In a vibrant democracy, politics is critical to ensuring the interest of the people is not only met but enhanced through an electoral system.

It was never meant to be seen outside of a UN retreat... but now a very critical assessment of East Timor's national institutions has surfaced, causing anger in the government.

Thousands of coffee farmers in East Timor are bracing for a lean harvest, with heavy rains taking their toll.

Jakarta – The government plans to sell the citizen database enclosed in the electronic identification cards (e-KTP) system for business interests, an official says.

Camelia Pasandaran & Cameron Bates – The United Nations has written to the Indonesian government expressing "concern" about the increasing number of reports about violence committed

Camelia Pasandaran – The government's failure to deliver on promised reforms has led many people to yearn for the days of former President Suharto, analysts said.

The western movies showing in Jakarta last weekend included My Sassy Girl, released in 2008, New Daughter and Blood Creek, both released in 2009, and Source Code, released last April.

The head of an Indonesian budget watchdog said today his NGO would not make a public apology to the House of Representatives, as demanded by the House secretary general Nining Indra Sal

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – A new draft revision to the corruption law will strengthen the country's fight against widespread corruption, a member of the team tasked with drafting the bill c

Jakarta – Journalists and media activists said on Thursday that the intelligence bill now under deliberation may threaten the freedom of press if the House of Representatives fails to r

Ulma Haryanto – Ahmad Masihuddin, Irwan and Bebi are the lucky ones.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has announced plans to investigate the death of Nur Iman, a food stall vendor who was shot to dead in a shootout between t

According to information from the Justice and Peace Secretariat of the Kingmi Church, Papua, a man called Derek Adii who had just completed his application for appointment as a civil se

Arientha Primanita – The common refrain of "things were better under Suharto" has been given credence in a new survey that shows the former strongman's rule is widely preferred to the c

Kuala Lumpur – Indonesian labour agents expect to dispatch 1,000 maids to Malaysia every month after Jakarta lifts a two-year moratorium later this month.

Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – Lack of transparency in labor recruitment and placement overseas has hindered justice and the protection of migrant workers' basic rights, the Supreme Audit Age

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued an instruction comprising action plans to eradicate and mitigate corruption, which was met with criticism given the

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Camelia Pasandaran – Saturday's crash of a Merpati Nusantara Airlines flight in Papua in which all 25 aboard were killed has raised questions about the mu

Jakarta – The National Police Detatchment 88 anti-terror unit gunned down two suspected terrorists during a raid in Sukoharjo, Central Java, in the early hours on Saturday morning.

Bagus BT Saragih and Adianto P.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Despite having special autonomy for 10 years, Papua has been compared to a sick person in need of the right therapy, with a forum held to discuss the urge

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Organizers of a beauty pageant in Aceh defied opposition from a conservative Islamic group by staging the event on Friday evening.

M Hernowo – Case of human rights violations that took place around the time of the fall of the New Order regime have still not been fully resolved.

Edilberto C.

Nurfika Osman – Despite its patchy record of violations, the country's bid to be re-elected to a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council won activists' backing on Thursday.

Camelia Pasandaran, Arientha Primanita & Antara – Police on Friday said a group of Indonesians would not be allowed to host an event on Saturday to mark Israel's independence day.

Camelia Pasandaran & Antara – The National Police on Friday denied a group of Israeli descendants permission to host a party to celebrate Israel's day of independence.

Islamic students organization Rabithah Thaliban Aceh (RTA) has opposed plans to hold a Miss Aceh pageant as part of the 2011 Aceh Fair at Blang Padang in Banda Aceh.

The Federal Government has abandoned plans to establish a regional immigration processing centre in East Timor.

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) pressed the government to take concrete action concerning the May 1998 riots that killed more than 1,000 c

Jakarta – Families and friends of victims of the May 1998 riots gathered Friday at Pondok Rangon cemetery to pray for their loved ones and speak about the largely unresolved events that

Anita Rachman – How much money do Indonesian lawmakers actually take home every month?

Zubaidah Nazeer & Carolyn Hong – The haze is back, with parts of Malaysia and Indonesia blanketed in choking smoke; Singapore could be affected soon too.

Nurfika Osman – The new grading system for the national exams has seen a staggering 99.22 percent of senior high school students pass the recently concluded tests.

Camelia Pasandaran, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Ulma Haryanto – A key witness might have retracted her allegations against Democratic Party members in relation to the Southeast Asian

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – With limited resources and time and stricter electoral rules, new political parties may find it difficult to obtain votes in the 2014 elections, analysts say

Anita Rachman & Antara – Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali on Wednesday vouched for an Islamic school accused of grooming hard-liners, insisting it taught tolerance and hen

Dina Indrasafitri, Jakarta – Thirteen years after the deadly May 1998 riots, Trisakti University students continue to fight for justice and held a vigil for four colleagues killed in th

The Bandung administration is urging local cinemas to halt screenings of Hanung Bramantyo's latest pluralism-themed film, "?".

Camelia Pasandaran – Before a meeting with the National Commission on Human Rights on Friday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Indonesia had taken steps in the right directi

Heru Andriyanto – A draft agreement was completed on Thursday to pave the way for the Commission on Public Prosecution to receive more power to monitor state attorneys' conduct.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives is showing no signs of urgency in approving the intelligence bill, despite the government's continuous insistence on strengthening the intelligenc

Made Arya Kencana, Denpasar – The Bangli Prison warden accused of taking bribes to allow a convicted narcotics dealer out of his cell has been captured on video at a drug party with the

Camelia Pasandaran – The Attorney General's Office indicated it would re-examine a number of human rights abuse cases involving the Indonesian Military, including the May 1998 tragedy,

Elisabeth Oktofani – While film lovers have been missing catching Hollywood blockbusters on the big screen, cinemas have been missing something more substantial: profit.

Jakarta – House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Anis Matta on Thursday questioned the ongoing public criticism of the House of Representatives, saying the House was the most transpare

Fadli, Bintan – A group of Muslim organizations are protesting a planned beach party organized by a five-star hotel in Bintan and have asked the local authorities to put a stop to the e

Jakarta – There is still very little public trust in Indonesia's legal system, a member of the Judicial Commission says.

Camelia Pasandaran – As part of efforts to halt the spread of radical Islam, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to write guidelines for religious leaders to convert Muslims

Made Arya Kencana, Nusa Dua, Bali – Several listed US companies with operations in Indonesia were involved in bribery, an official of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wedn