The country's self-appointed morality police says they would rather be praying and worshiping during Ramadan, instead of raiding restaurants and nightclubs, if only the National Police

Index: ASA 21/028/2012

Bruce Gale – On July 23, when Nazriel 'Ariel' Irham of the Bandung-based Peterpan pop group was released from prison, the local singer's fans were elated.

A. Lin Neumann – We hear a lot about the greatness that is just around the corner for Indonesia, and much of it rings true.

East Java's Sidoarjo Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) chapter has labelled firecrackers haram (forbidden) for Muslims during Ramadhan, as they are considered dangerous.

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to follow-up on the findings of the National Commission on Human Rights (K

Esther Samboh, Jakarta – The government has temporarily scrapped taxes on soybean imports to make more affordable.

Rabby Pramudatama, Jakarta – A preliminary report on Indonesia's mineral exports for the month of June shows at least three commodities were severely affected by a set of new regulation

Markus Junianto, Rangga Prakoso & Viriya Paramita – Human rights activists on Wednesday lambasted remarks made by House of Representatives deputy speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, who sai

Jakarta – The government says that it expects to recruit 20,000 to 25,000 more police officers, half of whom will be trained later this year.

Bandung – An official with the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) has urged police to take legal action against celebrities Luna Maya and Cut Tari, saying it is not fair that only singer

Sita W.

Jakarta – Sumardi, 44, a Karawang resident says the days when Karawang villagers repeatedly found bodies from the penembakan misterius (mysterious shootings), or Petrus, in the area of

Rangga Praksoso, Ezra Sihite & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Despite a landmark ruling from the National Commission on Human Rights on Monday confirming that there were serious human r

Ismira Lutfia – For the first time on Tuesday, a government agency confirmed what many people believe: that the mysterious petrus killings of the early 1980s, in which hundreds, perhaps

Jakarta – Rival political parties have said that they are not concerned about reports that their lawmakers in the House of Representatives have struck a deal with the National Democrat

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) announced on Tuesday that the summary execution-style killings between 1982 and 1985, known locally as penembakan misteriu

Rangga Prakosa – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered the attorney general to follow up on the National Commission on Human Rights' recent report on human rights violations du

Rangga Prakoso – The chairman of the Public Prosecution Commission said on Tuesday that he would question Attorney General Basrief Arief about why his office had such a difficult time i

Laurencius Simanjuntak – Founded on July 22, 1996, or when Suharto's New Order regime was still savage and cruel, it was not an easy time for the People's Democratic Party (PRD).

It's official.

Surabaya – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has called on the police to launch a probe into the apparent disappearance of Ali Azhar Akbar, author of

Ronna Nirmala – The country's child protection agency has received an average of 100 complaints each month related to violations of children's rights through its hotline service in the

Olivia Rondonuwu – Indonesia's mosques are trying to sound their best for the Ramadan fasting month, splashing out on high quality loudspeakers to woo the faithful and avoid upsetting n

Kamana Shrestha – In a tiny alleyway, the sound of laughter fills the air. Then you see them: a trail of children running behind a tall Dutch man.

Yoga Rusmana & Fitri Wulandari – A shortage of electricity in Indonesia may hamper President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's plan to ban all raw-ore exports by 2014 as he seeks to increa

Laurencius Simanjuntak – Founded on July 22, 1996, or when Suharto's New Order regime was still savage and cruel, it was not an easy time for the People's Democratic Party (PRD).

Rizky Amelia – The trial of graft suspect Miranda Goeltom opened on Tuesday with the prosecution alleging that the University of Indonesia economics professor was the driving force behi

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is looking into suspicious transactions involving the bank accounts of 10 members of the House of Representatives.

Jakarta – The presidential ambitions of United Development Party (PPP) chairman Suryadharma Ali encountered a major stumbling block as a number of local party branches decided to back f

Ronna Nirmala – The National Commission on Human Rights has called the orgy of violence that shook the country in 1965 following a failed coup attempt blamed on the communists a serious

The Tourism Ministry has announced plans to award Indonesian parks for their clean public toilets, which officials hope will make Indonesia a more attractive tourist destination, and wi

Ulma Haryanto & Jonathan Vit – As a capital city and seat of government, Jakarta attracts frequent protests, for better or for worse.

Bandung – Two and a half years since homemade sex videos with his celebrity girlfriends became one of the biggest controversies in the conservative Indonesian society, Nazril "Ariel" Ir

Novia D.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The number of acts of violence against children, particularly cases of sexual assault, in North Sumatra has increased by 55 percent as compared to last year, re

Farouk Arnaz – A document released by the police's elite counterterrorism force, Densus 88, alleges that two suspected would-be suicide bombers arrested early this month in Poso, Centra

Jalalludin NGOko – The political party Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) recently announced its 314-strong leadership structure.

Rangga Prakoso & Heru Andriyanto – With pop star Nazril "Ariel" Irham's release on parole after serving two years of his three-and-a-half-year sentence over leaked sex videos, legal

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's call for his ministers to resign their posts if they are preoccupied with preparing the 2014 election rings hollow, as h

Margareth S.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The United Development Party (PPP) is seriously considering naming former Vice President Jusuf Kalla as its presidential candidate for the 2014 presidential r

Kupang, West Timor – A prominent US expert in oil spill recovery said in Kupang on Saturday that Indonesia needs to craft a program to deal with the lingering and largely over-looked ef

Khairil Azhar, Jakarta – "What is your conclusion?

An Islamic organization and the Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) have both gone on record to say that fringe organizations should not conduct operations to "fight against vices" during Ram

As the call to prayer sounded over Jakarta on Thursday night, there was a greater urgency than usual to the traffic as the faithful hurried home to prepare for the first day of the fast

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency has called for an investigation into an untendered office space procurement by state upstream oil and gas regulator BP Migas that it says co

Jakarta – A number of politicians have been implicated in the graft case surrounding the Rp 1.52 trillion (US$161.12 million) project, and most of them have been questioned.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) called on the National Police to start an investigation into the death of a protester, shot during a protest over gold mining plans

Sita W.