An Indonesian police team, accompanied by a human rights activist, is visiting the Netherlands to seek more information about the death of outspoken human rights crusader Munir, after a

Arin Widiyanti, Jakarta – Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) are urging the government and police to inve

The US Congress agreed yesterday to renew bans on International Military Education and Training (IMET) and foreign military financing (FMF) for Indonesia.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Pipit Subakir, 40, holds his two children tightly by the hand while his wife, Tuti, 35, and his brother-in-law, Sofyan, 19, follow behind as the family walk out

For a newcomer, a simple drive across town can be a heart-stopping experience.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – A long-time friend from the army and a group of young technocrats form the inner circle in Merdeka palace.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Some 21 traffic police officers are facing possible demotion or dismissal for extorting money from motorists traveling through the province during the

Endy M.

Aguswandi, London – An interesting opinion article appeared in this newspaper, which drew a comparison between the plight of the Palestinians and the Acehnese.

The Acehnese will have to endure yet another six months of suffering after the new government this week extended the state of civil emergency until May 2005.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Despite a thawing in the once icy relationship between the government and the House of Representatives, the administration's plan to revise several assumptions i

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's call for a moderate and simple lifestyle seems to have fallen on deaf ears in the case of Vice President Jusuf Kall

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – A month after he was sworn in, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has delivered his keenly awaited first speech to the Indonesian nation.

Damien Kingsbury, Melbourne – Since Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono assumed the presidency, there has been growing talk about the possibility of moving towards a resolution of the conflict in

Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Police are finalizing the case files of six executives of mining firm PT Newmont Minahasa Raya before returning them to prosecutors, hoping that the files will b

Sari P. Setiogi, Jakarta – Despite its enforcement, the controversy surrounding Law No.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – One hundred days are not enough to solve all of Indonesia's problems.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – Law enforcers in the conflict-prone Central Sulawesi town of Poso have committed human rights violations by omission for allowing a string of violent events

Matt Moore – More than 60 previous winners of the Right Livelihood award, also known as the "alternative Nobel" prize, on Friday called for a complete investigation into the poisoning d

Eugene Low, Washington – The United States is optimistic that bilateral ties with Indonesia will improve under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a top State Department official has sa

Karishma Vyas, Bangkok – Rampant illegal logging in Indonesia and the demands of a rapidly expanding population and economy in Indonesia are killing many of Asia's most exotic and rare

Jeffrey Winters and Ridarson Galingging, Chicago – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has stated repeatedly that he intends to make fighting corruption a top priority.

Leony Aurora, Jakarta – People in the market call her Bu Haji, because the salted fish seller has been on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia or sometimes Bu Janda, the widow, as her hu

Jakarta – Police believe the perpetrators of last Saturday's bombing in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso came from the same group that slayed a prosecutor and killed a Protestant minis

Rendi A.

Tiarma Siboro/Tony Hotland, Jakarta – Rights activists say certain powerful institutions were behind the poisoning of fellow campaigner Munir and urge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

H.S. Dillon, Jakarta – The forensic results recently released by the Dutch authorities have served to confirm a nagging suspicion.

The Constitutional Court could not have come up with a worse decision when it ruled that the carving of Papua into three provinces was illegitimate while also recognizing the presence o

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – In an apparent attempt tone down the public's high expectations of his new administration, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stressed on Wednesday that

Indonesia's new president has warned his countrymen to abandon high expectations of quick fixes to rampant corruption, sectarian and separatist conflict, widespread unemployment and the

Jakarta – Taxi driver Tadi wrongly decided to rush back to Jakarta from his hometown in Tegal, Central Java, expecting less competition and lots of passengers during Idul Fitri, which f

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto said that the latest string of violent acts in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, could be clas

Widespread concern about continuing restrictions on international access to Aceh and West Papua and a recent ban on foreign journalists has led to an urgent call for greater openness an

Max Lane, Sydney – Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific (ASAP) is deeply concerned at the news that 38-year-old Indonesian human rights campaigner Munir, who died in September

Jakarta – About 500 sidewalk vendors at the Tanah Abang textile market in Central Jakarta have lost their right to space in the market following relocation to the market's Block G, form

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has stated his commitment to overhauling the country's sprawling capital.

Officials in Jakarta denied that Indonesian militants might be among Islamic insurgents fighting US forces in Iraq.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – While welcoming the government's most recent plan to improve the country's investment climate by reducing the time required for an investment permit to just 30 d

Evan Jones, Batam – It is welcoming news to see that our new State Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik is looking at extending the number of countries whose tourists will be elig

Jakarta – Indonesia's government is expected to announce fresh anti-corruption initiatives, including a review of the rules that let former president Suharto avoid prosecution by pleadi

Jana Wendt: Now to our cover story, and a rare glimpse into the shadowy world of espionage.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – A post-mortem examination in the Netherlands has left Indonesian police with a classic whodunit mystery and human-rights advocates in Jakarta fearing for their li

Brendan Nicholson, Canberra – In an extraordinary admission Indonesia says it bugged Australia's embassy in Jakarta during the East Timor crisis and has tried to recruit Australians as

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie has declared 1.19 trillion rupiah (S$219 million) in assets, making him perhaps the richest serving state official.

Canberra – Australian political and military figures had their telephones bugged by Indonesia during the diplomatic crisis over East Timor's independence ballot in 1999, a former Indone

Sydney – Two former Indonesian presidents expressed reservations about Canberra-Jakarta relations Sunday, as Indonesia's former intelligence chief revealed his spies had tapped Australi

Sandra O'Malley, Canberra – Australian spies are revealing secrets to Indonesia, according to one former spy, amid revelations Indonesian agents bugged politicians, the military and Aus

Semarang, Cairo – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is considering embracing separatist groups in Aceh and Papua (Irian Jaya) in order to collectively develop the Unitary State of the

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – In a bid to attract badly needed foreign investment, the government is aiming to drastically reduce the time needed for investors to obtain their necessary licen

Jakarta – Governor Sutiyoso insists that his administration will go ahead with the plan to demolish the Tanah Abang textile market, although the City Council has established a special t