An Indonesian soldier has been killed by rebels in the province of Aceh, putting a five-week old ceasefire to the test.

East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao said yesterday that it may be necessary to extend the mandate of the 5,000-soldier UN peacekeeping force in East Timor beyond June 2004, its schedu

Mark Dodd, Darwin – Southeast Asia's poorest country, East Timor, could get its first royalty payments from the oil- and gas-rich Timor Sea by 2004, money which experts say will mean th

Matthew Moore, Jakarta – Some of the 28,000 East Timorese who remain in West Timor after fleeing the carnage that followed East Timor's 1999 vote for independence will soon be leaving t

Dili – Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri is studying a possible restructuring of East Timor's government ministries to improve their functioning and the performance of ministers, official so

The Human Rights Watch annual report has singled out the government of Indonesia for failing to address human rights abuses by the military.

Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputricanceled a trip to Central Sulawesi on Tuesday following the latest wave of protests around the country over higher fuel and utility prices, AP

Kurniawan Hari and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) moved to save face in the price hike controversy on Tuesday, urging President Megawati Soekarnoput

Rendi A.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – On New Year's Eve, I pulled into my local Pertamina station.

Moch. N.

Tim Shorrock, Washington – The US Congress may vote as early as this week to restore a military training program for Indonesia despite uncertainties about the Indonesian military's huma

Jakarta – The recent protest involving only about 3,000 workers in Jakarta, instead of the threatened 25,000 people, is further proof of how weak the labor movement in Indonesia is, and

Bogor – Some 2,000 workers in Bogor regency, West Java, staged a protest on Tuesday demanding minimum wages the same as for workers in the nearby regions of Jakarta, Bekasi and Tangeran

Jakarta – Nationwide protests against increases in utility prices entered their second week on Tuesday, turning more militant in some provinces as protesters blocked roads and occupied

Dili – The atmosphere of instability looming over East Timor is leading to a deterioration of relations between national and UN security structures.

Nani Farida, Banda Aceh – Ambassadors from the United States, Japan and Italy arrived here on Monday for a two-day visit to show support for a recent peace agreement to end decades of h

Dili – A captured former anti-independence militiaman has told interrogators in Dili that at least seven armed groups infiltrated East Timor from Indonesia in December, according to two

The Indonesian government made only half-hearted attempts during the year to hold accountable those responsible for TNI abuses in East Timor.

Karawang – The Indonesian Military (TNI) on Monday said it was the right of citizens to protest over recent price hikes but warned against hidden agendas, including toppling the governm

Jakarta – The government of President Megawati Sukarnoputri has restored some political stability but failed to address human rights abuses by the military and endemic corruption, Human

Jakarta – Shortly after several cabinet ministers arrived in Ambon, Maluku, an unidentified man threw bombs at passing cars, which exploded and damaged the rear end of a public minivan

Rachel Harvey, Jakarta – Rampant corruption in Indonesia is hampering attempts to tackle the problem of illegal logging, according to a report.

Achmad Sukarsono and Telly Nathalia, Jakarta – Thousands of protesters rallied in more than a dozen Indonesian cities on Tuesday and knocked down parliament's gates in the capital, main

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) headed by President Megawati Sukarnoputri has joined the chorus of protesters calling on her administration to

Jakarta – Some 5,000 women staged a rally on Tuesday outside the presidential palace in Central Jakara, protesting the government's decision to increase fuel prices and electricity and

[The following is a by Jeffrey Winters, Northwestern University, via Joyo Indonesia News Service.]

I would like to offer the following observations:

Tim Dodd, Jakarta – Two senior Indonesian police officers who uncovered evidence of army involvement in the killing of three teachers near the Freeport mine in Papua last August have be

Jakarta – Violence erupted again on Monday as thousands of people embarked on a second week of protests nationwide against the steep rises in fuel prices, and electricity and telephone

Alan Boyd, Sydney – Indonesia may close its key border crossing into Papua New Guinea (PNG) after renewed separatist tensions in the rebellious province of West Papua (formerly Irian Ja

Jane Perlez, Banda Aceh – An American nurse freed after having been convicted by the Indonesian authorities of visa violations, which involved contacting separatist rebels, says she wan

Mengwi – President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday defended her decision to raise fuel and power prices, arguing they were needed to end the country's reliance on foreign debt.

Protests against price hikes for fuel and phone charges are continuing for a second week across Indonesia.

Jakarta – Riding the momentum initiated by mounting anti-government protests, several individuals representing different groups have become united in their efforts to unseat President M

Banda Aceh – The number of killings and clashes between Indonesian forces and separatist rebels in Aceh province has plunged sharply a month after a peace deal was signed, a mediation g

Ati Nurbaiti, Ambon – It seems an inevitable, accepted fact of life here that while things must return to "normal", it would be wishful thinking to imagine that it means resuming normal

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – After pulling up President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Indonesia's main audit body is flexing its muscles and plans to fire more shots this month at big names for th

Jakarta – Domestic researchers lashed out at the government's plan to impose restrictions on foreign scholars who wish to conduct field studies in the troubled provinces of Papua and Ac

Tony Sitathan, Jakarta – "I do not know how I am going to survive with three children, an ailing mother and an unemployed husband, with the current increases in basic electricity and te

Jakarta – Police have uncovered a fifth military-style training camp in South Sulawesi – suspected to belong to the group behind last month's bombings in Makassar – which had enlisted t

Jakarta – Despite making progress in clamping down on suspected terrorists, Indonesia lacks a comprehensive policy to combat terrorism and puts too much weight on responding to possible

Jakarta – Already under investigation for corruption, Indonesia's Attorney-General was accused by police yesterday of embezzling thousands of dollars from a charity set up to help refug

Jakarta – Street protests continued across the country Friday against steep increases in fuel and utility charges as the government began distributing cheaper rice nationwide to those h

Bill Guerin – A year ago Indonesia's debut into the free-trade era took place when it opened its markets to the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).

Tom Hyland – The accused sits with his seven lawyers in the listless heat of a Jakarta courtroom.

Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – Police fired two warning shots into the air to disperse a rally of some 1,000 former workers of PT Doson Indonesia, a company that produces shoes for Nike, in

M.

Ibnu Mat Noor and Nani Farida, Banda Aceh/Lhokseumawe – Civilian casualties have dropped significantly in Aceh in the past month, but violence has not stopped entirely in the country's

Maria Endah Hulupi and Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Thousands of workers and students staged a rally in front of Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta, on Thursday to demand that the government a

Berni K.