Fabio Scarpello, Jakarta – While negotiations between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and Indonesian government officials in Helsinki, Finland, have given rise to a moderate optimism, figh

"I did this so that we would not be a nation of coolies and a coolie among nations" - Indonesia's founding President Sukarno

It is hard to get excited about suggested "breakthroughs" on resolving the conflict in Aceh. Promises have been broken and repeated initiatives have fallen by the wayside.

Dita Indah Sari, Jakarta – The debate over the pros and cons of the fuel price increase has begun to become dreary.

Wimar Witoelar, Jakarta – Time stood still for a moment on the morning of May 21, 1998. Millions of hearts skipped a beat upon hearing the announcement on television.

Anthony Paul – At first glance, the latest news from Aceh seems promising: On Wednesday, Jakarta lifted the state of emergency declared a year ago, when the army stepped up its campaign

Normalcy is a luxury for most Acehnese. Their province has practically been in a perpetual state of war for as long as most people can remember.

Kornelius Purba – My hands were clasped at waist level in a submissive, defensive posture, as one of Soeharto's most feared aides told me in a hotel in Cairo that Soeharto was very angr

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The rampant programs on television depicting violence and sex begs a question: Are people in the TV industry equipped with any knowledge of ethics?

When Director General for Land Transportation Iskandar Abubakar launched the idea of having all private vehicles undergo a roadworthiness test in 2003, he was met with strong resistance

Otto Syamsuddin Ishak, Jakarta – Law enforcement is one of the Indonesian government's strategies for the settlement of the war in Aceh. Which law does the government seek to enforce?

Popular rock group Dewa has been reported to city police by a number of Muslim organizations led by the Islamic Defender Front (FPI) for using the Arabic script of Allah on the cover of

Aguswandi, London – Oppression is bad for a government's image, especially a government such as Indonesia that is still struggling to repair its reputation internationally.

We heard resolute words from Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Wednesday – that in three years, there should be no more elementary school buildings on the verge of collapse.

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – It's been seven months since rights activist Munir Said Thalib, popularly known as Munir, died of arsenic poisoning on a flight to the Netherlands, while the

Suadi Sulaiman Laweueng, the Free Aceh Movement's (GAM) spokesperson for the Pidie regency in north Aceh, spoke to Green Left Weekly's Jes Abek about the struggle in Aceh.

Aceh rebels fighting for the independence of Indonesia's northernmost province have told the Indonesian government in peace talks that they see Bougainville in Papua New Guinea as a mod

The first of many, or just one of the few. That is the question on many lips after the conviction of Abdullah Puteh on corruption charges.

Aguswandi, London – Do the Acehnese hate foreigners? Do they want the many foreign aid workers laboring to help them to leave their villages?

Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta – The trouble with praise or accolades is that when you get too much, you get too high.

Some positive statements made by both sides ahead of the Aceh peace talks, which resume today, suggest a historic agreement may be in the making.

Imagine you are playing soccer, then at half-time the game is switched to rugby. How many of the team will run back on and try to play by the same old rules?

Paul Kingsnorth – Nona Kogoya was two years old when she died. She had been a normal, healthy young girl; but that was before the soldiers came.

Jeffrey A.

Once upon a time in the not so distant past, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) bore the country's political hopes and dreams.

Jeffrey A.

Jakarta – Life is not so sweet for a small cottage industry producing caramelized snacks in Kemanggisan Pulo, West Jakarta, since the fuel price hikes.

The House of Representatives finally came to its senses on Monday and reached a wise compromise that provides more leeway for deliberation of the contentious issue of fuel subsidies wit

Those acquainted with politics looked on in amusement. The majority of those who had held their representatives in something like reverence stared in bemusement.

The arguments made by several factions at the House of Representatives to support their stubborn demands for the total cancellation of the March 1 fuel price hikes not only miss the who

Every time the government raises domestic fuel prices closer to their real economic cost, businesspeople always raise a rumpus, urging the government to deal firmly with the old problem

Azas Tigor Nainggolan, Jakarta – On March 1 the government raised the prices of most fuel products despite many protests from the community.

Now that the tsunami relief money for Aceh is on the table, there is a tussle looming over how to spend it.

There is a common joke among government officials that attempts to explain the supposedly assertive nature of the Acehnese people: "When 10 Acehnese gather to work out a consensus, they

About 30 members of the House of Representatives have asked the legislature to exercise its right of inquiry into the government decision to raise on March 1 fuel prices by an average o

Whatever others may say about it, here in Indonesia the trial and subsequent conviction on Thursday of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir to 30 months' imprisonment for partaking in the "evil conspirac

The brouhaha of politics often belie the soundness of ties between two nations.

We should commend President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's determination to make the unpopular-but-necessary decision to forge ahead and increase fuel prices.

Regencies and cities, which lack resources – or the capacity to capitalize on them – should not despair when it comes to attracting private investment, because investors consider policy

Some say the best way to stop corruption among state officials and officeholders is to pay them better salaries.

There never was a good war or a bad peace.

It has taken Indonesia many years, and an international scandal, for the country to finally wake up to the immensity of the looting that has been going on for decades in its lush tropic

Edward Aspinall – The international community needs to be cautious in welcoming signs of an apparent breakthrough in the recent Aceh peace talks in Finland.

Jakarta – Indonesia's top intellectual and a longtime contender for the Nobel Literature prize believes that the influx of foreigners and aid money into tsunami-devastated Aceh could br

The president is the supreme commander of the Indonesian armed forces. The 1945 Constitution – both in its amended and original forms – clearly stipulates such.

"I don't care," has apparently become a catchphrase among government officials, following President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's example.

The reconstruction of Aceh moved into a new stage this week with the completion of military-style barracks to shelter victims of the December 26 tsunami.

Much has been made of Makarim Wibisono's appointment as chairman of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).

Yang Razali Kassim – Within days of the tsunami disaster, several Indonesian organisations sent volunteers to Banda Aceh to provide humanitarian relief.

Not too long ago there was a time when the public, and journalists in particular, lived with a collective daily dose of fear.