Jakarta – The Justice and Human Rights Ministry will verify the validity of political parties running in the 2009 general election only after a new law on parties is enacted, to minimiz

Few newspapers gave space for the enactment last week of the Energy Law by the House of Representatives, as its 34 articles only provide a broad outline of national energy policies.

Rafiqa Qurrata A, Jakarta – Dissatisfied with the process of reform that they believe has failed, 1998 activists are threatening to make a comeback.

Simon Roughneen, Dili – After spending two years in prison on terror-related charges, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, widely regarded as Indonesia's most radical Islamic cleric, is plotting his nex

M.

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Despite major improvements over the past few years, the country's banking sector has yet to fully recover from its worst crisis in living memory 10 years ago, th

Bandung/Makassar/Jakarta – A series of fatal land and sea accidents since last Saturday has claimed dozens of lives and further tarnished the country's public transportation reputation.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – A Canadian Muslim intellectual has questioned whether the rise of sharia-based ordinances in Indonesia has been driven by a desire for harmony and people's welfa

Zainal Fikri, Banjarmasin – More and more regencies and municipalities across the country have adopted sharia-inspired bylaws.

Ary Hermawan, Jimbaran, Bali – Indonesia will continue to adopt a society-oriented economic system aimed at guaranteeing an equal distribution of wealth to all citizens but remaining op

Jakarta – Teachers in the Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI) held a rally in the capital city once again. Last Monday, PGRI deployed hundreds of members from East Java.

Siswanto, Jakarta – Around 100 residents from Cengkareng in West Jakarta held a demonstration in front of the State Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara on Friday July 13.

Idham Gofur, Jakarta – Scores of housewives and children held a demonstration in front of the State Palace on July 13 calling on the government not to surrender the distribution of milk

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – The government is upbeat that Indonesia's economy will continue to pick up momentum this year, with growth of between 6 and 6.11 percent year-on-year anticipated

The secretary-general of the Dewan Ketahanan Nasional (Council for National Resilience), Lt.

The current brouhaha over the establishment of a local political party in Aceh raises a more important question about the exercise of democracy and equality in Indonesia: Shouldn't othe

The US$1.5 billion civil lawsuit filed by state attorneys against former president Soeharto at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday – more than nine years after his fall – could s

Hariyanto Kurniawan, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech stating other economic systems have failed and so they have chosen an open economic system that incorporates s

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has praised Indonesia's progress in applying human rights principles in recent years, and says th

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The urban poor made it clear Wednesday that casting their ballots in Aug. 8 election was their only way of having a say in how the city is run.

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Jakarta – State responses and the row over flag incidents in Maluku and Papua suggest little has been learned from Indonesia's rich experience with conflicts in Eas

Jakarta – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour began her five-day visit to Indonesia during which she is expected to visit Aceh and meet with the President.

Gede Suardana, Jakarta – The United Nations is being asked to support Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in efforts to solve the murder of human rights activist Munir.

Jakarta – A recent survey conducted to commemorate the National Police' 61st anniversary found that the public wants more female police officers, despite the discrimination they face.

Ken Yunita, Jakarta – The government is being asked to be on guard against the arrival in Indonesia of human rights representatives from foreign institutions.

Bhimanto Suwastoyo, Jakarta – A 1.5-billion-dollar civil suit filed against Indonesia's ex-dictator Suharto is a political move to appease government critics and comes too late to retri

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The people should throw their weight behind the government, no matter how disorderly it is, and turn away from any attempts to have it prematurely removed, a n

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Having learned the hard way from the financial crisis about the importance of managing lending risks, Indonesia's banking sector has now improved significantly,

Andi Haswidi, Jakarta – After four months of improvement, consumer confidence fell in June amid concerns about cooking oil, milk and other food-product prices, a survey reveals.

Jakarta – A former military chief turned politician said Sunday the authorities should consider allowing independent candidates run for president.

Statesmanship is in short supply in Indonesia. Our political elite just doesn't have it.

Canberra – An Australian warning of possible terrorist attacks in the final stages of planning in Indonesia was based on intercepted militant communications, Foreign Minister Alexander

Jakarta – An Indonesian judge on Monday ruled that the arrest of a senior member of the Jemaah Islamiyah extremist network was lawful and he should remain in custody.

Bambang Dwi, Jakarta – Indonesian prosecutors on Monday filed a civil suit against former dictator Suharto, seeking more than 1.5 billion dollars in damages over funds he allegedly stol

Police in Central Maluku, arrested Leonard Hendrik, an alleged activist of the secessionist Republic of South Maluku (RMS) in Aboru village, Haruku Island, Sunday.

Bill Guerin, Jakarta – In an unexpected lurch toward more market protectionism, Indonesia last week greatly expanded its "negative investment list" of local industries to which foreign

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – A group of economists have criticized the government for being "overly pro-market" and abandoning its own pro-poor policies, claiming that these were the underly

Palu, Central Sulawesi – Several youth organizations rallied here Friday against the planned creation of the Indonesian Youth Party, which is an initiative of the Indonesian National Yo

Jakarta – An economic think tank has warned the government of a possible sudden reversal in short-term capital inflows, which it says could destabilize the economy and cause even more c

Jakarta – Convinced that discussions of a potential coalition between the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) will be of little benefit, Vice President

Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – Foreign intelligence [agencies] are believed to be playing a significant role in the recent emergence of separatist movements.

Colonel Burhanuddin Siagian stated once again that it is the duty of the TNI to crush any struggle or activity undertaken by any group in the community which tends towards separatism.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has asked the Navy to allow residents to continue using disputed land in Pasuran, East Java, while awaiting a permanent co

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia Defenders Front (FP-NKRI) will be conducting sweeps of people who support separatist movements in the Centra

The newly-unveiled negative list of investment has turned out to be far from negative.

Jakarta – An unclear division of responsibilities between local and central government is hampering both from reaping more benefits from fiscal decentralization, international experts s

Jakarta – Human rights activists demanded Wednesday that parties responsible for excessive violence in Talangsari, Lampung, in 1989 be held accountable through the ongoing investigation

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – Indonesian security forces killed and beat unarmed civilians and on two occasions raped women during recent operations against separatists in Papua province, H

Jakarta – More than 25 witnesses are set to testify in a civil suit against ailing former Indonesian dictator Suharto to be lodged next week, an official from the attorney-general's off

Indra Shalihin, Jakarta – Wearing traditional woven bamboo hats, housewives, farmers and student went to the Constitutional Court on Thursday July 5 to demand that Law No.