer as the next commander in chie

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – A number of international human rights observers have expressed their pessimism that offering amnesty for human rights violators would be effective in revealing

A survey of 1,305 businesses and top managers of local and multinational firms here named Jakarta as the most corrupt city in the country.

Palembang (South Sumatra) – Dozens of Palembang students protested on Tuesday against the central government's plan to raise fuel prices in the near future.

Gunawan Mashar, Jakarta – For the umpteenth time, on Wednesday February 23 students from the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar have again hijacked fuel tankers.

The Bush administration is trying to convince the American Congress to restore some US military assistance to Indonesia.

Rescuers sifting through the debris of a garbage landslide in Indonesia say that any of the more than 100 missing who have not suffocated or been crushed to death have probably died of

Jakarta – The customs agency, airport security and the Soekarno-Hatta Animal Quarantine office often work in cahoots with smugglers to bring protected animals out of the country, a sour

[West Papua and Indonesia since Suharto – Independence, Autonomy or Chaos? By Professor Peter King. University of NSW Press, 2004. 240 pages, $40 (pb).]

Jakarta – An inter-ministerial work group is now investigating the existence of military businesses.

Rendi A. Witular and Eva C.

Rendi A.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – As Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono and several of his ministers were wooing investors in Singapore last week, the Indonesian affiliate of French oil

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Two days of heavy rain forced over 50,000 residents in south Bandung to flee to safety on Monday as their houses were inundated by floodwaters up to three me

Indonesian prosecutors accused Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir of failing to prevent militants allegedly under his leadership from carrying out terror attacks, including the Bali bombing

Jakarta – Indonesia's top intellectual and a longtime contender for the Nobel Literature prize believes that the influx of foreigners and aid money into tsunami-devastated Aceh could br

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – International experts on truth and reconciliation commissions have expressed concerns about Indonesia's recently passed law on the establishment of such a commis

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono denied on Monday reports that the government would again combine the Indonesia Military (TNI) and the National Police in an effort to boost

A survey by Transparency International Indonesia (TII) has ranked Jakarta as the nation's most corrupt city.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Just like government officials, corruption watchdogs showed no surprise on Friday at the results of a survey placing Jakarta as the most corrupt city in the

John Mcbeth (Straits Times, Asia News Network), Singapore – The recent oil strike by Australian-owned Santos off the coast of East Java and major untapped oil and gas deposits in ExxonM

The president is the supreme commander of the Indonesian armed forces. The 1945 Constitution – both in its amended and original forms – clearly stipulates such.

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto's term in office has been extended twice.

Eva C.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Indonesia imported about 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) of processed fuel last year to meet domestic demand for the oil-based commodity, according to the

"I don't care," has apparently become a catchphrase among government officials, following President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's example.

"This is a smuggler... ha... ha... He is a mafia [member]... ha... ha...," an unidentified man told undercover investigators.

Ivy Susanti, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has welcomed the US government's gesture to restore full military training ties with Indonesia, which was downgraded 13 years ago.

Yogyakarta – The replacement of three Indonesian armed forces (TNI) chiefs of staff which took place yesterday (18/2) is believed by a political observer from the Gajah Mada University

Jambi – A lecturer said here on Friday that some student groups have hidden agendas for staging protests in the province ahead of the direct elections of regional administrations.

On average, 10 people with dengue fever are admitted to city-owned hospitals every day, bringing the total of dengue cases since the beginning of this year to nearly 2,000.

Jakarta – Prior to its fuel price hike plan in April, which will eventually reduce budget expenditures for the fuel subsidy, the government has been preparing an additional Rp 10.5 tril

Environmental investigators said Thursday they had uncovered massive timber smuggling from Indonesia's Papua province to China in what they described as the world's largest logging rack

Palu (Central Sulawesi) – Central Sulawesi Police named as suspects on Friday 19 councillors for their alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Rp 2.9 billion (US$322,222) in Buol reg

Kupang – Hundreds of residents staged a protest on Friday outside the East Nusa Tenggara council building, demanding the release of a local youth leader allegedly detained by soldiers.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Minister of Forestry Malam Sambat Kaban said on Friday he planned to meet with Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo

Shaunak Mazumder, Jakarta – "You are late for class," my English teacher said, "Sorry, Miss.

Tangerang – Cable thieves disrupted trains services between Tangerang and Jakarta for the second time in a month on Friday.

John Aglionby – Environmental activists have exposed what they claim to be the world's biggest timber smuggling racket, the supply of the luxurious dark hardwood, merbau, from Indonesia

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – A brief commotion ended a five-hour hearing between the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the House of Representatives on Thursday following a lawmaker's remar

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Rendi A.

Jakarta – The most egregious case of timber smuggling ever discovered – valued at more than US$1 billion – was made public on Thursday by two non-governmental organizations (NGOs), who

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) announced on Thursday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had appointed three new military chiefs of staff, giving him four ca