Josua Gantan, Jakarta – "Do you want to be led by a puppet?

Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – Sixteen years ago, Indonesians of all stripes took to the streets to demand the ousting of former President Suharto, the dictator who had ruled the coun

Jakarta - Indonesia's next leader must urgently tackle the ongoing human rights violations and repeal repressive and discriminatory laws, UK-based international NGO Amnesty Internationa

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto says officers are prepared to maintain security during planned Labor Day demonstrations.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Thousands of workers under the Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers Union have announced their plan to stage a rally on thoroughfares in Medan, North Sumatra,

Richard S.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Robertus Wardi, Jakarta – After making official its coalition with the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) earlier this month, the Indonesian Democratic Pa

Fitri Bintang Timur and Puri Kencana Putri, Jakarta – Recently, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen.

Deti Mega Purnamasari & Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – Over a month after officially entering the presidential race, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, nominated as presidential can

Basten Gokkon & Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – The government, as part of its ongoing bid to abolish local elections and return to a system of appointing regional leaders by legis

Hans Nicholas Jong, National – The revision of the 2004 Regional Administration Law would grant the central government the power to punish regional heads whose policies were considered

Jakarta – Less than a week before the first ever May Day holiday this year, the Confederation of Indonesia Labor Unions (KSPI) is preparing for a large demonstration.

Margareth S.

Arya Dipa, Bandung, West java – Ahmadis in Ciamis, West Java, are observing their religious activities as usual at the Nur Khilafat Mosque, despite a call from the local Indonesian Ulem

Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – This year's legislative election result doesn't look too good for the Golkar Party.

Ina Parlina and Bambang Muryanto, Jakarta/Yogyakarta – Politician Amien Rais, an icon during the 1998 reform movement to topple former president Soeharto, amplified a call on Friday to

Corry Elyda, Jakarta – Security guards at a public park in West Jakarta have been on an undercover mission in the past few months: in pairs, they pose as young couples dating in Cattley

Anastasia Winanti Riesardhy, Jakarta – The 12 political parties that competed in the April 9 legislative election had campaign funds totaling Rp 3.1 trillion ($272 million), according t

Jakarta – Maluku police on Friday have reportedly arrested Simon Saiya, an activist wanted for masterminding the display of a separatist flag during a performance for the president almo

Bayu Marhaenjati, Jakarta – Twelve members of Pancasila Youth were arrested by the Jakarta police for the attack on rival group Betawi Brotherhood Forum that left at least one person se

Index: ASA 21/012/2014

Patrick Tibke – In recent times Prabowo Subianto's presidential campaign has often manifested as a peculiar spectacle, characterised by colourful and highly unpredictable politicking.

Camelia Pasandaran, Jakarta – An Ahmadiyah community in West Java has lashed out at a call for a ban on its activities by the country's highest clerical council, which only days earlier

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The trial of graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo has revealed that former forestry minister MS Kaban – who is chairman of the Islamic-based Crescent Star Party (PBB) –

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Advocacy groups for disabled persons are seeking a new law to replace the current 1997 disability law, which they say is ineffective.

Suara Pembaruan, Jakarta – Golkar Party will decide on Aburizal Bakrie's running mate and the party's coalition partners in next month's national leaders meeting, as it dismissed specul

Pekanbaru – The Riau Police are intensifying their investigation into haze by probing a number of companies in Bengkalis and Indragiri Hilir regencies in connection to forest and peatla

Jakarta – A prosecutor is seeking a sentence of at least five years in prison for gang leader Hercules Rosario Marshal, who is on trial for extortion.

SP/Robertus Wardhy & Vento Saudale, Bogor – Two rival factions of Indonesia's oldest Islamic party agreed on Wednesday to reconcile, following a bitter split that had threatened to

Jakarta – Indonesia's military chief collects counterfeit watches, with no qualms about it, and he'll go to extreme lengths to prove it.

Jakarta – As Indonesia debates the merits of the three-decade rule of strongman Suharto, the one thing the country seems to agree on is that the dictator fared better on protecting reli

SP/Novianti Setuningsih, Jakarta – The allegations had swirled for years, but when the first solid accusation of corruption was finally leveled at Agriculture Minister Suswono, it wasn'

Business – State-owned electricity company PT PLN says it burned 1.84 million kiloliters of fossil fuel in the first quarter of 2014.

Clyde Russell, Launceston, Australia – Indonesia s decision to start cancelling investment treaties with 62 countries has passed with little comment, but the move may have a greater imp

By Max Lane

Executive summary

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – The National Police are reluctant to act against the alleged hate speech made at an anti-Shia declaration, an event attended by more than 1,000 people in Ban

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Prominent clerics from 67 Muslim organizations have called on the five Islamic-based parties to band together in a coalition ahead of the July 9 presidential

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – A proposed coalition of Islamic political parties should back a presidential candidate who prays five times a day at a mosque and will cut short cabi

Anastasia Arvirianty, Jakarta – Indonesian presidential frontrunner Joko "Jokowi" Widodo looks to be getting some extra help from the bickering that threatens to undermine his chief riv

Jakarta – More than a century after the death of Raden Ajeng Kartini, the first Indonesian woman to demand the emancipation of women in the country, activists say gender inequality rema

Sita W.

Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – Even though official legislative election results are still pending, pollsters and media have already made their predictions about the coming crop of le

Jakarta/Makassar – Saleem Ali, not his real name, was just 13 when his mother decided that paying strangers to smuggle him through several countries in the hope of reaching Australia wa

Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said that when collating the country's first ever Happiness Index it had applied different parameters from other similar indexes.

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Suspended United Development Party (PPP) chairman Suryadharma Ali exacerbated resentment within his party on Sunday after he toured Central Java with the Ger

Pekanbaru – Indonesian Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya said on Monday that as many as 23 companies were allegedly responsible for fires and haze that struck Riau earlier this ye

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – A Pesantren Waria (Islamic boarding school for transgenders) in Yogyakarta has once again opened its doors, and brought the subject of freedom of religion

Jakarta – Jakarta called on governments on Monday to stop "shifting responsibility" for asylum seekers, in veiled criticism of Australia's hardline policy of towing boatloads of would-b

Bayu Marhaenjati & Tunggadewa Mattangkilang – Jakarta/Balikpapan.

Jakarta – The congregation of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin urged recently inaugurated Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto to act on his promise to reopen their church before