Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) called Wednesday for a "clear strategy" from the Indonesian government to recover loans worth billions of dollars which were extended to

Jakarta – In a stinging rebuke of the bureaucracy, President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday described the administration as a "trash can" and told officials to go out and check reports

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Confronted with strong opposition from regents and experts on her move to revise the current autonomy law, President Megawati Soekarno

Jakarta – The government backed down on Monday from its initial plan to temporarily halt new construction in greater Jakarta amid strong opposition from various opposition groups, sayin

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The city administration revealed on Monday that it had sold one of 22 small lakes in the Greater Jakarta area to private developers.

Jakarta – Rival Christian and Muslim factions from Indonesia's Maluku province agreed Tuesday to end their three-year war that has devastated the province and killed 10,000 people, a to

Kurniawan Hari and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – House of Representatives legislators turned a deaf ear on Monday to demands for military and police officers to appear for questioning at a h

Jacob Herin, Flores – Police in East Flores regency clashed with local youths early on Monday, leaving at least one person killed and 12 others wounded.

Jakarta – Ethnic Chinese in Indonesia marked the start of the Lunar New Year amid new-found freedom to celebrate their most important festival but an activist said discrimination still

Rendi A.

Tangerang – About 250 vendors at Cikokol traditional market argued with Tangerang Public Order Agency officials on Monday after they were forced to leave the market to make way for the

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The illegal trade of protected animals continues in Indonesia despite Law No. 5/1990 on the preservation of flora and fauna.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Even against a background of other political parties with noisy internal disputes, Golkar still manages to stand out in the face of the 2004 general elections, t

Damar Harsanto and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Many flood victims have been left homeless, jobless, sick and penniless as a result of the recent floods.

Jakarta – Indonesian Vice President Hamzah Haz has blamed the government of former president Suharto for nationwide flooding, saying the regime had been too corrupt to ensure good envir

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The recent floods in the city have strengthened the indications of public distrust in government officials, as almost all people and non-governmental organi

Jakarta – Political parties in Indonesia have capitalised on the recent flood disaster to court support among the masses, according to Tempo weekly magazine.

Maxi Wolor, Palu – More than 300 workers of the furniture manufacturing company PT Leang Yang in the Central Sulawesi capital of Pulu went on strike on Saturday, demanding higher wages

Jakarta – At least half of the famed Kuta Beach on the Indonesian resort island of Bali has been eroded by waves, an official said Monday.

Jakarta – Large areas of natural forest in Indonesia will be destroyed by 2007 due to logging by the country's two largest pulp producers, two environmental groups warned in a report re

Paul Brown – The Indonesian pulp and paper industry is destroying rainforest at such an astonishing rate that it will run out of wood in five years, according to a report being publishe

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – In Muslim boarding schools across Indonesia, many young Muslims can be found poring over a book called the Couple's Contract or Uqud Al-Lujjayn.

Jakarta – A distributor here has withheld the latest issue of the US magazine Newsweek because it carries a picture of the prophet Muhammad that could anger subscribers in Indonesia – t

Brendan Pereira, Jakarta – Australian Prime Minister John Howard came to Indonesia to melt the ice.

Jakarta – The Indonesian government's foreign debt totalled 71.4 billion dollars at the end of last year, top economics minister Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti said Monday.

Vaudine England, Jakarta – Attempts to investigate military involvement in the killing of students and civilians in Jakarta during the fall of former president Suharto have been thwarte

Jakarta – Indonesia's second largest and former ruling party, Golkar, has dismissed 16 senior members and suspended three others, it was announced.

Conn Hallinan – The problem of lying down with dogs, goes the old saying, it that you end up with fleas.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – As the beleaguered Golkar Party seeks to remove the thorn in its flesh, a party top official warned on Thursday of tough measures against staunch critic and seni

Jakarta – Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Friday wrapped up a fence-mending visit to Indonesia with a sightseeing tour, unfazed by a student protest in the Central Java city of

Berni K.

Michelle Grattan – When Amien Rais arrived at the state banquet that President Megawati Sukarnoputri hosted for the Howards on Wednesday night, there was a distinct whiff of cynicism am

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has dishonorably discharged seven of its personnel arrested for stealing six cows belonging to residents of Sulamu village in Eas

Jakarta – Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra denied on Wednesday that he had bribed former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid in his attempt to secure a pardon in 2000 in relation to a cas

Bambang Soed, Medan – The World Bank predicts that Sumatra will no longer have dense forest areas by 2004.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Stop blaming Mother Nature, say activists rejecting claims by officials that heavy rain and low ground were behind the week-long floods that paralysed Jakarta.

Alexander Cockburn – Right till the end of January, Dita Sari was preparing to fly from her home near Jakarta to Salt Lake City to bask today in the admiration of assorted do-gooders an

Michael Perry, Sydney – Increasing drug use in Asia is accelerating the spread of HIV-AIDS along drug trafficking routes from the so-called Golden Triangle to nations like Indonesia and

Lindsay Murdoch and Louise Dodson, Jakarta – Australia and Indonesia last night vowed to strike an agreement to join forces to help counter the threat of terrorism in the region followi

Jakarta – Visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Thursday he would address a trade imbalance favouring his country after Indonesian officials raised the issue during talks.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – When the tollroad to Soekarno-Hatta Airport flooded, many blamed Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) luxury housing estate, which is built on protected mangrove forest

Fadli, Batam – The situation in certain strategic areas in Batam is still tense following three ethnic riots that rocked the island over the weekend.

Jakarta – Moody's Investors Service said Thursday that Indonesia's B3 country rating and stable outlook reflected the continued fragility of its access to foreign loans.

Jakarta – The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned on Tuesday that one of Sumatra's rainforests could disappear within four years if logging is not stopped.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Rendi A.

Ainur A.

Jupriadi, Makassar – A high-powered ministerial delegation checking preparations for reconciliation talks between warring religious factions in Maluku, were greeted in South Sulawesi Tu

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Politicians such as People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais as well as newspapers which were formerly supportive of President Megawati Sukarnoputri

Lindsay Murdoch in Jakarta and Michelle Grattan in Singapore – One of Indonesia's most powerful politicians enraged John Howard last night when he cancelled a meeting with the Prime Min

Peter Hartcher, Washington – The Australian Government is backing a Bush Administration proposal to resume US military co-operation with Indonesia in a bid to help Jakarta pursue terror