The government says that it will seek compensation from Australia for environmental damage in the Timor Sea caused by a leak at the Montara well.

Fidelis E Satriastanti – While the recent Copenhagen climate talks have been criticized for failing to produce a concrete agreement on emissions cuts, local activists are now turning th

Greg Poulgrain – When Indonesia officially became independent of the Dutch 60 years ago this week, Australia's role as midwife was crucial.

Abdurrahman Wahid, more affectionately known as Gus Dur, was the most colorful, if not the most illustrious among six presidents Indonesia has had.

Madura, East Java – Fifteen activists from the Indonesian Muslim Student Movement (PMII) in Sumenep, Madura, East Java, began a hunger strike Tuesday night, Antara reported Wednesday.

The year 2009 is coming to an end and given the spat of bad news these past 12 months, it is probably better to count our blessings than the missed opportunities, of which there are cer

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Dozens of students from the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Association (KAMMI) rallied at the West Java Legislative Council in Bandung on Tuesday to prote

Amanda Ferdina, Jakarta – Supporters of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) from the Indonesian People's Solidarity Coalition (KSRI), who were protesting against the launch of the

Amanda Ferdina, Jakarta – Shouting "Long live SBY", on Wednesday December 30 scores of protesters form the Indonesian People's Solidarity Coalition (KSRI) demonstrated at the launch of

Muhammad Taufiqqurahman, Jakarta – The Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (Kasum) sees 2009 as a year of gloom that failed to provide any clarity in the ongoing investigation of Muni

Jakarta – The National Commission for Child Protection said thousands of Indonesian children had become the prey of sex traffickers due to poverty and economic problems.

Lindsay Murdoch and Yuko Narushima – Fears of a disease outbreak are causing tensions to rise among asylum seekers on a boat moored at the Indonesian port of Merak since October.

As we put out the last issue of the Jakarta Globe for the year, we take a customary look back on the 12 months gone by and reflect on how the drama, tragedy and comedy of 2009 reveal th

Emmy Fitri, Nivell Rayda & Heru Andriyanto – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's landslide win in July made him far and away the most potent politician of the post-Suharto era and

Indonesia will allow some infrastructure projects deemed in the public interest such as toll roads and geothermal energy plants to operate in protected forests, the chief economics mini

Andi Haswidi, Jakarta – Praises for achievements made by Indonesia's financial sector in 2009, which include surviving an unprecedented global liquidity crisis, seem to be overshadowed

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – George Junus Aditjondro's controversial Cikeas Octopus book, which suggests a link between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Bank Century bailout, has

The controversy over the book "Membongkar Gurita Cikeas," or "Unravelling the Cikeas Octopus," moved from free speech drama to farce on Wednesday when the book's author used the volume

A branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, has reportedly issued a fatwa to ban Muslims from watching a movie titled "Suster Keramas" ("The Hair-Washi

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights has sent a letter to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) requesting clarification on the latter's decision to ban five books despite mo

Jakarta – The number of instances of violence against journalists dropped by 30 percent this year, a report from the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) revealed.

Jakarta – Like previous years, 2008 was marked by a variety of actions by students who took to the streets opposing government policies that they believe harm the people.

There is justice after all.

Gus Dur was known for his way with words and his love of jokes. Some of his memorable quotes include:

Matt Crookm, Dili – The tiny nation of East Timor could face a deadly AIDS epidemic, with promiscuity among youths, low condom use and general ignorance leading to a sharp increase in r

Although a scion of a respected East Java family of Islamic ulemas and educators, Abdurrahman Wahid forged his name as an ardent proponent of religious tolerance and moderate politics.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – While the financial health of Indonesia's overall banking sector remains fairly sturdy despite massive shocks from the global banking crisis, one key indicat

Endy M.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The Supreme Court defended Tuesday its widely criticized decision to send more than 70 judges and their staff on a trip to European and Asian countries using st

Reva Sasistiya – Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest oil producer, has failed to meet its investment target for the oil and gas sector because contractors cut spending as the economic s

Paul Maley and Lanai Vasek – Indonesia is considering using force to end the extended stand-off with the boat of more than 240 Tamil asylum-seekers moored at Merak after last week's dea

Paul Maley – Indonesia has put Kevin Rudd on notice that the special treatment offered to the 78 Tamils aboard the Oceanic Viking must be extended to the 255 Sri Lankans moored off the

Aditya Suharmoko and Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Ministerial regulations on full implementation of the free trade agreement between ASEAN and China (ACFTA) have been finalized, becoming

Heru Andriyanto – Indonesian woman Prita Mulyasari has been cleared of criminal defamation charges by Tangerang District Court on Tuesday in the case brought against her by doctors from

Dessy Sagita – The avian and swine flu strains may have caused the most panic, but combating tuberculosis, dengue fever and malnutrition should top the Ministry of Health's priorities f

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Members of the Democratic Party hit out at their coalition partners on Tuesday, accusing parties aligned to the ruling government of political point scoring an

Jakarta – This government has been trying to live up to its constitutional mandate by allocating 20 percent of the state budget toward various education programs across the country this

Emmy Fitry – This was the year that online got in your face.

Jakarta – The government has closed 39,477 unregistered state bank accounts since 2004, the latest Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) report shows.

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court should revoke the authority of the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to ban books within the country, as it limits intellectual freedom guaranteed by th

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The controversial Cikeas Octopus book that links President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the Bank Century bailout has become an instant hit – if only one can find

Ardian Wibisono – While the global financial crisis was swallowing lenders whole and engulfing economies worldwide this year, Indonesia's banking sector did a good job of navigating the

Nivell Rayda & Nurfika Osman – A controversial new book has inflamed passions over the PT Bank Century bailout with claims that the Democratic Party received illegal campaign contri

Hundreds of tsunami refugees in Aceh province held a rally in front of West Aceh's Regional Representative Council Building on Monday to demand homes that they said the government had p

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Here's a provocative thought: if it weren't for the 2004 tsunami, Western aid workers in Banda Aceh city would not be the target of politically motivated

Emmy Fitri – Get a real person in the lead. That advice, often given to young journalists just starting out in the industry, is as true as ever.

Nurfika Osman - A number of senior members of the government, including cabinet ministers, no longer have to endure the ignominy of being driven around in a humble Toyota Camry.

Surabaya – Mudflow victims in Sidoarjo, East Java, have criticized the developer building their houses in Renojoyo village, which they claimed were of low quality and unfit to live in,

Anita Rachman, Nurfika Osman & Arientha Primanita – Sitting astride the "Ring of Fire," a geologically unstable section of the earth's crust below the Pacific Ocean, Indonesia recei

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has denied intervening in the policy-making process to salvage Bank Century, despite minutes of a meeting allegedly indicating he had been a