Ridwan Max Sijabat and Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – The huge portion of the state budget allocated to education has been instrumental in greatly improving the welfare of teachers, but loc

Farouk Arnaz & Fitri R.

Irawaty Wardani, Jakarta – An investigation into an explosion at an Islamic boarding school in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, escalated into open conflict Tuesday between police and civilian

Febriamy Hutapea – The Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force said on Tuesday that it had found irregularities in the prosecution of a boy on trial for stealing a mosque's speakers.

Anita Rachman – The deputy house speaker is tackling the House of Representatives chronic absentee lawmaker problem head-on.

Nurfika Osman – The number of young girls in the country being circumcised could increase following a Health Ministry decree on the procedure, health experts warn.

Ismira Lutfia – The Press Council on Tuesday questioned President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's commitment to safeguarding press freedom in Indonesia, in light of his statement that his pa

It has been three months since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono put his signature on a landmark immigration bill.

Ismira Lutfia – In a show of solidarity with Malaysian activists calling for electoral reforms in their country, a number of Indonesian civil society organizations staged a rally on Tue

Jakarta/Brussels – Indonesia should put the passage of a controversial intelligence bill on hold until there is a more comprehensive assessment of its security needs.

The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) urge the military to make open to the public the upcoming trial in a ca

Elisabeth Oktofani – Tangerang mother Prita Mulyasari, facing jail time after the Supreme Court found her guilty of libel, said she did not understand why law enforcers were so eager to

Prita Mulyasari has been sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for one year, after the Supreme Court controversially found her guilty of libeling privately owned Omni International

Jakarta – More than 70 noted experts and activists issued a declaration on Sunday condemning a House bill regulating the nation's intelligence agencies, saying it would return authorita

Jakarta – Newly appointed National Police chief detective Insp. Gen. Sutarman admits police are unable to resolve a large portion of cases they are tasked to investigate.

Jakarta – The National Police have been dragging their feet in investigating 20 major corruption cases, a watchdog says.

Elisabeth Oktofani – A protest in Bogor that had been expected to turn violent remained civil on Sunday as a group of people in the mostly Muslim community voiced opposition to the Yasm

Nivell Rayda – As the sun sets, lights are turned on one by one inside houses along Jalan Pejaten Barat Raya, a busy street in South Jakarta.

Fidelis E.

The illicit drug trade, typically associated with the country's larger cities, has now spread to every village across the archipelago, an official from the Social Affairs Ministry said.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro – Indonesia is on track to achieve its growth target in the manufacturing sector on the back of planned incentives and increased investment, an official said.

Arientha Primanita – A year ago on Saturday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono stood beside the hospital bed of Tama Satrya Langkun and urged the activist to continue his fight against

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) says it will bring the libel case implicating Prita Mulyasari to the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Frank LA Rue d

Indonesian villagers who accused Exxon Mobil Corp's security forces of murder, torture and other atrocities have regained their right to sue the giant oil company in the United States.

Jakarta – A number of politicians and national figures who joined the mass organization National Democrat (Nasdem), founded by media mogul Surya Paloh, left the organization after a pol

Faisal Maliki Baskoro & Rangga Prokoso – Two years after Prita Mulyasari, a mother of three from Tangerang, was first detained for supposedly defaming an upscale hospital, and after

Jakarta – The Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI) bestowed the Udin Award, an award for journalists who have become victims of violence due to their work, to a Sun TV correspondent,

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – "I want to make sure that whoever carried out this attack for whatever motive is punished," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono boasted to antigraft activist Tama

Elisabeth Oktofani & Chrestella Tan – Rights activists expressed outrage on Thursday over the light jail terms sought for suspects in the deadly attack on Ahmadiyah followers in Ban

The European Parliament has chimed in on incidents of religious persecution in Indonesia with a resolution that expresses "grave concern" over the recent string of attacks against Chris

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – In its defense, the government says that the much-criticized national security bill is necessary to protect the country from various threats, an argument that sec

The wacky world of Indonesian Youtube sensation First Brig.

A shooting spree targeting top Democratic Party officials by the party's fugitive legislator, Muhammad Nazaruddin, from his hiding place overseas has further shaken the ruling party

Ronna Nirmala – The National Police announced on Friday that they had arrested 11 suspected terrorists and seized several firearms during a three-day operation across Java Island earlie

Esther Samboh, Jakarta – The government said it would significantly increase state budget allocations for education as a result of the surge in total budget spending caused by the incre

The Democratic Party has not seen its founding members and only seen a few of its senior politicians take a key role in deciding the party's course.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Prosperous Justice Party said the Democratic Party was attempting to distract attention from the ongoing Muhammad Nazaruddin scandal by once again raising

Surabaya – The Golkar Party is set to hold a traditional Javanese ceremony at one of Indonesia's most revered archeological sites on Friday night in response to what is says is the nati

Nadya Khalife and Aruna Kashyap – The Indonesian government has long praised its migrant workers as "economic heroes" for their immense contributions to the economy in their home countr

Index: ASA 21/018/2011

The National Police's counterterrorism unit, Densus 88, raided the home of a terror suspect on Jalan Cendrawasih, Cengkarang, West Jakarta.

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – About 150 people in Muslim attire attended a recent hearing of former United Development Party (PPP) legislator Sofyan Usman's trial in a vote-buying scandal.

Indra Harsaputra, Pamekasan – The law in Indonesia does not apply to "little people." Just for stealing a used sarong worth Rp 3,000 (about 35 US cents), Amirah, 30, a woman working as

Mariel Grazella, Jakarta – International human rights group Amnesty International has once again drawn the plight of the Taman Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) into the spotligh

Jakarta – A court case centered around a fatal attack on members of a religious minority group, Ahmadiyah, continued Thursday at Serang District Court in Banten, with the court set to h

Nurfika Osman – With the United Nations warning of rapid world population growth, experts are calling on the government to increase people's awareness of and access to family planning s

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The government has been criticized for allocating "too low" of a budget for protecting Indonesian workers overseas, setting aside merely Rp 26 billion (US$3.04

Arientha Primanita – There are 179 Indonesians on death row in Malaysia, with most cases involving narcotics offenses, an Indonesian government spokesman said on Thursday.

Arientha Primanita – The president called out his cabinet on Thursday for its wholesale failure to push through needed programs, slapping a failing grade on the ministers in an imprompt

Jakarta – The 7th Congress of the United Development Party (PPP) concluded on Wednesday with Suryadharma Ali being reelected to another five-year term.