Dalih Sembiring – East Timor, officially known as Timor-Leste, is experiencing an economic boom.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar, Bali – After three decades of unchallenged rule, the president clings to power amid massive street protests calling for his resignation and reform.

Nick Chatterjee – A booming economy, falling debt and market-friendly reforms could see Indonesia secure an investment grade credit rating as early as this year, putting it on a par wit

Al Araf, Jakarta – The Jayapura Military Court sentenced three Army soldiers to between eight and 10 months of imprisonment for their role in the torture of civilians in Puncak Jaya, Pa

Alex Walls – "Do you sell child pornography?" I ask the bewildered sales girl at the DVD store politely.

Vidhyandika D.

Ron May – In his Independence Day address to the Indonesian Parliament in 2005, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he wished to resolve the Papua question in a just, peaceful and d

Testriono – Two studies on religious life in Indonesia released at the end of 2010 showed significant increases in the number of religiously motivated attacks and discrimination against

Aleksius Jemadu – When President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told senior officials from the military and police last week that he had not received a pay raise in seven years, the statement

Joe Cochrane – I've been spending a lot of time in my front yard lately. Not that I'm an avid gardener, mind you.

The horrific torture of two Papuan men by military officers last year caught the nation by surprise and sullied the image of the Indonesian armed forces.

There are two conventions in this country that obstinately evade a resolution.

Desi Anwar – Now that we're becoming a nanny state, set on protecting our citizens by filtering all sorts of unsavory stuff, why stop at just BlackBerry?

Jia You – Many things could come to mind when one imagines a hospital; but could livestock be one of them?

Rinaldi Ridwan, Jakarta – Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring's plan to ban BlackBerry service in Indonesia unless it filters pornographic content is a

In a decision that not only upholds the Constitution but also sends a strong message to all Indonesians, the Supreme Court has struck down the Bogor administration's request to uphold t

Local military chiefs in two regencies in East Java set an unwanted political precedent last week by heavily – and effectively – demanding two local TV stations cancel the scheduled bro

Oktovianus Pogau – It's been almost 10 years since the 2001 Law on Special Autonomy in Papua came into being.

Donny Syofyan, Padang – The newly revised Law on Political Parties has sparked public concern after the House of Representatives recently passed it.

Joe Cochrane – Black it out, Indonesia, black... it... out.

Jakarta – A booming economy, falling debt and market-friendly reforms could see Indonesia secure an investment grade credit rating as early as this year, putting it on a par with BRIC n

Nicholaus Prasetya – As the euphoria of New Year celebrations draw near and we begin to reflect on the events of the past year, one trend in particular should add a sobering touch to ou

It has been more than a decade since Indonesia bid farewell to Soeharto's authoritarian regime and dove into the pool of democracy.

Tom Allard – In September, Indonesia's leader Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was moved to put pen to paper, composing a letter to Barack Obama.

Andrew Thornley – Information, as the axiom goes, is the oxygen of democracy.

Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua – The year 2010 has been very special for Papuans. It is in this year that the central government has turned its attention to Papua.

Peter Alford, Jakarta – Densus 88, the Indonesian counter-terrorism police, used every day of the four months available to substantiate its charges against Abu Bakar Bashir before deliv

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The job of any defense lawyer is to prove his client innocent, or failing that to ensure the lightest punishment possible.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – The Australian and US governments have urged Indonesia to bring to justice soldiers who tortured two Papuan men in May, in a case that has emerged as a key test of

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar, Bali – An Indonesian tax official who claims he helped some of Indonesia's most powerful companies reduce their tax bills through millions of dollars in bribes p

Vincent Lingga – It has indeed not been without strong reason that national and international surveys have consistently singled out the National Police as the most corrupt public instit

In the continuing struggle against terrorism, the nation must employ every resource at its disposal.

Teguh Surya – Climate change has brought forest protection into the forefront of the global agenda.

The seven-month imprisonment given to a junior Army officer in Papua, who was shown on YouTube leading the torture of Papuan civilians, defies the sense of justice of any decent and san

Trefor Moss – Indonesia has long been the individualist of Asian geopolitics – a big country that behaved like a small one when all those around it were trying to do the opposite.

Robin Lee Santoso – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech against the persecution of minorities last month received much acclaim.

Walter Balansa – This month, Indonesia will celebrate National Health Day. For the second year in a row, it will pass with the Health Law's tobacco control regulation still pending.

Zoe Kenny, Yogyakarta – Thousands of mainly student protesters took to the streets in cities across Indonesia – including Jakarta, Palu, Makassar, Medan, Ternate, Samarinda, Bandung, Su

It doesn't get any lower than this. Or does it?

Trefor Moss – Southeast Asia's sleeping giant has begun to make some surprisingly wakeful noises.

Torture has no place in a modern, civilized society. Period.

Aubrey Belford, Jakarta – To millions, Suharto, the military strongman who ruled Indonesia for 32 years, was a tyrant, a thief and a murderer.

Peter Alford, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono finished the first year of his second term yesterday beset by criticism from every direction.

By now there may be only a few of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's 34 Cabinet ministers who are confident that their positions are secure.

What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago there was so much hope and optimism when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took the oath of office for his second five-year term.

Radicalism is a cancer that is slowly devouring our nation.

There is nothing more worrisome in a sovereign, rule-based state than the absence of legal certainty to ensure that laws and regulations are imposed and justice is upheld.

That religious conservatism, or more precisely Islamic conservatism, is creeping into our state affairs comes as no surprise.

Muh Taufiqurrohman & Suharsana Aji – With just a day remaining before Comr. Gen.

It is no wonder that the government is having to respond to criticism about its tardy response to the flashfloods that swept across Wasior area in West Papua.