Relations between Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono and Papua have been fairly close, with the sultan of the country's only ruling monarchy opening his arms to people from the easternmost province

The Hague tribunal decision last week in the South China Sea case will have far reaching implications, finding that any 'historic rights' China claimed within the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of

Indonesia could claim a diplomatic victory over those who have for decades been offering international support for Papuan independence after the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) denied full members

Bradley Wood – The release of the 2015 Indonesian Defence White Paper has codified the Bela Negara (defend the nation) civilian volunteer program making it an explicit part of Indonesia's defence s

Nithin Coca – If you want to point at one incident that transformed Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo from an inspiring, hopeful candidate to the oft-criticized, ineffective head of a unrul

Duncan Graham – Indonesia's insistence on the death penalty will haunt its people and the nation for decades to come.

Keith Johnson – In recent years, Indonesia has tried to stay above the fray as other countries feuded with Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

James Balowski – A recent spate of arrests of people for wearing T-shirts with symbols of the banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), seizures of books about the 1965 anti-communist purge and a pr

Cerdikwan, Jakarta – On June 15 President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo submitted the name of Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian as the sole candidate for National Police chief to the House of Representatives.

Andrea Needham – What do you do when your government is selling weapons to a brutal regime? Weapons which are then used to attack civilians in a nearby country, killing thousands?

"We are committed to resolving with justice the cases of past human rights violations which until now are still socially and politically burdening the people of Indonesia, such as: the May riots, T

[Amnesty supporters worldwide wrote thousands of letters on behalf of Filep Karma who was released from prison in November 2015.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has frequently expressed his intense anger with drug dealers, even to the extent of executing some of them.

Maire Leadbetter – It is time that New Zealand recognised the obvious – Indonesia's repressive rule has not extinguished West Papuan aspirations for freedom.

Nusakambangan. In early January, I brought my wife and toddler daughter along on a visit to the Nusakambangan prison.

Tassia Sipahutar, Jakarta – Indonesia is looking this week to pass a controversial tax amnesty bill that will reward tax evaders, but at the expense of those who have met their tax obligations.

Celestino Gusmao – Indonesia recently held a symposium on the violent events of 50 years ago which brought the Indonesian General Suharto to power.

Phelim Kine – Indonesia's Minister of Home Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo backtracked on a pronounced commitment to abolish abusive Sharia regulations in the country.

Okky Madasari, Jakarta – "Have you ever imagined, if only Indonesia didn't invade Timor Leste in 1975, would everything be very different now?

Benny Wenda – Last week, thousands of West Papuan people rallied in the streets to call for freedom and for our fundamental right to self-determination to be exercised.

Scott Edwards and Masyithoh Annisa Ramadhani – Indonesia's new Defense White Paper, released at the end of April 2016 (originally due in 2013-2014, but delayed due to a change of administration and

Jamil Anderlini – On September 21 1999 Sander Thoenes, a Financial Times correspondent, was shot and killed by soldiers from the Indonesian army on the outskirts of Dili, the capital of East Timor,

Gatra Priyandita, Indonesia – Military figures have publicly warned of discreet attempts by communists to launch a revolution and reminded citizens to steer clear of communism or risk imprisonment.

Jakarta – Indonesians on Monday celebrated 115 years since the birth of the country's first president, Sukarno, best remembered as a national hero who proclaimed independence more than 70 years ago

Bureaucratic reform has remained an unresolved debate for many years, despite the Civil Service Law, dubbed the panacea for the acute problems plaguing Indonesian bureaucracy, coming into force in

Winarno Zain, Jakarta – The controversy over the Jakarta Bay land reclamation project that has triggered months of national debate seems to center on several critical issues.

Grace Phan – The words spoken by President Barack Obama in Hanoi, Vietnam in May resonated loudly with the people of Timor-Leste.

Saskia Wieringa – The gang rape and gruesome murder of Yuyun, a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Bengkulu, Sumatera made international headlines.

The government's talk of declaring Pancasila Day on June 1 a national holiday seems to reveal a yawning gap between the past and today's regime in terms of methods of instilling moral guidance in c

Duncan Graham, Malang, East Java – Indonesia has been rightly promoting its many positives.

Dr Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka, Honolulu, Hawaii – Late last week, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement rejecting the Solomon Islands Prime Minister's comments on the issue

Geoffrey Swenson – In Timor-Leste, a peaceful transition of power is ironically threatening to undermine democracy.

Andreas Harsono, Jakarta – The detention of more than 1,500 Papuan independence supporters on May 2 for "lacking a permit to hold a rally" speaks volumes of the government's stubbornly problematic

Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – Newly elected Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto has a string of alleged graft cases in tow, which comes as a surprise to no one.

Veronica Koman – When outsiders think of Papua, it may be to puzzle over why protests there seem never-ending.

Maire Leadbeater – It would be hard to overstate the importance of the role that Jose Ramos Horta played during the long dark years when Timor Leste was occupied by Indonesia.

John Martinas – The harassment, beating and jailing of independence protesters by Indonesian authorities in Papua continues, while Australia turns a blind eye.

Kathleen Noonan – In a waterfront restaurant on a still-warm autumn night near the Brisbane River, it seems almost ridiculous to be hearing about something as appalling as this.

Benny Wenda – A historic step on the road to freedom for West Papua took place in London last week.

Benny Wenda – Earlier this year, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held its extraordinary summit in Jakarta with the theme "Independence is the right of all nations".

Padre James Bhagwan – Last week I ended my column drawing a correlation between the writing of JW Burton, Totaram Sandhya and CF Andrews on the indenture system and the recent report of the Catholi

Ligia J. Giay – A recent article by Sade Bimantara on how Papua is "already free and its rights protected" reeks of what it means to be privileged in Indonesia.

Benny Giay – On Monday, Indonesian police arrested nearly 1,500 protestors in Jayapura, Papua.

Joshua Oppenheimer – There has been tremendous concern over the ways climate change will affect human rights, but little attention to how human rights abuse affects our global climate.

Galuh Wandita – Last week an extraordinary thing took place in Jakarta.

Jose Ramos Horta – The maritime border dispute between Timor-Leste (East Timor) and Australia dates back at least to the 1960s.

Irine Hiraswari Gayatri – Growing up as a teenager in the 1990s was easier than today. You got to listen to high-quality rock bands, pop and other MTV hits that were considered original.

In little more than a decade, starting in 1965, Asia suffered four man-made catastrophes apart from the Vietnam war; altogether they cost millions of lives. China endured the Cultural Revolution.

Keoni Marzuki – Indonesia's Military Commander, General Gatot Nurmantyo, has frequently articulated his concern over proxy wars that have the potential of ripping the country apart.

Faiza Mardzoeki – In the early 20th century, a woman not yet 20 years old, named Kartini, thought a lot about the people of her time, especially women.