Andi Hajramurni, Makassar/Jakarta – The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has attributed increasing violence against journalists to escalating political tension ahead of the 201

Tito Summa Siahaan & Francezka Nangoy – Profit for many Indonesian companies rose in the third quarter, with banks and consumer-related manufacturers leading the way, amid an increa

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – Beleaguered minority Shia Muslim refugees from Sampang, Madura, East Java, are now facing further uncertainty as the local government stops supplies of thei

Ezra Sihite – Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam said on Monday said that collusion between Indonesian ministry officials and lawmakers were not only limited to the three ministries he had rec

Rizky Amelia – The anticorruption agency has yet to formally name as suspects two former Bank Indonesia deputy governors who were potentially involved in the Bank Century bailout that c

Rabby Pramudatama, Jakarta – Former vice president Jusuf Kalla said he is ready to join the ticket of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri as a v

Margareth S.

Jakarta – A maneuver at the House of Representatives will unlikely lead to the ouster of Vice President Boediono but rather serve as a political bargaining chip in anticipation of a pos

Arya Dipa, Bandung – Thousands of members of the Indonesian Ahlul Bait Association (IJABI), which represents minority Shia Muslims, observed Asyura Day peacefully in Bandung, West Java,

Pitan Daslani – Shortly after retired military generals were reported to be preparing for a "Star Wars" in the 2014 presidential election, former chief of State Intelligence Agency (BIN

Mouzinho Lopes de Araujo – East Timor is readying to stand on its own feet as international forces withdraw by the year-end.

Ati Nurbaiti, Baucau/Ermera/Dili – The UN mission in Timor Leste is closing down next month and at least 1,000 local staffers are seeking other means of income.

Charlotte Maugham – There is no doubt that much is being done politically to tackle gender inequality in Timor-Leste.

Portugal withdrew the bulk of its police officers from East Timor on Saturday as international forces wind up a 13-year mission in the country.

Jakarta – Indonesian diplomats and scholars recalled the arduous struggle of former foreign minister late Ali Alatas during the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor (now Timor Leste),

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Lawmakers are garnering support for a no-confidence motion against Vice President Boediono with the Golkar Party, the biggest faction

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang/Jakarta – Although the dust from the persecution of minority Shiite Muslims in Sampang, Madura, has not settled, another religious controversy has emerged,

Jakarta – Constitutional Court (MK) chief justice Mahfud MD, who announced on Wednesday that he would not throw his hat in the ring for another term, seems bent on going out with a bang

Fuska Sani, Yogyakarta – Indonesia should rethink its involvement in a free trade pact among Southeast Asian Nations, a Yogyakarta academic has warned.

Amahl S.

Michael Bachelard – A film hailed as a masterpiece for its disturbing depiction of real-life mass murderers re-enacting the killing of alleged communists in the 1960s has not been submi

Margareth S.

Shopping malls, office buildings and other public places in Jakarta will have to provide new mothers with a "breast-feeding corner" under a proposed bylaw aimed at reversing Indonesia's

Camelia Pasandaran – Indonesian lawmakers threatened on Friday to freeze the budget for reforestation projects if President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono continues the nation's deforestation

During the commemoration of International Day to End Impunity on Friday, the human rights watchdog Institute for Research and Advocacy (Elsam) had once again urged the government to pro

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Workers continued staging rallies on Thursday with many thousands taking to the streets demanding the government and employers follow the newest ministeria

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Industry Minister MS Hidayat said on Friday that he supported a plan of top businesspeople to challenge Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's decision to s

Fadli and Arya Dipa, Batam/Bandung – Employers in Batam, Riau Islands Province, have voiced plans to boycott the implementation of the new minimum wage set by the local authority, argui

Camelia Pasandaran – The National Commission on Violence Against Women says the number of bylaws in Indonesia that discriminate against women is increasing, but the Home Affairs Ministr

The Indonesian Air Force has denied allegations that its soldiers physically abused photojournalists covering a demonstration in Palembang, South Sumatra, earlier this week.

Bruce Gale – Political polling in Indonesia, say seasoned observers, has little to do with determining voter preferences.

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The government has issued a regulation obliging political parties to spend at least 60 percent of assistance funds received from the state budget on voter ed

Ronna Nirmala – The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) distributed registration forms to volunteers willing to wage jihad against Israel at a protest in front of the US Embassy on Friday.

Indonesia has rejected a request for an increase in beef import quotas, an industry group said on Friday, urging the government to reconsider its beef sustainability push after prices i

Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – The condition of infrastructure development in Indonesia is currently in a state of emergency and the government must start developing an innovative res

John Gibb – New Zealand could improve the "critical" human rights situation in West Papua by pursuing the peacemaking role that proved successful during the earlier Bougainville conflic

Havana – East Timor's Education minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas underscored Cuba's cooperation with his country in the fields of education and healthcare.

Paris – The Minister of Education of Timor Leste, Benito dos Santos Fleitas, highlighted on Friday at the Unesco headquarters the cooperation of Cuba with his country in the fields of H

Australia is ending its security mission in East Timor, six years after sending troops to restore stability.

Australia has quietly ended its military mission in East Timor, with the flag officially lowered on the 13-year deployment at a ceremony in Dili.

Catherine McGrath & staff – East Timor's Finance Minister wants her country and other post-conflict nations around the world to gain greater control over foreign aid programs.

As the sun rises in East Timor this morning, Australian troops stationed there will begin packing up and pulling out.

Indonesia's Constitutional Court granted greater power to local administrations to designate areas for mining by amending some articles in the 2009 Mining Law, according to a ruling ann

Ridwan Max Sijabat and Ainur Rohmah, Jakarta/Semarang – Thousands of workers went on strike in cities across the country in opposition to national social security programs that they say

The government has issued a much-anticipated regulation that limits outsourcing to five types of jobs: security, cleaning services, drivers, catering and support services for mining com

SP/Adi Marsiela, Bandung – In the wake of Jakarta's 44 percent minimum wage hike, West Java has approved an increase in the minimum wage levels of its 26 districts and cities by an aver

Novia D.

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – A new report published by the United Nations (UN) shows that Indonesia has suffered a setback in its campaign against HIV/AIDS.

Margareth S.

SP/Muhammad Hamzah, Banda Aceh – The military's top officer in Aceh has objected to calls to use the flag of a defunct separatist group as the official flag of the province.