Severianus Endi, Sanggau, West Kalimantan – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Tuesday that his administration would focus its attention on two matters, namely deregulation and infrastructure d

Tama Salim, Jakarta – Lawmakers have criticized the government for lacking a unified approach in dealing with separatism in Papua, the country's easternmost province.

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court on Monday rejected a judicial review filed by a civil society group challenging the authority of regional heads to declare a state of emergency during

Rochelle Jones – West Papuans have struggled for their freedom since they were annexed by Indonesia and robbed of their right to a fair referendum in 1969.

Marguerite Afra Sapiie – The development disparity between provinces is widening, with Java enjoying about 60 percent of total gross domestic product (GDP), according to research conducted by the I

Katharina R.

Sri Wahyuni and Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – After almost two weeks of uncertainty surrounding issues of succession within the Yogyakarta Palace, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X – now Hamengku Bawono X –

Jayapura – The government announced Sunday that it would halt the establishment of new administrative regions in Papua as the current ones had yet to improve people's welfare.

John Garnaut, Michael Bachelard – Joko Widodo, who on Monday will be inaugurated as Indonesia's second directly elected president, will quickly move to salve the festering grievances of

It all started with a prayer and a bit of jazz.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Supreme Court has increased the prison sentence handed to a Papua-based police officer found guilty of laundering up to Rp 1.5 trillion ($132 million) in criminal

Panca Nugraha, Bima, Nusa Tenggara Barat – Kings and sultans grouped under the Communication and Information Forum of Indonesian Palaces (FKIKN) have asked the central government and lo

Jakarta – The Aceh provincial administration has called on the central government to immediately finish the deliberation of crucial regulations as mandated by the Aceh Governance Law.

Giacomo Tognini, Jakarta – This year's presidential election has roused Indonesia's young, vibrant democracy in ways no previous vote has done before.

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 – 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

Ina Parlina, Bogor, West Java – The government said Tuesday it was finalizing the draft revision to the 2001 Papua Special Autonomy Law for the resource-rich region.

Satria Sambijantoro, Subang, West Java – Political decentralization since 1999, under which new provinces and regencies continue to be created, has generated inefficiencies that could t

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Hundreds of students from various universities in Jayapura, Papua, continued protesting against the Papua administration bill, also known as the special a

Cunding Levi, Jayapura – Thousands of Papuan students marched to protest against the Draft Bill on Special Autonomy Plus.

Nethy Dharma Somba and Panca Nugraha, Jayapura/Mataram – The governor of Papua, Lukas Enembe, has strongly rejected the plan to split the province, as the planned creation of a south Pa

Dessy Sagita – Following the House of Representatives' approval to form 65 new administrative areas, questions have emerged over whether the creation of new regions will bring prosperit

Nethy Dharma Somba and Apriadi Gunawan, Jayapura/Medan – Despite the results of various academic and government studies that have shown that the expansion of new cities, regencies and p

The rapid proliferation of new districts in Papua is strengthening the political influence of highlanders at the expense of the traditionally dominant coast, but it is also producing ne

The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, has restated that Canberra has total respect for Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Nurdin Hasan – Dozens of plain-clothes security forces moved through the streets of Aceh's Lhokseumawe city early Friday morning, seizing hundreds of flags bearing the symbol of the now

Arya Dipa, Bandung – Members of the Papuan Students Alliance (AMP) studying in West Java staged a rally on Monday demanding the United Nations hold a referendum on Papua.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Papua provincial administration and the central government will revise Law No.

Ezra Sihite & Robertus Wardi – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for increased autonomy for Papua province to address the host of development and security problems there

Nurdin Hasan – A teacher at an Islamic boarding school in Aceh sustained serious injuries after being beaten by the parents of a student he disciplined.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Convoys of people drove through the streets of Banda Aceh on Thursday, brandishing the flag of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), despite a request from Aceh'

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – The central government has given the Aceh provincial administration 15 days to clarify Qanun (Bylaw) No.

Ezra Sihite, Nurdin Hasan & Arientha Primanita – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has sent a government minister to Aceh to dissuade local officials from adopting a separatist sym

The Indonesian government is planning to transfer the authority of issuing mining, forestry and plantation concessions from municipalities and districts to provincial administrations in

Police in Aceh have arrested two men for allegedly raping and strangling a six-year-old girl to death.

The Jayapura Military Court sentenced First Sergeant Irfan to 12 years in prison on Monday for killing his lover Frederika Metalmety, who was six months pregnant.

Margareth S.

Margareth S.

Jakarta – A study by the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) has found that East Java Governor Soekarwo is the highest-paid local government official for 2012, receiving a

Yogyakarta – Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and Sri (duke) Paku Alam IX were sworn in by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday as the appointed governor and deputy governor of Pakua

Jayapura – Buchtar Tabuni, 32, human rights activist and leader of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), was sentenced to eight months in prison for vandalism at the Jayapura Prison

Yogyakarta legislators affirmed a new era for some old faces on Friday, declaring Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and Paku Alam IX the province's next governor and deputy governor at a plen

A police officer reportedly guarding a road project in Jayapura, Papua, was gunned down by unknown assailants on Monday, police said.

Margareth S.

Indonesia's government is close to implementing changes to Yogyakarta's monarchy system that would effectively put an end to Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X's 14 years of uncontested rule.

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Three regions in Papua and one in West Papua are looking to become new provinces in the hope of reversing sluggish development under former and current ad

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The government and the House of Representatives are blaming each other for the proposed establishment of the North Kalimantan province, along with 18 new r

Since the introduction of regional autonomy over a decade ago, Indonesia has seen the formation of 205 new autonomous regions – seven provinces, 164 regencies and 34 municipalities – a

Regional autonomy experts are calling on the central government to focus on merging the country's worst-performing provinces, regencies and municipalities, given their failure to bring