Indonesia
Report implicates Indonesian intelligence in murder of human rights activist
By John Roberts, July 25, 2005
An Indonesian government fact-finding commission handed down its final report late last month on the murder of prominent human rights activist Munir Said Thalib on September 7, 2004. While the report ...
Jakarta pressures Acehnese rebels over peace deal
By John Roberts, June 15, 2005
Talks in the Finnish capital Helsinki between the Indonesian government and the exiled leadership of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) ended on May 31. The outcome of the meeting, the fourth sin...
Proposed Indonesian criminal code enshrines Suharto-era repression
By John Roberts, May 23, 2005
A draft for a new Indonesian criminal code (KUHP) is currently on the desk of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Purported to be an update of existing legislation, the new bill revives or reasserts m...
Inconclusive peace talks between Jakarta and Acehnese separatists
By John Roberts, April 28, 2005
Talks in the Finnish capital of Helsinki between Indonesian officials and representatives of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) broke up on April 17 without any agreement on the central issue: th...
Jakarta pours troops into Papua amid signs of intensified repression
By John Roberts, April 12, 2005
Even as Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono postures as a “democrat”, his government has given the go-ahead for the dispatch of an additional 15,000 troops from the military&rsqu...
Indonesian inquiry unearths conspiracy to murder civil rights activist
By John Roberts, April 2, 2005
Despite its limited character, the official investigation into the murder of Indonesian human rights activist Munir Said Thalib last year has exposed evidence indicating a high-level conspiracy in wha...
Fuel price rise in Indonesia triggers protests
By John Roberts, April 1, 2005
The Indonesian government’s decision to slash fuel subsidies in early March and raise prices by 29 percent has provoked weeks of street protests and led to stormy scenes in the country’s p...
Indonesia hit by another devastating earthquake
By Peter Symonds, March 30, 2005
A massive earthquake off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra has left hundreds of people confirmed dead and thousands homeless. News of the quake late on Monday night (local time) and f...
Indonesian cleric convicted of conspiracy in Bali bombings
By John Roberts, March 18, 2005
Under considerable international pressure, an Indonesian court convicted Islamic extremist cleric Abu Bakar Bashir on March 3 of the charge of conspiracy over the 2002 Bali bombings. Bashir was senten...
Washington resumes officer training for the Indonesian military
By John Roberts, March 11, 2005
In a significant step towards the resumption of full military ties with Indonesia, the US State Department announced on February 26 that the Pentagon would restart the training of Indonesian officers ...
Mounting concerns over fate of tsunami victims in Aceh
By John Roberts, February 19, 2005
Poor coordination, disorganised logistics and the militarisation of resettlement camps have created a potentially dangerous situation for the survivors of the December 26 earthquake and tsunami in Ind...
Sharp divisions in Jakarta over foreign presence in Aceh
By John Roberts, January 26, 2005
In the aftermath of the tsunami disaster, divisions have opened up in Indonesian ruling circles over the policy to be pursued in the hard-hit province of Aceh in northern Sumatra. As of yesterday, off...
