Stewart Fenwick – Negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between Australia and Indonesia continue, with little tangible progress so far.

Damien Kingsbury – As East Timor went to elections this year, the country was the most peaceful and united it had been in its short history.

Rui Graca Feijo – Almost nine months after the election of the fourth President of the Republic, the first to be won by a President affiliated to a political party (FRETILIN) and to benefit from a

Prashanth Parameswaran – On Monday, the Indonesian government confirmed that Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had nominated the country's air force chief, Hadi Tjahjanto, as its next milit

Jarryd de Haan – According to a press release published by Scoop, the Central committee of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Frente Revolucionaria do Timor-Leste Independente,

The people of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste will today celebrate the 42nd anniversary of their Declaration of Independence.

Chaula Anindya – Indonesian lawmakers are currently deliberating revisions to an existing anti-terrorism law which appears insufficient in facing the threat of Islamic State (IS).

Jakarta – Celebrations are moments of joy to commemorate milestones in a person's life, or a nation.

In early November, police reported 1,300 people were "being held as hostages" by a "group of armed criminals" in the villages near Tembagapura, Papua, a district that holds one of the largest gold

Marwan Batubara – The long-running dispute between the Indonesian government and U.S.

Herlambang P Wiratraman – Every International Labour Day, workers across Indonesia conduct major protests against outsourcing, low wages, and workforce liberalisation policies.

The ridiculous controversy in Indonesia over "pornographic" GIFs accessible through popular messaging service WhatsApp might be winding down after the government blocked access to GIF search site T

Last week's big news in Jakarta was the closure of the Alexis Hotel, which recently inaugurated Governor Anies Baswedan said was just the beginning of a moral crusade to eradicate prostitution in t

Todung Mulya Lubis – Last month saw an unprecedented attack on one of the oldest and most influential civil society organisations in Indonesia, the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), which was hosting a d

Evan Laksmana – The Indonesian military (Tentara Nasional Indonesia or TNI) turned 72 years old on 5 October.

Hellena Yoranita Souisa and Primatia Romana Wulandari – After banning Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) through a decree in July 2017, Indonesia has now moved to codify in law go

Phelim Kine – Indonesia's Vice President Jusuf Kalla last week praised religious tolerance in Indonesia as "better than in other countries" and a model "for other countries to learn [religious] tol

Denny Indrayana – Newly installed Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan sparked a fracas last week when he said in his inaugural speech that it was time for pribumi ('native or indigenous Indonesians') t

Michael Leach – In 2015, not long after the formation of the unprecedented national unity government between Timor-Leste's two largest parties, CNRT and Fretilin, senior CNRT Minister Agio Pereira

John McBeth, Jakarta – As calculated as it may have been, newly-inaugurated Jakarta Governor Anies Baswaden has started off on just the wrong foot by re-igniting the religious and ethnic controvers

David Hutt – What a relief.

Richard Chauvel – It is easy to over-interpret the body language of government officials in photographs, but Papua Governor Lukas Enembe (third from left) seems the least at ease in this meeting fr

Luke Hunt – The problems of Indonesian President Joko Widodo are many.

Tom Clarke – Many Australians wouldn't think twice about putting their name to a petition to support a cause close to their hearts, but in Indonesia's Papuan provinces, where free speech is routine

Hendri Yulius, Jakarta – Since 2016, minorities of gender and sexuality – "LGBT" (lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people) – have become among main targets by a conservative backlash.

Khoo Ying Hooi – After 15 years of its restoration of independence, Timor Leste is a country that remains unknown to many of us in the Southeast Asia region.

Leong Yee Ting, Jakarta – Many Indonesian children grow up listening to this Islamic proverb, "Heaven is at the bottom of your mother's feet."

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) established in 1993, near the end of Soeharto's regime, has become a model for the region.

Damien Kingsbury – In a move that is expected to whip Indonesia's military into a frenzy and will again start an Indonesian witch-hunt for Australian supporters, a West Papuan petition calling for

Tim Lindsey – On 16 September, police broke up an academic discussion at the offices of renowned activist NGO the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH).

In an effort to unseat the president, Indonesian religious leaders are tapping into the bitter memories of an aborted coup in the hope it will drive voters to the polls, building on momentum from J

Vincent Bevins, Jakarta, Indonesia – Early on the morning of Oct. 1, 1965, members of Indonesia's armed forces kidnapped and killed six high-ranking generals in Jakarta.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – On Friday thousands of members of hardline Muslims groups – including the Islamic Defenders Front, the United Islamic People Forum and the Betawi Rembuk Forum – staged a ra

Khoo Ying Hooi – Led by Mari Alkatiri, secretary-general of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) for the second time as the prime minister, the Seventh Constitutional Go

[The following opinion piece by Indonesian journalist and filmmaker Dandhy Laksono made headlines after he was reported to police under Indonesia's controversial online defamation laws for compa

Guteriano Neves – After almost two months of intense political theater among the Timorese political elites, the new government was finally sworn in on September 15, 2017 with the new minority gover

Nurkholis Hidayat – The past two days have seen paranoia about communism result in unprecedented attacks on one of the oldest and most influential civil society organisations in Indonesia, the Lega

Phelim Kine – The fear of communists is alive and well in Indonesia.

Michael Leach – Almost two months since the 22 July election, a new government will be sworn in today in Dili.

John McBeth, Jakarta – With his popularity steadily rising, an unusual phenomenon in the middle of a presidential term and with a worryingly stagnant economy, little now appears to stand in the way

Kerry B.

Paul Malone – The announcement by the Permanent Court of Arbitration last week that Australia and Timor Leste have reached an agreement on maritime boundaries will hopefully bring to an end a shame

John McBeth, Jakarta – The enigmatic expression on Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati's face as she sat between Mines and Energy Minister Ignasius Jonan and US-based Freeport McMoRan Copper &am

Damien Kingsbury – Australia's agreement with East Timor to settle a permanent maritime boundary in the Timor Sea appears to bring to an end a long-running and often bitter dispute, which has marre

Curtis S. Chin – A decade ago, I traveled to East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, to look at the condition of roads and other infrastructure in Asia's newest country.

Today, the 30th of August, is a bittersweet day for the Timorese.

Resty Woro Yuniar – It's been nearly two decades since Indonesian dictator Suharto was toppled in a people-led revolution that was supposed to put the country on the road to full-fledged democracy.

John Cheong-Holdaway – In 2016 Indonesia's Ministry of Public Works dramatically underestimated the funds it needed to acquire land for toll road development.

Eve Warburton and Edward Aspinall – For much of the past decade, observers have praised Indonesian democracy.

Damien Kingsbury – Although unlikely to be formalized before 22 August, the shape of Timor-Leste's next government is starting to become clear.