Ati Nurbaiti – The country was on the global stage this week for far from enviable reasons in The Hague, where activists and scholars held the International People's Tribunal 1965 on atrocities fol

Ross Tapsell – When charting the difficult Australia-Indonesia relationship back in 1990, journalist Peter Hastings wrote:

Jemma Purdey and Kate McGregor – No doubt about it.

Todung Mulya Lubis, The Hague – Fifty years ago on Sept. 30, in the middle of night, atrocities began.

John McCarthy and Zahari Zen – In late October, thousands of activists, students and lecturers in Sumatra staged rallies, urging the government to resolve the country's haze problem.

Brigid Delaney – On the night of 28 April, much of the world's media was trained on a prison island off central Java where eight prisoners, including two Australians, were executed at midnight.

Each year on Nov. 10, the country commemorates National Heroes Day.

Irhash Ahmady and Sam Cossar-Gilbert – We are witnessing the worst manmade environmental disaster since the BP gulf oil spill.

Faiza Mardzoeki, Jakarta – There is no doubt that Bali is a beautiful place.

Michael Buehler – Why did a Singaporean consultant pay $80,000 to a Las Vegas PR company to lobby for the Indonesian government?

Jakarta – The draft presidential regulation that would extend the powers of the Indonesian Military (TNI) is a dangerous step backwards.

Julia Suryakusuma, Jakarta – Who doesn't know Barbra Streisand, the super talented singer, songwriter, actress, filmmaker and icon, one of the best-selling artists of all time, known for her songs

Environmental degradation, instead of being tackled, appears to be worsening, as evident in the scorching heat in many cities, prolonged droughts during dry seasons and widespread floods and landsl

George Monbiot – A great tract of Earth is on fire and threatened species are being driven out of their habitats. This is a crime against humanity and nature.

The renowned artist village of Ubud is in the global spotlight again this week.

Teri L.

James Giggacher – There must be nothing more frightening than the prospect of a mild-mannered book fair made up of authors, readers, activists and academics politely discussing events from half a c

Laksmi Pamuntjak – A week ago I received a message from Janet DeNeefe, director of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival.

Hamish McDonald – In 1977, only 12 years after they started, the massacre of Indonesian communists haunted Java's exquisite landscape of tiled-roof villages, fast-flowing rivers and irrigation chan

To prevent a rapid return to the fearful, censored and militaristic days of the New Order, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, after a year in office, can and must lay down the law.

John Sifton – There are lots of reasons why President Barack Obama is meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo today in Washington.

Kyle Knight – Draconian new by-laws came into effect in Indonesia's Aceh province last week, mandating harsh punishments for gambling and adultery, and the option of 100 lashes for gay people "caug

Janet DeNeefe – Twelve years ago, the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival was born of a terrorist attack in Bali; one that took many innocent lives in a tragedy that shocked us all.

Neles Tebay, Abepura – This year has seen a new development in the Papuan struggle.

It is the duty of every citizen to contribute to this nation, including in the defense of Ibu Pertiwi (the motherland). That contribution can take many shapes and forms.

Jakarta, the city with the "worst traffic in the world", as many say, plans to open at least 16 new transit routes and develop six-inner city toll roads.

Disappointed by the lack of an adequate deterrent effect built in to the country's legislation on anticorruption, many have suggested the death penalty for graft convicts.

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Jayapura, Jubi – Human right activist said the apology conveyed by Cenderawasih XVII Regional Military Commander in the 70th Anniversary of Indonesian Military on Monday (5/10/2015) should be follo

Rui Maria de Araujo – Most people will not have even heard of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, let alone be able to point out where it is on the world map.

Endy M.

A murder in public view in an East Java village takes us back to the dark days of impunity, an end to which was promised by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo during his election campaign.

Bhatara Ibnu Reza, Sydney – The Indonesian Military (TNI) celebrates its 70th anniversary on Oct. 5. This makes TNI one of Asia's oldest national defense forces.

Pandaya – Recent hearings at the Jakarta Corruption Court gave the public a glimpse of how two former Cabinet ministers allegedly spent public funds like their private wealth.

Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – This month marks the 50th year Indonesia has been ignoring the murder of more than half a million people.

John Roosa, Vancouver – At the base of the Pancasila Sakti Monument, below the towering statue of Gen.

Fynn-Niklas Franke, Yogyakarta – Prior to the Independence Day celebrations last month, the international European Association for Southeast Asian Studies (EuroSEAS) conference was held in Vienna,

Greg Poulgrain, Brisbane – Two months ago President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo tried to stop the discrimination still suffered by descendants of family members accused of being linked to the Indonesian C

Hamish McDonald – It was a night depicted in the film "The Year of Living Dangerously"; a time when a reckless president ruled a country in economic freefall.

Laksmi Pamuntjak – As 250 million Indonesians face up to the 50th anniversary of one of the most crushing episodes of our nation's history – the massacre of up to 500,000 or more alleged Communists

Marlene Millott – Fifty years ago, on September 30, one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century took place on Australia's doorstep.

Pat Walsh – Like Tony Abbott before him, Malcolm Turnbull is slated to make Jakarta one of his first overseas ports of call as prime minister.

Joshua Oppenheimer – This week marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of a mass slaughter in Indonesia.

Michael Vatikiotis, Guest Contributor – Fear of the future explains failure to grapple with the past.

Neles Tebay, Jayapura, Papua – The conflict between the government and indigenous Papuans, particularly those Papuans involved with the Free Papua Movement (OPM), has long been considered an Indone

Chip Henriss – Sixteen years ago on September 20, I was with the Australian Army's 3rd Brigade, the Townsville-based ready Deployment Force.

On Wednesday, the government announced what President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo called the first of a series of regulatory and bureaucratic reforms designed to boost business and economic activity and s

Kanupriya Kapoor and Randy Fabi, Jakarta – As Indonesian President Joko Widodo was preparing on Wednesday to present a grand package of measures aimed at restoring investors' faith in the competenc

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo pledged last week to revise 154 regulations pinpointed by the chief economics minister as major barriers to economic activity.

Ary Hermawan, Tucson, Arizona – At first it was funny, but then just sad.