Hundreds of Acehnese rebels will be released from prison to mark Indonesia's independence day.
Ade Widyanto of the private Indonesian environmental group Jatam, which works with people adversely affected by mining, says the trial is the right step for the government to take. "It's such a good step by the government, because this is the first time the government takes a legal action against the corporations who have been polluting the environment," he said. "It's never happened in Indonesia."
Justice Minister Hamid Awaluddin says Saturday sentences also will be reduced for most of the 24 others jailed for their roles in the 2002 attacks that killed 202 people on the resort island. The amnesty does not apply to five of the Bali bombers - those who are facing the death penalty or serving life prison sentences.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot on August 15 said the Netherlands recognises August 17, 1945 as the Independence Day of Indonesia, putting an end to their nearly-60-year dispute, local media have reported.
An internal CIA memo on President Sukarno, the PKI and West Papua
The Indonesian government says it will begin withdrawing troops from Aceh province in September, following a tentative peace agreement that would end the region's nearly 30-year separatist conflict.
The Indonesian government and rebels from Aceh province plan to sign a formal peace deal on August 15. The agreement will bring an end to a nearly three-decade war between the Free Aceh Movement and the government in Jakarta.
The Indonesian Navy is to hold a special operation to combat robbery and piracy in the Malacca Straits. Operation Gurita activities will be held for three months in the waters of the Malacca Straits, the Philips Straits and the Singapore Straits.
Bali police chief General I Made Pastika said evidence dossiers on the Bali nine were handed to prosecutors a week ago. Police asked prosecutors to lay charges under section 82 of Indonesia's drug law, which includes death for trafficking.
Indonesian police say they have arrested several terrorists suspected of involvement in deadly attacks, including the October, 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has finally made up his mind to promote his long-time friend and a police officer with a good track record, Comr. Gen. Sutanto, as the new National Police (Polri) chief. The appointment comes five months after current chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar failed to meet the 100-day deadline Susilo gave him in October to arrest alleged Malaysian terrorists Azahari and Nurdin M. Top.
Indonesia's ambassador has been recalled early from Canberra in a sign of Jakarta's determination to strengthen ties with Australia, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. Imron Cotan has been told to return about half way through his three-year term which began in November 2003, The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said. The embassy in Canberra could not be immediately contacted for comment.
He acknowledged the 1,000-km Malacca Strait is vulnerable from sea piracy but added that western countries, including the United States, often exaggerated reports of sea crimes in Malacca.
I am a citizen of Nigeria living in Jakarta, Indonesia, for over eight years. I am also married to a local Indonesian woman. We have children and I work for a marketing firm. I am writing this article to let citizens of Nigeria in the whole world to know the kind of humiliation their fellow Nigerians are facing in Indonesia and to let them know also our experience with our President Olusegun Obasanjo during his visit to Indonesia.
Indonesia's leader, on a visit to Japan, has failed to say the one thing Japanese officials really wanted to hear - an unequivocal endorsement of Tokyo's quest for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. But there was progress on boosting economic ties.
Indonesia's parliament has issued a resolution urging the government to boycott meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations if military-ruled Burma is allowed to take over the chairmanship. Members of Indonesia's parliament are urging the government to support the resolution, which a parliamentary commission passed. The chairman of the parliamentary commission Hakim, says the resolution was passed after lawmakers met with two Burmese democracy activists who pressed for stronger action...
SYDNEY - Twenty-two members of staff at the Indonesian embassy in Canberra were placed in isolation on Wednesday after a “biological agent” was found in a package sent to the building, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said. Downer said the embassy staff would remain in isolation for 48 hours and linked the package to public outrage over the jailing of a young Australian woman convicted of drug smuggling in Bali.
Miss Indonesia Artika Sari Devi made on Tuesday a history as she was named as one of the 15 semifinalists of the Miss Universe 2005 pageant.
Indeed, the treatment of Indonesian citizens by some Western governments echoes the often simplistic representations of Indonesians in the mainstream media. Every time Indonesians wish to enter Western countries, they often have to go to great lengths to obtain visas, because these people are considered to be a potential nuisances and sometimes, even, potential criminals.
