Paul Barber, London – Indonesia is fast learning the lesson that while elections are an important part of the transition from dictatorship to democracy, the more difficult parts include

The Indonesian government has ended a ban on the distribution of thousands of tonnes of rice – which had seen more than 1.5 million of the country's poorest people go hungry for the pas

Rendi A.

Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – Drought has hit some subdistricts of Cirebon, West Java, leaving some 3,000 families without clean water.

Richel Langit, Jakarta – Politicians from Indonesia's big parties are ganging up against election favorite Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono by rallying behind his rival, President Megawati Suka

John McBeth – Western governments and human rights groups could not hide their anger following a decision by an Indonesian appeals court to overturn the convictions of four security off

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – Presidential candidates Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono were on the campaign trail again on Wednesday, this time attempting to convi

Gunawan Mashar, Makassar – Students from two different groups in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar held demonstrations, one group was calling for corruption cases in the

Jakarta – Around 100 demonstrators from the United People Against Militarism (Persatuan Rakyat Anti Militerisme, PRAM) have again demonstrated in front of the national parliament.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Antigraft campaigners questioned on Wednesday the government's commitment to corruption eradication, which President Megawati Soekarnoputri spoke of i

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – A legislator from PKB has proposed that the Indonesian Military (TNI), for which a bill is currently being deliberated by the House, be placed under the contro

Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri has warned that the country's unity is being threatened by separatist rebellions, as well as illegal sea and forest exploitation by criminals

Matthew Moore, Jakarta (and agencies) – Indonesia's President Megawati Soekarnoputri has acknowledged criticism of the country's human rights tribunals, which have cleared virtually all

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – The presidency is not yet in the bag for incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Derwin Pereira, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri, bracing herself for a tough election battle next month, yesterday came out in defence of her administration as she spelled out

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The government has failed to extend the travel bans on 10 suspects and convicts in the misuse of Bank Indonesia liquidity support funds, sparking concerns that t

Semarang – Central Java: A severe drought has affected 14,399 hectares (ha) of paddy fields in Central Java, and more paddies are feared to be affected if rain does not fall soon.

Gunawan Mashar, Makassar – Students in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar have again held demonstrations rejecting the draft law on the TNI (armed forces) at the local pa

Jakarta – Car ownership is not for the faint-hearted in Indonesia – fuel supplies are erratic, the roads are often awful and price tags on cars are almost hilariously high.

Indonesian economic growth slowed in the three months to June, raising fresh concerns over country's hefty debts.

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta – Moonlighting teachers and the lack of toilets in many schools are among the reasons for alarming levels of the absence rate of elementary school teachers in Indo

Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri, facing a tight re-election race, Monday backed the creation of a truth commission to investigate rights abuses by the military that she said h

Indonesia's presidential election race remains wide open despite a decision by the powerful Golkar party of former dictator Suharto to back incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri – a move unli

Jakarta – The Golkar party has endorsed President Megawati Sukarnoputri in next month's run-off election, providing a much-needed boost to her struggling campaign.

Zakki P.

Semarang – The appointment of 45 members of the Semarang legislative council was marked on Saturday by a noisy protest at City Hall from dozens of members of the Semarang People's Solid

Medan – It would be difficult for Indonesia to reach a 7 percent growth target in the next two years, a senior minister said on Saturday.

Jakarta – It is about to stage the second half of an election that promises to cement its young democracy into place.

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Indonesian prosecutors have again failed in their attempt to convict soldiers accused of gross human rights abuses, with the head of the army's notorious Kopass

M.

Indonesian human rights activists have condemned a court decision clearing a top army general of gross human rights violations for his role in a 1984 military massacre.

Cirebon/Padang/Banda Aceh – The swearing in of graft convicts and suspects at the legislatures of Cirebon, Banda Aceh and Padang municipalities has sparked protests among the local peop

Piet Soeprijadi, Peter Rimmele and Anne-Lise Klausen, Jakarta – Ross H.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – Foreign businesses say a planned new policy on taxation, still winding its way through the corridors of power, coupled with high corporate tax rates, currently at

A spate of acquittals absolving Indonesian military officers of human rights violations is being regarded as evidence of the armed forces continuing influence.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The credibility of Washington-based International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and other independent pollsters have bee questioned ahead of the S

Abdul Khalik and Suherdjoko, Jakarta/Semarang – Former Banyumas Police chief Sr. Comr.

Jakarta – Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung threatened to take disciplinary action against party leaders and members who held meetings with the candidates in the upcoming election runoff w

M.

Jakarta – Washington should mind its own business and refrain from commenting on court rulings that acquitted four Indonesian security officials of atrocities in East Timor, leading min

Ian Timberlake, Jakarta – A spate of acquittals absolving Indonesian military officers of human rights violations proves how powerful the armed forces remain in the country despite thei

Urip Hudiono and Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The Central Jakarta District Court dismissed on Wednesday a lawsuit filed by youth organization Pemuda Panca Marga (PPM) against Tempo magazine.

Makassar, South Sulawesi – Some 200 protesters, mostly women accompanied by their children, barred the gates of the municipal council here on Wednesday, to protest their evictions by th

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Representatives of major parties have jumped on the bandwagon to call for a delay in the deliberation of the military bill, with the

Robert Go, Jakarta – Despite a hard line against offenders, Indonesia's war on drugs seems to have stalled, with users estimated at four million and rising, and the country described as

Jakarta – Legitimate forestry companies are contributing to illegal logging and other deforestation in Indonesia, according to a new report into the widespread exploitation of the count

Jakarta – Indonesian police said Thursday they had raided a gambling den reportedly owned by former East Timor militia boss Eurico Guterres, who has been convicted of crimes against hum

Jakarta – On the night of Wednesday August 11, the Tambora city sectoral police (Polsek) in West Java raided a number of gambling houses in the Tambora area.

Yogyakarta – Yogyakarta municipal police chief Sr. Comr.

Suherdjoko and M.