Nurdin Hassan, Banda Aceh – In the latest religious dispute out of Aceh, a prominent group of Islamic clerics has denounced newly crowned Putri Indonesia Qori Sandioriva for "bringing s

Camelia Pasandaran – Analysts and activists are expressing concern about the health of Indonesia's nascent democracy after the president's Democratic Party and its coalition have gained

Ismira Lutfia & Putri Prameshwari – About Rp 185 trillion ($19.6 billion) is spent each year treating smoking-related diseases, a consumer advocacy group said on Sunday as it renewe

Camelia Pasandaran – The number of Indonesian migrant workers infected with HIV/AIDS is increasing as a result of human trafficking and a lack of information provided by labor agencies

Rizal Harahap and Hyginus Hardoyo, Pekanbaru, Jakarta – Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie's move to include political turncoat Rizal Mallarangeng and Titiek Soeharto in the party's

Jakarta – Residents of Sampiran hamlet in Benjaran village in Talun district, Cirebon, West Java, have refused the bodies of two slain suspected terrorist brothers – Syaifudin Zuhri and

Tom Allard, Jakarta – Indonesian police believe they have killed the two most wanted terrorists in the country after a raid on a boarding house where militants linked to the July hotel

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The government has been urged to make a "breakthrough" in its children- and health-related programs, with Indonesia's infant mortality rate currently among the

As the people of West Sumatra gather the ruins of their lives around them and slowly start again, forced to accept there are bodies that will never be recovered from last week's earthqu

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNLC) said dozens of organizations in the restive province of Papua demanded talks with the central gov

Jakarta – Most buildings that collapsed during the recent earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra, were badly designed and constructed, a survey has concluded.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has slammed the government for its failure to protect children's rights, leading to highest infant mortality r

Febriamy Hutapea, Pekanbaru (Riau) – Aburizal Bakrie on Thursday began his six-year term at the helm of Golkar, the country's second largest political party, and vowed to maintain its p

Camelia Pasandaran & April Aswadi – Outrage has greeted the appointment of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ally Rizal Mallarangeng to a senior position in the Golkar Party.

Azis Edward – About 50 members of the Islam Defenders Front went to the office of Maxima Pictures on Friday to protest the planned involvement of porn star Maria Ozawa, better known as

A demonstration against the rumored arrival of Japanese porn star Maria Ozawa, more popularly known as Miyabi, will take place in Jakarta on Friday along with three other protests.

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – Following the House approval of the 2009 Corruption Court Law, the Corruption Eradication Commission may have to surrender its authority to prosecute to the

A police source has told the Jakarta Globe they are convinced that the two men killed in Friday's terror raid are Saifuddin Zuhri bin Djaelani Irsyad and Mohamad Syahrir, both wanted in

Jakarta – Experts and practitioners have criticized the national education system, which they said was discriminatory and a throwback to the colonial era.

Nurfika Osman & Candra Malik – Terrorism experts and religious leaders were critical of police after two suspected terrorists were reportedly killed in a raid on Friday, saying secu

Batam – More than 1,000 workers staged a protest on Thursday at Batam mayor's office in Riau Islands province, against contract-based employment, which they said did not provide them wi

Jakarta – The National Family Planning Coordinating Board of Indonesia (BKKBN) revealed the country might exceed its ideal population of 237.8 million people by 2015, if existing budget

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Transforming the Defense Ministry into a purely civil institution must be the government's top priority during the 2009-14 term, a nongovernmental group said

Jakarta – The House of Representatives has yet to take the human rights factor into consideration in doing their legislative task and control function, say an activist.

Dili – An East Timorese court on Friday jailed a militia leader for 32 months for his role in widespread violence that left 37 people dead and more than 100,000 displaced in 2006.

Dili – East Timor voted on Friday in village elections seen as a test of the fledgling country's stability a decade after its historic independence referendum which led to its bloody sp

Jayapura – The first phase of the repatriation of Papuans from Papua New Guinea (PNG) is scheduled to begin by the end of this year, after all the facilities had been prepared.

Indonesia is currently undertaking a program to repatriate several thousand West Papuan freedom activists living in Papua New Guinea.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – The head of Indonesia's anti-corruption commission has appeared in court charged with masterminding the murder of an alleged rival for the attentions of a

Jakarta – A survey by Transparency International has revealed Indonesian business players are deeply entrenched in corruption, with 60 percent of respondents admitting to paying bribes

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Analysts say newly elected Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie will solidify support for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and ensure the profitability of

Nurfika Osman – Past failures and alleged scandals, especially the Lapindo mudflow disaster, will hound Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie as he assumes his posi

Pekanbaru, Riau – Golkar advisory board member and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, Aburizal Bakrie, was officially elected as the new Golkar Party chairman on Thursday morni

Al Araf and Anton Aliabbas, Bandung – The swearing-in ceremony of the 2009-2014 House of Representatives' members is a sign that democratization in Indonesia is a continuing process.

Ruslan Sangadji and Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The Golkar Party's eighth national congress is awash in money, with rival candidates for the chairmanship shelling out hundreds of million

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Although their plans have been widely condemned by officials, the People's Democratic Defense (Bendera) announced on Thursday that they are ready to invade Ma

Dili – Pay hikes for lawmakers and high-level officials passed Thursday in East Timor are "out of proportion with the economy", the opposition National Union Party said.

Camelia Pasandaran – Analysts on Tuesday attacked the House of Representatives for its poor attendance record, during a judicial review hearing in the Constitutional Court.

Jakarta – The debate about whether to review Aceh's bylaw that allows adulterers to be stoned heated up Tuesday, with religious leaders voicing their objection to the enactment of the l

Tom Allard, Jakarta – Scientists who examined last week's devastating earthquake in West Sumatra have come to an alarming conclusion: it was not "the big one" they have long been foreca

Dessy Sagita – The limited authority and small budget provided to the national body responsible for family planning and birth control have put the country at risk of a population explos

Camelia Pasandaran – Graphic pornographic images made a return to the Constitutional Court on Thursday, much to the discomfort of some of the judges considering a judicial review filed

Jakarta – An NGO has urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to issue a presidential decree concerning the establishment of an ad hoc human rights court.

Farouk Arnaz – National Police on Thursday said they would provide support for the Attorney General's Office to review the controversial murder case of renowned activist Munir Said Thal

Heru Andriyanto – A court showdown between a Papuan tribe and US mining giant Freeport McMoRan resumed on Thursday after negotiations to settle the dispute out of court collapsed, a law

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Dozens of the Kaukus Peduli Jalan Tol (Toll Road Concerned Caucus) activists rallied outside the office of Cikupa-Merak toll road operator PT Marga Mandala Sak

Azis Edward – Anticipating a forced eviction, hundreds of residents blocked a road in Cakung Cilincing, North Jakarta, on Thursday morning armed with molotov bombs and sharpened sticks

Jonathan Pearlman with agencies, Padang – Unable to reach the bodies buried beneath them, workers have begun demolishing buildings damaged in Indonesia's giant earthquake.

Kendari – Hundreds of students from various universities staged a protest on Tuesday at the Southeast Sulawesi legislative council building, where its 45 new members were being sworn in

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Heru Andriyanto – The Attorney General's Office was under strong pressure on Wednesday to immediately form an ad hoc team tasked with investigating the di