Indonesia
Washington seizes on Bali terror bombing to demand crackdown in Indonesia
By Peter Symonds, October 14, 2002
A devastating bomb blast late on Saturday night in the Kuta Beach tourist area of the Indonesian island of Bali has killed at least 187 people and injured more than 300. No one has claimed responsibil...
The US exploits “terrorist threats” to step up pressure on Indonesia
By John Roberts, October 2, 2002
On the first anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks on the US, the Bush administration declared a high-level terrorist alert as part of its efforts to maintain momentum in the “global wa...
Ambush near US-owned mine in Papua suggests Indonesian army involvement
By John Roberts, September 13, 2002
In the early afternoon of August 31, an estimated 15 gunmen opened fire with M-16 assault rifles on three Land Cruisers travelling on a mountain road near the huge US-owned Freeport gold and copper mi...
Indonesian court imposes nominal jail term on parliamentary speaker
By Peter Symonds, September 10, 2002
An Indonesian court last week found parliamentary speaker Akbar Tandjung guilty of corruption and sentenced him to three years in jail. The trial was one of a series of high profile cases that have be...
Indonesian court acquits military of East Timor atrocities
By Peter Symonds, August 29, 2002
The outcome of the first trials by an Indonesian court over the massacres in East Timor in 1999, prior to and following the UN-sponsored vote on independence, has proved to be a farce. According to UN...
Indonesian parliament puts a democratic gloss on an autocratic constitution
By John Roberts, August 27, 2002
Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), which met in Jakarta August 1-11, has approved a series of constitutional changes that are aimed at ending some of the more blatantly anti...
Indonesian president endorses ex-Suharto crony for re-election as Jakarta governor
By Luciano Fernandez, August 8, 2002
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has triggered sharp protests inside and outside her own party—the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P)—through her endorsement of the inc...
Indonesian court hands Tommy Suharto a light sentence
By John Roberts, August 7, 2002
A five-judge panel of the Jakarta District Court pronounced its long-awaited verdict on Hutomo “Tommy” Mandala Putra, the youngest son of the former Indonesian dictator General Suharto, on...
Washington takes another step towards restoring US-Indonesian military ties
By John Roberts, August 1, 2002
The Bush administration has taken a significant step towards ending the current Congressional ban on relations between the US and Indonesian military with the announcement that the Senate Appropriatio...
Karaoke bar fire kills 53 in Indonesia
By John Edwards, July 24, 2002
Fifty-three people died after fire engulfed a karaoke bar in the Indonesia port city of Palembang on the island of Sumatra on the evening of July 7. As the fire swept through the five-floor Heppi Kara...
Indonesian Supreme Court bows to international pressure in key bankruptcy case
By John Roberts, July 17, 2002
Under considerable international pressure, the Supreme Court of Indonesia on July 8 overruled a decision by the country’s Commercial Court declaring bankrupt the local subsidiary of the Canadian...
Witnesses in Jakarta trials testify to East Timor murders
By John Roberts, June 19, 2002
The first prosecution witnesses in the trials of Indonesian military, police and civilian officials have provided chilling accounts of the violence unleashed in East Timor in 1999, leading up to and f...
