Marwaan Macan-Markar, Jakarta – In many crowded neighborhoods of this sprawling city families sat glued to their television sets late into the night of November 8, watching updates on t

Anthony Deutsch, Surabaya – The men bound the thumbs of dozens of suspected communists behind their backs with banana leaves and drove them to a torch-lit jungle clearing.

Akh. Muzakki, Surabaya – About midday a short conversation took place between a young girl (say Rini) and Cholilah, a fashion seller in Tanah Abang Market, Jakarta.

The younger brother of Amrozi, one of the Bali bombers executed early Sunday, said he was proud his brother had never burdened his parents.

The Amrozi Circus has left town.

Ken Ward – The long-delayed execution of the three Bali bombers ends one of the strangest sagas in Indonesia's legal history.

Mark Forbes, Jakarta – Blood has again stained Indonesian soil from an act of coldly calculated violence, after bullets ripped into Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Mukhlas, strapped to posts o

The once famous anecdote Petrus (mysterious shootings) probably re-emerges in the minds of many people in reaction to the newly appointed National Police (Polri) chief Bambang Hendarso

Rita Sastrawan, Paris – The establishment of oil-palm plantations in Kalimantan and Sumatra poses the greatest threat to orangutans today.

Susan Harris Rimmer – Will the date October 30 mark the last best chance for justice for survivors of occupation in East Timor?

Tom Allard, Jakarta – For three men who say they welcome death, the Bali bombers have spent a lot of time trying to avoid it.

For centuries Jakarta has been plagued by floods because of its geographical position. For centuries the rainy season has begun in the same month every year.

Preventing the sexual exploitation of children and protecting women's rights are societal duties of surpassing importance. There can be no qualms about that.

The deadline for the Indonesian Military (TNI) to relinquish its businesses is only one year away.

Ivana Prazic, Yogyakarta – "You married?" This frequently asked question is one of the most typical ways to break the ice when chit-chatting with everyone from a complete stranger next

Yansen, Queensland – In the observance of World Food Day on Oct. 16, attention was given to the effects of climate change and bioenergy on the poor.

Ruth Ratcliffe – "They've been trying to solve problems by using only money, but not to solve the political problems through political means, that they've failed", Fretilin leader Mari

Dili – Timor-Leste is addressing ancient land disputes created by centuries of occupation and confusion over land titles.

Eighty years ago today a group of young men and women from far-flung islands assembled in Jakarta to pledge that they would be united under one motherland called Indonesia, one nation c

Dili – Mounting tension between East Timor's government and the opposition and continued regional-based rivalries in the police and army have left the country in a state of "pre-crisis

Matt Crook, Dili – The streets of Dili are quiet – for now.

Sunny Tanuwidjaja, Jakarta – The latest survey by Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) seems to confirm a pattern of declining support for Islamic political parties since the reform era.

Usman Hamid and Syaiful Haq, Jakarta – In his remarks during the ceremony to mark the 63rd anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in Surabaya on Tuesday, TNI Chief Gen.

Bruce Gale, Senior Writer – During a visit to Jakarta in August, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith described relations between Indonesia and Australia as having reached a 'histo

Al Makin, Heidelberg, Montreal – Our honorable members of the House of Representatives seem to put "personal bravado" above long-term national interest in their intention to pass "the a

Angus Grigg – In less than two months, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari will rise in Oslo's City Hall and formally receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Yuli Tri Suwarni and Ni Komang Erviani, Bandung, Denpasar – The controversial anti-pornography bill is drawing yet more opposition from various parts of the country, with many fearing t

Evan A. Laksmana, Singapore – The Indonesian Military (TNI) celebrated its 63rd anniversary on Oct. 5. Its formal commemoration, however, will be held on Oct.

A chasm of perceptions, of mind-sets, is unfortunate but inevitable between a people claiming to have been oppressed and those deeply offended by such a claim.

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – Trouble appears to be brewing in East Timor again as security forces step up roadblocks and increase security around government buildings.

Who does not think Yogyakarta is special? Only a few who have had the privilege to taste the lifestyle in this ancient city fail to leave enamored.

Paul Toohey – East Timor's fragile political and justice system is again being put to the test with the country's most senior military figure, Brigadier Taur Matan Ruak, facing possible

Damien Kingsbury – The recent announcement by Australian Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon that Australia will co-produce weapons with Indonesia would seem to indicate that, after decade

"... although legislation represents an important start, its role cannot be more than just a beginning.

Veronica Kusuma, Jakarta – Ever since Ayat-ayat Cinta (Verses of love) hit the cinemas, the representation of Islam in Indonesian cinema has created a lively debate.

Pramono U.

Ajay Chhibber, New York – On Sept.

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – People are longing and struggling for peace, although it's painful for some.

Jonathan Wootliff – In a new democracy like Indonesia's, there is rightly much concern for human rights.

Even though the government might have some legitimate questions to raise about the accuracy of the latest business climate survey of the International Finance Corporation, the blunt fac

Frenky Simanjuntak, Jakarta – Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Trial by the press, or the press on trial?

Some analysts have again expressed serious concern over increasing foreign ownership of banks in Indonesia, arguing this makes it more difficult for Bank Indonesia (the central bank) to

Ignas Kleden, Jakarta – A political party is there, first of all, to transpose the needs and aspirations of its constituents into a political program.

For millions of ordinary Indonesian people, it is difficult to understand how President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the holder of a doctorate degree in agricultural economics from a prest

Last week's passage of the income tax law is the best Idul Fitri gift the country could provide to our businesses and fellow taxpayers.

Dili – Rosalina Soares has no idea who cut off her fingers. She also has machete scars across her upper back and neck. The middle-aged mother of two lost everything.

Simon Roughneen, Dili – East Timor's post-independence politics have confounded outside observers, and for the most part the Timorese themselves.

The legislative election is half a year away, and yet the existing legislation regulating the electoral process, which is still party- rather than people-oriented, has lately become the

Sam King – This year's May Day demonstrations in Jakarta took on a special significance because they came 10 years after General Suharto was forced by mass street protests to resign as