Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Legislative Council (DPRA) is accelerating the deliberation of a provincial qanun (bylaw) to establish the Commission on Truth and Reconciliatio

Michael Bachelard – A mining company has boasted of an Indonesian government decision to free up 1.2 million hectares of virgin forest in Aceh for commercial exploitation.

Lauren Gumbs, Perth – Indonesia's flourishing civil society activists and advocacy organizations stand in contrast to a darker culture of mob violence, militarism and extremist groups.

Six West Papua National Committee (KNPB) activists from Timika were each sentenced to one year in prison on Tuesday by judges from the Assembly District Court in a trial deemed as opaqu

Ina Parlina and Dwi Atmanta, Jakarta – Despite regulations and a blueprint for reform, the government lacks the conviction to shake up the nation's sprawling bureaucracy, a senior offic

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The two parties that riled their ruling coalition partners last year to oppose an increase in the price of subsidized gasoline now say they are amenable to re

ID/Agustiyanti – While a labor law to protect workers' rights was passed a decade ago, laborers still suffer from discrimination and unfair employment terms due to outsourcing, a resear

John DeFore, New York – Presenting a surprising and privileged viewpoint on the climax of East Timor's long struggle for independence, Alex Meillier's "Alias Ruby Blade" introduces us t

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – After prolonged debate, the government is almost certain to implement a dual pricing system for subsidized Premium gasoline, however, the new policy faced

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Amid concerns that another delay to the 2013 national examinations could occur in some areas, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the Indonesian Milit

Jakarta – The Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party has come out top in being the most transparent and accountable political party in the management of their finances, a survey has

Fergus Jensen – Indonesia appears to be softening a controversial mining policy amid industry criticism and legal challenges to rules whose implementation could cost Southeast Asia's la

SP/Erwin Sihombing – In the opinion of Indonesia's attorney general, solving the issue of corruption in the country's courtrooms will take a lot more than raising the salaries of judges

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has pledged to embrace Free Papua Movement (OPM) separatists, expressing his will to build a bridge between the group and the

Yayat Supriatna and Michael Taylor – Workers at the Indonesian unit of Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc have refused to rule out a repeat of a 2011 strike that crippled the world'

SP/Yoseph Kelen – Legislators have commended the East Nusa Tenggara administration for its ability to maintain religious harmony in the province.

Dessy Sagita – Following the government's plan to raise the price of subsidized gasoline for private vehicle owners, labor unions announced on Wednesday that 10 million workers would st

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – After 61 years, the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) remains riddled with allegations of human rights abuses, with the Cebongan incident where its commandos

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Representatives of the government and the House of Representatives told a court hearing on Tuesday that the new legislative election law did not sideline women an

Tunggadewa Mattangkilang, Tarakan – A Koran recital teacher who is also an imam at a Tarakan mosque in East Kalimantan has been arrested after admitting to raping one of his students, a

Veeramalla Anjaiah, Jakarta – Do you know which country has the most women in its parliament? It is certainly not in a developed country like America nor in Europe or in Asia.

Amir Tejo & Dessy Sagita – The Surabaya District Court acquitted Nahdlatul Ulama figure Rois Al-Hukama of all charges on Tuesday, arguing that no witnesses directly saw the Sunni le

Jakarta – The Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Comandant Maj. Gen. Agus Sutomo spoke positively of his group on Tuesday at an event marking its 61st anniversary.

Anastasia Winanti Riesardhy & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The military chief of staff has promised full transparency in the trial of a group of soldiers accused of the summary execut

Nadya Natahadibrata and Margareth S.

SP/Fana F.S.

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has asked the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) to maintain professionalism in performing duties as the national special security forces.

After a private fact-finding visit to East Timor, Democratic Labor Party (DLP) Senator John Madigan says Australia must counter the rising influence of China in the country.

An expression of people's desire for freedom, cries of "Papua Merdeka" continue to ring out through the cities, mountains and forests of West Papua.

A group of West Papuan students from Solidarity for Papua (SUP) held a demonstration in front of the Abu Bakar Ali Park in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on April 15.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives halted deliberation of the controversial bill on mass organizations, delaying it to the next sitting, only after mounting public resistance to

Willy Masaharu, Solo – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri has accused President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of closely surveilling her activities in t

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – In spite his public assertion that he will not run in the 2014 presidential election, Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has become the most popular presi

Defence witnesses have revealed the extensive and systemic use of casual torture and inhumane treatment by Indonesian police, whilst testifying at the Makar (treason) trial of two West

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – The Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh is in the spotlight again, this time for the massive failure in distributing materials as scheduled for th

Jakarta – Those who wonder why President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has opened up a Twitter account in the waning days of his administration should remember the old saw "If you can beat '

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed on to follow President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's newly launched Twitter account, which he says will facilitate closer communication with eve

Independent human rights workers in Puncak Jaya regency have reported that Indonesian police and army in the remote highlands district of Tolikara have been continuing to arbitrarily ar

Thirty-five women in Aceh's city of Lhokseumawe have been let off with a warning after the Shariah police caught them straddling a motorcycle and not wearing appropriate Islamic dress.

Yuli Krisna, Bandung – West Java has been seen as key to solving Jakarta's annual flooding problems, with experts calling for more cooperation between the neighboring provinces.

Ina Parlina and Margareth S.

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Newly appointed Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The attack that killed four detainees at a Yogyakarta prison last month was an extrajudicial killing and a human rights violation for which the government sho

Margareth S.

Camelia Pasandaran – Three Ahmadiyah mosques in Cianjur, West Java, were shut down and damaged by a group of Islamic hard-liners and local residents on Friday, the latest act of intoler

Novianti Setuningsih – The antigraft body and witness protection agency have argued for a revision of the law to better protect witnesses and motivate more people to come forward.

Jakarta – Representatives of the Indonesian Teachers Union Federation (FSGI) delivered a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Presidential Palace on Friday, urging him to

Margareth S.

The Inspector For Work of the Secretariat of State for Policy, Professional Training and Employment (SEPFOPE), Rofino Lopes, said there are more than 100 vulnerable children working alo

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Bowing to public pressure, the House of Representatives finally halted the deliberation of the controversial mass organizations bill on Thursday.