Jakarta – Yati and her family have rarely eaten fried food in the last few months.

[Shakedown. By Paul Cleary. Allen & Unwin, 304pp, $29.95.]

Abdul Khalik, Sanur, Bali – Political interference, rampant brokerage and kickbacks have caused the price of weapons and other military equipment to skyrocket, officials and experts con

Anthony Deutsch, Jakarta – Police will question Indonesian intelligence agents for the first time about their alleged involvement in the poisoning death of a top human rights activist a

Jakarta – Pressure is mounting on the National Police to launch an investigation into former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) officials for their involvement in the murder of rights acti

Jakarta – The government must consider various avenues to conclude the legal cases around Soeharto, including a special 24-hour trial, said Presidential Advisory Council member Adnan Bu

Maryadi, Jakarta – As was the case earlier this week, on Friday January 25 Jakarta will again be rocked by protest actions.

Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen.

Jakarta – After nearly 10 years, democracy in Indonesia has not produced quality leadership at central and regional levels, a seminar concluded Wednesday.

Abdul Khalik, Sanur, Bali – The fight against corruption has slowed over the last four years because forces linked with Soeharto's New Order regime remain in power, a seminar here heard

Indonesia – The government of Timor Leste has yet to conclude arrangements for Indonesians wishing to reclaim their assets deserted in the country post the 1999 secession referendum, Ea

Jakarta – Hopes for achieving justice for victims of the devastating mudflow in Sidoarjo regency, East Java, are fading as controversy rages over whether the investigation into the case

Anne Barker – Recent monsoonal rains and wind have caused serious damage to homes, buildings and crops across East Timor.

East Timor's fugitive rebel leader Alfredo Reinado has refused to attend a scheduled court hearing to face murder and other charges related to a deadly outbreak of violence in 2006.

Dili – East Timor's laws should be translated into the local Tetun language to give people a better understanding and respect for the law, according to one of the country's legal expert

Agnes Winarti, Jakarta – Thousands of pregnant women gathered Wednesday in the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Center.

Evi Mariani, Jakarta – In response to the administration's plan to evict thousands of residents in 2008 to make way for green areas, organizations have offered a community-based approac

Jakarta – After three years post-tsunami reconstruction in Aceh has resulted in worsening deforestation, Greenomics Indonesia says.

Jakarta – The uniformity of media reports on Soeharto's hospitalization and his health condition has raised suspicions that the coverage is aimed at motivating sympathy for the former p

Ibnu Rusydi/TMC, Jakarta – Protest actions will colour the capital city on Thursday January 24.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – A group of NGOs has urged the House of Representatives to revise and immediately pass into law a public services bill to guarantee citizens' rights to adequate

Jakarta – Leading human rights groups urged Tuesday for the creation of a truth and reconciliation commission to address past crimes against humanity in Aceh.

East Timor's fugitive rebel leader Alfredo Reinado has refused to attend a scheduled court hearing on Thursday to face murder and other charges related to a deadly outbreak of violence

Jakarta – Maj. Gen. Liliek AS Sumaryo handed over the Jakarta Military Commander baton to his successor, Maj. Gen. Johanes Suryo Prabowo, on Monday.

Jakarta – Nearly all of Indonesia's 220 million citizens lack access to proper sanitation, an official at the Public Works Ministry said Tuesday.

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Motorists will continue to be frustrated on Jakarta's streets this year, with more vehicles to be sold but no new roads to be built, a discussion concluded T

Jakarta – Discrimination and acts of violence in the name of religion in the country have reached a level that could threaten democracy, rights activists have warned.

Jakarta – Against the backdrop of a possible US recession, which has sent stock markets across the globe tumbling, the government is preparing measures to safeguard the country's econom

Fadli, Batam – Hundreds of traditional fishermen in Batam, Riau Islands, have stopped fishing over the past few weeks due to the heavy pollution dumped by oil tankers in Batam waters.

Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – The House of Representatives is weighing over the possible closure of upstream oil and gas regulator BPMigas and downstream regulator BPH Migas due to decayin

Jakarta – Politicians are stepping up their attempts to spare former president Soeharto from sitting trial for corruption and human rights crime allegations dating back to his 32 years

The way the Indonesian government reacted to the steep soybean price hike last week was similar to the pathetic manner in which it tried to address the sky-high oil price rises.

Jakarta – No matter how influential it is, the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) can not dictate government religious policy, a senior government official said Monday.

Debnath Guharoy, Consultant – If the overall economy is growing at over 6 percent and if foreign investments are on the rise again why isn't the marketplace buoyant?

Dili – Most child street vendors work the streets daily selling snacks, soft drinks, cigarettes and sweets with a profit of about US$10 to US$15 a day.

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Reintegration Agency (BRA) has urged to the government to speed up its slow compensation of former members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), and confli

Fitraya Ramadhanny, Jakarta – The start of the working week in Jakarta will be enlivened by a number of protest actions and internal events by various political parties.

Jakarta – The spirit of solidarity lingers around Jl. Barito, South Jakarta, in the wake of the eviction that demolished 107 kiosks of hundreds of vendors.

"Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." - George Orwell

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – Rallies for the South Sulawesi gubernatorial pair candidates Syahrul Yasin Limpo and Agus Arifin Nu'mang intensified a day prior to the official inauguration

Jakarta – Many employers have voiced strong opposition to the minimum wage hikes of Jan.

Jakarta – Political experts concluded during a book discussion Friday the awkward transition from authoritarianism to democracy in post-Soeharto Indonesia resulted in the birth of "loca

Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Indonesian anti-riot police briefly clashed with about 100 demonstrators on Saturday as they called for former Indonesian president Suharto to be brought to ju

Fitri Wulandari and Harry Suhartono, Jakarta – As a student activist, Heri Akhmadi was beaten and jailed.

Jessinta Tan, Solo – Astana Giribangun, a solemn and beautiful graveyard on the slope of Mount Lawu on the outskirts of Solo city, has been temporarily closed for what is said to be "ro

Thalif Deen, United Nations – The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG), which monitors some 60 crisis-affected countries worldwide, has appealed for UN and international assi

Dili – East Timor risks erupting in violence again if its government and the UN fail to quickly reform the country's security forces, which remain vulnerable to political abuse, a think

Jakarta – Media observers and activists said Thursday the countless reports on Soeharto's ill health could evoke sympathy from the public, which would then lead to forgiveness over his

Michael Heath – East Timor faces renewed violence unless it reorganizes the army and police, the International Crisis Group said, almost two years after clashes between security force f

Suharto, who ruled Indonesia from 1966 until he was ousted in 1998, decisively shaped the post 1965 political and economic trajectory of Indonesia.