Hendarsyah Tarmizi, Jakarta – Many of us are unaware that besides receiving a government subsidy of about Rp 2,500 (27 US cents) for every liter of gasoline we buy, we also get another

It is urgent that Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid realize millions of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) followers have suffered and will continue to suffer unless he is able to control himself and his t

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Jakarta – Retired General Wiranto, backed by hundreds of his colleagues, has in effect begged for impunity for human rights violations by claiming that their missio

Olle Tvrnquist, Jakarta and Oslo – Ten years ago, Soeharto's New Order began to be replaced by the world's largest New Democracy. It is time for an evaluation.

We don't know what was on the mind of Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto when he announced his ideas on the creation of sustainable cities in confronting the worsening climate and the

Loro Horta, Dili – With its political and security institutions in shambles, East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, is now emerging as a soft landing spot for regional organized crime s

John Aglionby, Jakarta – Justice for the victims of Indonesia's occupation of East Timor appeared more remote than ever on Tuesday after the two nations' leaders said they would draw a

Frenky Simanjuntak, Jakarta – A recent statement by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono makes us wonder whether he, or his administration, is actually serious in their effort to fight co

Dicky Christanto, Denpasar – Indonesia's regimes since 1998 have made all sorts of promises but few have been implemented and – even worse – the oppressive political system persists, a

John McBeth – When Mr Xanana Gusmao pays his first visit to Indonesia as Timor Leste's Prime Minister next week, the former guerilla leader and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will h

"Nenek moyangku orang pelaut/Gemar mengarung luas samudera/Menerjang ombak tiada takut/Menempuh badai sudah biasa...."

The longer the Indonesian government waits before deciding to bring domestic fuel prices closer to international market levels, the more devastating will be the impact on the long-term

Paul Toohey – East Timor has been consumed with rumours since President Jose Ramos Horta began looking beyond his own shores to an international conspiracy to assassinate him on Februar

Here is an important announcement. Indonesia has officially stopped being the tolerant nation it has always proclaimed to be, especially when it comes to religion.

Marvel Comics fictional vigilante Frank Castle is dubbed The Punisher for justifying the use of violence to fight crime.

Finally, hope for the forgotten Melanesians. And a chance for Prime Minister Derek Sikua and this country to try to help right one of the great wrongs of Melanesia.

Angus Grigg, Jakarta – It will be one of the more awkward handshakes of recent memory.

Bramantyo Prijosusilo, Ngawi, East Java – It is official: no one was responsible for human rights abuses that occurred around the 1999 East Timor referendum in which more than 1,000 peo

The first thought that came to mind when the government said it planned to block Internet sites that host the anti-Islam documentary Fitna was: What a dumb idea.

No one is guilty for the 1999 mayhem in the then Indonesian province of East Timor. This is the conclusion of all the cases tried at Indonesia's ad hoc human rights court.

Our society is a caring one.

Setyo Budi, Dili – If the renegade soldiers who attempted to assassinate East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta on Feb.

In a few days the taxing, unenviable job of the men and women tasked to dig up the truth about violence around the time of East Timor's 1999 referendum should be over.

Jun Honna – A decade after the fall of Suharto, the Indonesian military is facing a historically unprecedented moment. Peace has broken out and there is no internal warfare.

The findings of an integrity survey conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 30 public institutions and state companies providing public services between last August

Paige Johnson Tan – In March 2007, Indonesia's Attorney General, Abdul Rahman Saleh, banned and ordered the burning of copies of 14 school history textbooks.

Usman Hamid and Eko Waluyo, Jakarta/Sydney – The three-day visit of Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono to Sydney to attend the East Asian ministerial dialogue forum, "The Way Forward on

Rizal Sukma, Jakarta – After creating much controversy with the publication of her book, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari is now visiting campuses to promote what she calls "the ideo

William Sparrow, Bangkok – Indonesia, with an estimated population of over 230 million, is the world's largest Muslim nation.

Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua – The Indigenous Papuans have begun calling for referendum to decide the future political status of Papua province. The call was raised by the Papuan youth.

Steven Sengstock – A month has passed since the death of Alfredo Reinado in a fire-fight at the home of East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta.

When we amended the 1945 Constitution in 2000-2002, we decided power must no longer be concentrated in the hands of a single person as it was when Soeharto ruled the country unopposed f

Recent reports of a mother and her two children who died of hunger in the South Sulawesi capital Makassar and of five people who died of malnutrition-caused illnesses in the East Nusa T

What an unfortunate year for Indonesia's tourism industry.

A month on from the shooting of East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta, the BBC's Lucy Williamson reports on the government's handling of the crisis.

Bribery issues filled public spaces last week, following the dramatic arrest of a top prosecutor by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Following the attack on East Timor president Jose Ramos Hortes, Carole Reckinger and Sara Gonzalez Devant report on the complexities surrounding the current crisis.

Henriette Sachse – The recent attacks on East Timor's president and prime minister are a severe setback on the path to democracy.

The government is risking piling big mistakes on top of huge errors, all at the expense of the basic foundation of the economy, by stubbornly refusing to bring domestic fuel prices clos

Usman Hamid and Eko Waluyo, Jakarta/Sydney – The recent visit of Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda to Australia on February 7 aimed to re-enforce the framework for security co

Even with so many laws and regulations already enacted to enforce the sustainable management of our forest resources, illegal logging has remained common throughout the country.

Diane Farsetta – In May 1998, when General Suharto was forced to step down as president of Indonesia, the members of the Madison chapter of the East Timor Action Network (ETAN) decided

The government has finally settled the sharia debate, which has dogged Indonesia these past few years, essentially rejecting demands that sharia-based laws introduced in many regencies

The politics of the mudflow have become even, well, muddier, recently.

Philip Setunga, Hong Kong/China – It may seem a simple matter of coincidence that the week Indonesian ex-president Soeharto was buried with state honors, the killers of human rights act

Bob Boughton – The mayhem in Dili last Monday, in which rebel soldier Alfredo Reinado was shot dead and East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta badly injured, raises a fundamental quest

Paul Toohey, Dili – East Timor is a changed land, with what remained of its simple innocence lost the moment gunmen opened fire on its most revered statesmen.

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – A chill breeze was blowing across the ruins of the old Portuguese fort on a hill overlooking the small town of Maubisse in East Timor's rugged mountains.

Jonathan Head, Dili – They gave Alfredo Reinado a hero's burial, his coffin draped in the red, black and yellow flag of East Timor.

Alfredo Reinado 1966-2008