Representatives of the Indonesian government and the Aceh rebels of the Free Aceh Movement, known as GAM, will resume negotiations in Helsinki, Finland, Thursday in an attempt to settle the nearly 30-year conflict over the status of the Aceh province. All sides are going into the talks with high hopes for a breakthrough.
The 15-month-old Indonesian twin sisters who were conjoined at the hip and stomach are said to be recovering well after 16 doctors performed 10 hours of separation surgery in Singapore on Saturday.
Malaysia and Indonesia say they will not withdraw their warships from a standoff in the Sulawesi Sea, but that both sides have agreed not to stage any shows of force.
While many Indonesian businessmen wanted for graft find refuge in Singapore, the city state is a place of grief for some Indonesian migrant workers, a study says.
After two years of emergency rule designed to counter a long separatist insurgency, the Indonesian government has decided to allow the tsunami-hit province of Aceh to return to normal rule. The government says the move is a goodwill gesture in peace negotiations with the rebels and that it will make it easier to provide aid to the hundreds of thousands of victims of the December 26 earthquake and tsunami.
The High Court in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has rejected an appeal by terror leader Abu Bakar Bashir to have his conviction overturned. Bashir, a 66-year-old Muslim cleric who is accused of leading the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, is serving a jail sentence for encouraging acts of terrorism.
An attack on a police post in the restive Indonesian province of Maluku has left six people dead, five of them policemen. The attack took place on the island of Seram in Maluku province, which has been the scene of long-running tension between Christian and Muslim communities. There is fear the killings might mark a new resurgence of violence in Maluku after a period of relative calm.
The High Court in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has rejected an appeal by terror leader Abu Bakar Bashir to have his conviction overturned. Bashir, a 66-year-old Muslim cleric who is accused of leading the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, is serving a jail sentence for encouraging acts of terrorism.
Jakarta is a densely-populated metropolis with a population of over 10 million people. It is like any modern city with nice roads, buildings, parks and museums.
Technical data for satellite TV and radio channels and frequencies in Indonesia in the KU, C and S bands. Satellite's include ThaiCom, PalapaC2, Telkom1, Measat, AsiaSat3S, AsiaSat2, Pam 7 and Pam 10.
Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Four Seasons Hotel in Singapore on May 5, as part of the itinerary for his visit to the island country.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, today moved to quell rumours that the recent arrest of illegal Achenese immigrants in the country's southern province of Satun was linked to the insurgency in the southern border region, saying that the men had been fleeing repression in Indonesia.
There is evidence that the Tsunami killed more women than men, said experts, at a press briefing at the conference on ‘Health aspects of the Tsunami in Asia’. As women play a key nurturing role in most of the affected countries, their deaths have left many families, particularly children, very vulnerable.
Indonesia says another child on Java Island has been diagnosed with polio. Health officials say the new case, a 20-month-old girl, is in the same district where an 18-month-old boy was diagnosed with the disease.
Indonesia is one of the wealthiest nations in Asia, in terms of natural resources. But environmentalists say the country is experiencing severe environmental destruction, often in its national parks and preserves. A successful conservation effort on Sulawesi Island - 2,000 kilometers northeast of Jakarta - has received the prestigious Tourism for Tomorrow award from British Airways.
In a HARDtalk interview on Tuesday 19th April, David Jessel talks to the the self-styled Prime Minister of Aceh in exile, Malik Mahmud.
Indonesian prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for an Australian woman accused of smuggling drugs into the resort island of Bali. Beauty therapist Schapelle Corby broke down in tears as prosecutors made their request in a court in Bali's capital, Denpasar. Ms. Corby could have faced a possible death sentence for allegedly smuggling four kilograms of marijuana in her luggage.
Thousands of Muslims across Indonesia staged peaceful anti-Israel protests Sunday, including a major demonstration at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. As many as 10,000 protesters from the Prosperous Justice Party shouted anti-American slogans outside the heavily guarded embassy in the Indonesian capital.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says U.S. suspicions about Iran's nuclear program stem from what he calls an "element of hatred against Muslims."
There is a certain magic in Bali. The longer one stays, the he/she is enchanted by the glimpses of beauty of the island and by the charming warm people. Bali is truly exceptional. Bali presents a modern paradox, an ancient, traditional society that is still incredibly alive and vital. Bali is so picturesque that you could be fooled into thinking it was a painted backdrop; rice paddies trip down hillsides like giant steps, volcanoes soar through the clouds, the forest are lush and tropical and be...
