When Paul Keating was prime minister, Australia and Indonesia signed an "agreement on maintaining security", a pact strong on symbolism but light on substance.

Getting rid of a bad image which has long been planted in the minds of society is not an easy matter.

An expert on the genocide in Cambodia has drawn parallels with Indonesia's policies in East Timor.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) removed the only potential hurdle for a smooth Assembly session on Sunday by withdrawing its propo

Nurul Hidayati, Jakarta – The presidential decree authorising a military emergency in Aceh is being challenged by the People's Lawyers Union (Serikat Pengacara Rakyat, SPR).

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Past rights violators could take advantage of the planned Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a means to whitewash the past and keep their hands clean, right

Nana Rukmana, Majalengka – The declining price of cloves has prompted farmers in Talaga and Baturajeg districts to uproot their clove trees, saying they could no longer afford to mainta

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – In the end, the murky world of politics, where money, power and clout sometimes hold more sway than the merits of goals and projects, probably got to Muslim sch

When Nurcholish Madjid announced last week that he was withdrawing from the Golkar convention that will be held to select its presidential candidate, he was not the only one who felt di

The withdrawal of noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid from the presidential race by way of the Golkar convention has revealed the existing of two contending forces with different hid

When Indonesia's human rights court sits this week to close the book on 18 trials arising from the bloodshed that ravaged East Timor four-years-ago, one fact stands out – most of the su

Jill Jolliffe – An Australian businessman is facing six years' imprisonment in East Timor on petty theft charges laid after a complaint by the brother of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri.

Jakarta – The economic policies taken by the administration of President Megawati Soekarnoputri have failed to push for the higher economic growth needed to create more jobs, economists

Jakarta – Thousands of dirty and noisy motorised rickshaws in Indonesia's capital may soon go the same way as their pedal-powered predecessors – rounded up and dumped into the Java Sea.

Jakarta – The factions of Golkar Party, United Development Party (PPP), Group Representatives and Regional Representatives have rejected the idea of revoking the Provisional People's Co

Theresia Sufa and Bambang Nurbianto, Bogor – Some 300 residents of Bojong village and surrounding areas in Bogor regency welcomed Jakarta Sanitary Agency head Selamat Limbong and entour

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The troubled province of Papua was granted special autonomy in 2001 with around Rp 1.2 trillion disbursed last year to smooth its implementation, but life

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri has claimed that her government has accomplished numerous achievements, and has lashed out at her cr

A US journalist arrested in June while reporting on a separatist war in Indonesia's Aceh province expects to be freed Sunday after being sentenced on immigration charges, his lawyer sai

Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri said on Friday that the martial law in Aceh province would not last long and claimed the ongoing military operation to crush Acehnese separati

Robert Go, Jakarta – A team dispatched by Indonesia's Parliament to review the progress of martial law operations in Aceh has returned to Jakarta bearing reports of possible violations

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – Last week, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri marked her second anniversary in her father's old job.

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Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has launched an investigation into an incident in which police shot and killed up to five protesters in

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Leaders of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) across the country have thrown their support behind chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, in

Jakarta – Indonesia is on track to achieve its full year budget target, the International Monetary Fund's country representative David Nellor, said Friday.

Indonesia's highest constitutional body opened its last annual session before the country's legislative system is reformed next year.

Nani Farida and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe – Two former negotiators for the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) went on trial in the Banda Aceh District Court on terrorism and

Eleanor Hall: Australian Defence analysts and Indonesia watchers are raising concerns today about the merits of proposed joint-exercises involving Australia's Defence Forces and Indones

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – The Golkar party's popularity has been at stake following the withdrawal of noted Muslim intellectual Nurcholish Madjid, popularly known as Cak Nur, from the par

East Timor's most senior judge has ruled the new nation's legal system should be based on Portuguese law, not Indonesian law.

Max Lane – The 2004 election campaign has started. There are two kinds of issues that people seem to be looking at.

Muklis Ali and Dean Yates, Jakarta – Indonesia's president denounced on Friday what she called the "blind fanaticism" of Muslim militants accused of the Bali bombings, describing it as

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Australia has moved to resume contentious joint military exercises with the Indonesian Army's special forces.

The US State Department has insisted it had made no decision on whether to send training aid to Indonesia's military, despite reports that it wants to release 400,000 dollars to armed f

Tiarma Siboro and A'an Suryana, Jakarta – Respected Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid announced his withdrawal on Wednesday night from the Golkar Party convention to select presidential

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Chinese-Indonesian businesspeople in North Sumatra have alleged that political party activists are extorting money from them ahead of the 2004 elections.

Jakarta – The People's Democratic Party (PRD) has rejected holding general elections in Aceh for as long as the military emergency in Tanah Rencong [Aceh] continues.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – For the second time, villagers from Bogor regency rallied at City Hall and the City Council building against plans to build a garbage treatment facility in

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – Facing two months imprisonment for immigration offenses, an American freelance journalist asserted that he had not committed any acts or activities that violat

Robert Go, Jakarta – Indonesia's new copyright laws promise a tough bite.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives Committee on Thursday urged the government to delay the purchase of Russian jet fighters as the deal had violated the current state budget guideli

Reports from Indonesia say the government is set to drastically scale down its five year link with the International Monetary Fund.

Dili – East Timorese police have evicted former governor Mario Carrascalao from his home of 22 years, in what he described as an act of political persecution.

Faiza Mardzoeki, Jakarta – July 25, 2003, marked a setback in the Indonesian women's movement.

A'an Suryana, Jakarta – In her capacity as chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), President Megawati Soekarnoputri has admonished her supporters at

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, Lhokseumawe – Saturday night is no longer lively in the North Aceh capital Lhokseumawe where youngsters used to gather in street cafes downtown or just ride aro

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Lhokseumawe/Denpasar – Armed clashes continued in many parts of Aceh province on Tuesday despite the martial law administration's claim

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – The Tangerang Prosecutor's Office will investigate a Rp 12.5 billion (US$1.47 million) corruption case in which 45 city councillors have been implicated.

Jakarta – With an eye to the 2004 general election, the National Mandate Party (PAN) has launched a biweekly tabloid called Media Amanat Rakyat (MAR) to become a vehicle of presidential