A. Junaidi, Jakarta – Any move to ban people belonging to the New Order regime from the elections violates the principle of democracy itself, political observer Arief Budiman says.

Anton Doni, Jakarta – The dilemma of idealistic intellectuals ahead of the first election after Soeharto quit the presidency in 1998 was whether or not to get their hands dirty by becom

Jayapura – Anticipating security disturbances in the lead up to the 2004 general elections, the TNI (armed forces) will increase surveillance in areas which are considered to be suscept

Jakarta – Home Affairs Minister Hari Sabarno stated that so far the government did not have any plans to raise the status of civil order in Papua formerly Irian Jaya to civil emergency.

Brussels – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan assured East Timor Thursday that the UN would likely maintain a presence in the country after the end in May of its current securi

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday it had put on ice its role in attempting to mediate the releas

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Rusman, Samarinda – The East Kalimantan General Elections Commission (KPUD) ruled on Wednesday that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) could not run for seats in the pr

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – A blueprint just released by the central Bank Indonesia (BI) spells out in some detail how banking-sector reforms will be implemented over the next 10 years.

Jakarta – The State Budget for the Indonesian National Military Forces (TNI) has been increased by 15 per cent from 11.536 trillion rupiah in 2003 to 13.266 trillion this year.

News about the possibility that the central government might impose a civil emergency in Papua province has caused strong reactions in several quarters.

More than 200 people from Kajang village in Bulukumba regency protested at the South Sulawesi legislative council on Wednesday to demand the expulsion of PT London Sumatera (Lonsum) fro

Indonesian government is currently discussing a bill on safeguarding vital objects throughout the country.

Jakarta – A small group of people claiming to be victims and their relatives of a bloody 1989 clash in the village of Talangsari went to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas

Frans Surdiasis, Jakarta – The latter half of 2003 saw the re-emergence of the daughter of former president Soeharto, this time on the political stage.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – Twenty-four fish farmers in Cilincing subdistrict, North Jakarta, demanded on Wednesday that the city administration provide Rp 340 million (US$40,476) in c

Jenny H. Backstrom, Kuta – It is still the rainy season in Bali. But other forms of clouds, confusion and uncertainty, currently cover the island.

The military chief in Indonesian West Timor has promised that members of an opposition group in neighbouring East Timor, an independent state, will be barred from crossing the border in

An Indonesian court has jailed an Islamic militant for life for helping to make one of the bombs which ripped through two Bali nightclubs and killed 202 people.

John Aglionby – The bird flu ravaging Asia has thrown up many surprises in the last week and many experts are expecting more in the next few days.

The policies of some Western nations in the Middle East and elsewhere are partly to blame for the rise of terrorism in Indonesia and other countries, a top anti-terror official said her

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) A.M.

James Balowski, Jakarta – In the presence of some 200 members and supporters, on January 16 the People's Democratic Party (PRD) "launched" its new central leadership board and 2004 gene

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – Former president Soeharto's youngest son, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, failed once again to testify at a trial in the Central Jakarta District Court.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – The Constitutional Commission (KK) is considering granting the president authority to veto bills that he or she deems to be unfavorable to the nation.

Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta – Despite progress over the past three years, the implementation of regional autonomy in some parts of the country has fallen short of what had originally been h

Matthew Moore – Despite up to 10 million Indonesian chickens dying from bird flu since August, Indonesia's Health Ministry said yesterday it has had no reports of any-one contracting th

Jakarta – Plans to provide Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency officials with legal immunity once it is closed have been fiercely criticized, as it violates the basic principle of equa

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Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has established a Rp 100 billion (US$11.3 million) budget for the upcoming elections campaign

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Jakarta - At around 11.45am on Tuesday January 27, two groups of demonstrators from the Central Leadership Committee of the People's Democratic Party (KPP-PRD) and student demonstrators

Jakarta – A soldier shot and killed two civilians before turning his gun on himself, and eight other people have also been killed in separate incidents in the strife-torn province of Ac

Jill Jolliffe, Bobonaro – As the world's youngest nation battles to repress rebel groups, the harshness of the crackdown risks provoking the very instability the government seeks to pre

Currently more than 2.2 tons a year of hazardous and toxic (B3) wastes are exported to developing countries, including Indonesia.

Kupang – Wirasakti military commander Col.

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The management of state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) and its 6,600 dismissed workers have failed to resolve their labor disp

Jakarta – The amount of bank credits extended in 2004 will not exceed credits disbursements by banks in Indonesia in 2003, analysts have predicted.

Jakarta – Police involvement in dealing with labor disputes was pivotal although their performance had been criticized, International Labor Organization (ILO) spokeswoman Gita Lingga sa

Honolulu – Although East Timor leaders know that building a constructive relationship with Indonesia is essential for a more secure future, the new nation's first lady said this poses a

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is being slammed for keeping the public in the dark about the spread of bird flu despite being aware of it since last November.

Evi Mariani and Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – A total of 780 motorists were ticketed for violating the new three-in-one traffic policy on the first day of its implementation on Monday.

Jakarta – On Tuesday January 27, the vice-chairperson of the Pancasila Patriot Party, Henry Yosodiningrat, reported the general chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), Yusuf

Anton Aliabbas, Jakarta – The Pancasila Patriot Party is incensed after being referred to as part of the New Order [of former President Suharto] and has made a complaint to police again

Rusman, Samarinda – A local non-governmental organization activist lashed out on Monday at the East Kalimantan provincial government for allocating a budget to build houses for council

Yogyakarta – Actions rejecting the 2004 general elections and calls to golput [white movement, not to mark the ballot paper] are becoming lively in Yogyakarta, Central Java.

Sri Wahyuni, Yogyakarta – Unless voters are encouraged to mark the individual names of legislative candidates on ballot papers, the upcoming polls will just become another April fool's

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has set conditions for a temporary cease-fire in troubled Aceh to allow Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders to free all civil

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