Jakarta – Non-government organisations are pessimistic and concerned about the prospects for upholding human rights and solving past human rights violation.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported a decrease of 921,000 in the number of unemployed people between August, 2006 and August, 2007, to about 10 million or slightly over 9 perce

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Amsterdam – When Iraqi journalist Muntader Al-Zaidi threw his shoes at President George W. Bush it was to many, myself included, a deja vu.

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Malang – Workers at small-scale cigarette producers in Malang, East Java, Wednesday staged a rally at the Malang Customs and Excise Office to protest a ministerial

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Indonesia and many other countries in the world have only recently commemorated World Human Rights Day, which fell on Dec. 10.

Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua – Papua Province has been the only Indonesian province still rebellious against the Jakarta-based central government.

Maryadi, Jakarta – Jakarta could well be referred to as the 'repository' of protest actions, because not a day goes by without a demonstration, including for the start of 2008.

Indra Harsaputra and Suherdjoko, Bojonegoro/Semarang – More than 100 people have died due to ongoing floods across Central and East Java, a health ministry official said Wednesday.

Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) will impose a one-year demotion on Sultan Bagindo Fahmi, a prosecutor in the illegal logging case built against logging boss Adelin Lis, wh

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – The political situation in South Sulawesi is heating up following the issuance of a ruling by the Supreme Court on a repeat gubernatorial election in the pro

Alfian, Jakarta – The House of Representatives' plenary session is not an efficient forum to debate public issues, said political experts and commentators on Wednesday.

Sidney Jones, Jakarta – The security outlook for Indonesia in 2008 is reasonably good.

Riding on the confidence and bullish market sentiment generated by the estimated 6.3 percent growth in 2007, the Indonesian economy is forecast to continue surging this year.

Indra Harsaputra and Stevie Emilia, Sidoarjo/Jakarta – It has been nearly two years since the mud started gushing out of a gas exploration drilling site in Sidoarjo regency, East Java,

Lindsay Murdoch, Jakarta – Even the former dictator seemed surprised.

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu – The Central Sulawesi Police Headquarters said on Tuesday it will tone down security measures in Poso considering the gradual improvement of conditions in the reg

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Observers and legislators agreed the changing of the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander and chiefs of staff would not affect the military's independence and

Novan Iman Santosa, Jakarta – The Indonesian Army will prioritize personnel development to create a large, professional and strong Army while at the same time improving soldiers' welfar

As we begin the New Year, we are all asking the same question: What does 2008 have in store for us? Looking at the horizon, one could say plenty.

Jakarta – Landslides and floods that struck Indonesia's main island of Java last week killed 107 people and left 12 missing, a health ministry official said Wednesday, as waters receded

John Roosa – Taciturn, reserved, reclusive, emotionless, Suharto ruled Indonesia for 32 years as a mystery man, a dictator who presented himself as a faceless, replaceable figure in an

[The following article was originally published in late 2007 in response to the split in the People's Democratic Party (PRD)-National Liberation Party of Struggle (Papernas).

Jakarta – The new Air Force chief Vice Marshal Subandrio revealed Saturday his short-term target of achieving a 60-percent weaponry capability, a slight increase from the current less-t

Ruslan Sangadji, Palu – Three Tadulako University students in Palu, Central Sulawesi, have been banned from attending graduation day, allegedly because they took part in a series of ral

Jakarta – Despite the surge in oil prices and lower government spending, the Indonesian economy has managed to make a soft landing this year, with an improvement in most of the country'

As the curtains open on the new year we will note down 2007 as the year of a greatly bullish stock market with a rise of over 50 percent in the composite index, making it among the best

Slamet Susanto, Surakarta – Flooding caused by an overflowing Bengawan Solo River paralyzed business activity along the Central Java-East Java border Saturday, with transportation route

Jakarta – Experts at the Center for Anticorruption Studies (Pukat) of Gadjah Mada University's Law Department concluded Friday in a year-end analysis that 2007 was the gloomiest year ev

Slamet Susanto and Blontank Poer, Surakarta – Flooding in Surakarta in Central Java and its surrounding areas worsened due to heavy rain Friday as rescuers intensified efforts to search

Jakarta – The National Commission for Child Protection has predicted the number of cases of violence against children will increase next year in line with mounting socio-economic pressu

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) says a rising tide of violence against members of the news media threatens the freedom of the press in Indonesia.

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – Thousands of supporters of South Sulawesi's governor-elect have pledged to continue protesting the Supreme Court's decision of holding repeat elections in fo

Dozens of people from the Poor People's Alliance, comprising various large organizations and foundations, staged a rally Friday at the Home Affairs Ministry, demanding the annulment of

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – The West Java chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has been criticized by several Muslim organizations for describing as halal two planned "royal" g

Alfian, Jakarta – The neoliberal economic policies embraced by the government have created severe structural poverty in the country, an economist said Thursday.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – A court here Thursday has rejected a lawsuit filed by a leading environmental group accusing Lapindo Brantas of causing the devastating mudflow in Sidoarjo, Ea

Jakarta – Reports of human rights violations have doubled this year, with more than 20,000 people claiming to be victims, a legal aid foundation said Thursday.

Crowds razed a house which functioned as an Islamic boarding school on Thursday, some 25 kilometers east of Malang in East Java.

Sylvia Yazid, Melbourne – It has been more than three decades since the first wave of Indonesians left the country to work overseas.

Jill Joliffe – Families of victims of the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor have found Christmas hope with a project to locate mass graves of youths who disappeared without trace.

Agnes Winarti, Jakarta – These days it is not uncommon to see loose social groups, often ethnically bassed, taking the law into their own hands in the concrete jungle of Jakarta.

Jakarta – Economists, legislators and students say the government's performance in bringing prosperity to Indonesians has been far from satisfactory.

Hendarsyah Tarmizi – This year's results indicate that the government has been able lay down more solid foundations on which the economy can grow further.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – All's well on the banking front this year, with lending back on track and registering ever stronger growth on the back of Indonesia's fast growing economy.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Banda Aceh – A new Aceh government has already been formed, security has improved and the Aceh Monitoring Mission which was tasked to watch over the implementation o

Hendarsyah Tarmizi, Jakarta – Despite much criticism over its inability to cope with growing unemployment and poverty, the government has in general managed to get the economic wheels b

Jakarta – A group of economists has criticized the government for failing to implement an effective and pro-poor economic policy despite improving the country's macro economic situation

Blontank Poer and Suherdjoko, Semarang – At least 71 people were killed in a landslide early Wednesday morning affecting seven districts in Karanganyar regency, Central Java, while floo

Jakarta – Politicians, activists and experts have expressed doubt about the commitment shown by national leaders in combating corruption.

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – The year 2007 ended with the appointment of Army chief of staff Gen.