Chosen as an ambassador for F1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix at Kuala Lumpur. I had the chance to drive a car along the circuit before the event started. It was such a rare opportunity, and I was one of the lucky girls.
The Indonesian government Thursday rejected a proposal by the separatist Free Aceh Movement, locally abbreviated as GAM, to hold a cease fire, saying it would not produce a permanent settlement in the rebellious province of Aceh.
THE company operating a Bali resort at the centre of a child sex-abuse claim says its utmost concern is to protect the safety of its guests. A spokesman for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which runs what was formerly known as the Sheraton Nusa Indah resort in Bali, refused to answer details about allegations a two-year-old girl was sexually abused in 2001 and contracted gonorrhoea while at a creche at the resort.
A strong earthquake off the coast of Indonesia rocked Sumatra's west coast Sunday and was felt as far away as Singapore. No damage or casualties have been reported, but residents of high-rise apartments in Singapore, 600 kilometers northeast of the quake's center, said they could feel their buildings swaying.
More than 25,000 panicked residents have been evacuated from the slopes of a volcano on Indonesia's Sumatra island and officials have raised the alert level as the mountain's activity intensifies.
A 27-year-old former beauty student from the Gold Coast of Australia faces the death penalty. She was allegedly caught at Bali airport importing marijuana from Australia in October. Appearing before an Indonesian judge after authorities found 4.1kg of high-grade cannabis in her unlocked boarding bag, she could be sentenced to death by firing squad, the maximum penalty for the crime.
Police in Indonesia have named two new suspects in the investigation into the murder of a prominent human-rights activist last September. The activist, Munir Sa'id Thalib, died on a flight to Amsterdam after ingesting a large amount of arsenic.
Australia and Indonesia have agreed to start work on a new security treaty. Talks in Canberra between Prime Minister John Howard and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono have focused on counter-terrorism efforts, economic development, and the reconstruction of Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged Aceh province.
SIGLI, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has signed an agreement with Banda Aceh city contractors to build 11,000 houses for tsunami victims. "We'll try build the houses immediately because many tsunami victims need them," IOM representative Steve Cook said.
Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah has instructed health officials to transfer an Indonesian maid who was tortured by her employer to King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre for further treatment, the Saudi newspaper Arab News reported Monday.
The trial of two Indonesian maids accused of murdering their Singaporean employer ends this week. Juminem, 19, and Siti Aminah, 16, could face the death penalty if convicted in the killing of Esther Ang Imm Suan at the victim's condominium on March 2, 2004. The two-week trial ends Wednesday.
The Singapore Embassy's letter to The Jakarta Post on March 6 reminds us that an open debate about Singaporean exploitation of Indonesian assets is long overdue.
The names of nine Australian service personnel who died Saturday in a helicopter crash near the village of Aman Dray on the Indonesian island of Nias have been released by the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The tragedy is the worst naval flying accident in Australian history.
At daybreak this morning, CARE was part of the first joint rapid assessment team of UN and international humanitarian agencies to depart Banda Aceh by helicopter for the islands of Simeulue and Nias – hardest hit by yesterday’s 8.7 magnitude earthquake. The team will set up communications and coordination links with staff on the ground.
United Nations relief agencies are rushing aid to victims of the huge earthquake, which struck the Indonesian islands of Nias and Simeulue. Indonesian Officials estimate between 400 and 2,000 people may have been killed in the 8.7 magnitude quake, which struck Monday evening.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born September 9, 1949), is the current President of Indonesia. Susilo won the presidency in September 2004 in the second round of the Indonesian presidential election, in which he defeated incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri. He was sworn into office on 20 October 2004.
A leader of the largest Muslim organisation in Indonesia, Nahdlatul Ulama, is visiting Thailand as guest of the Foreign Ministry to promote moderate Islamic teachings.
Former Indonesian president Megawati Soekarnoputri is struggling for her reelection as leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) that will pave the way for her presidential bid in five years to come.
The Government of Indonesia would like to confirm that it continues to hold open the door for foreign humanitarian organizations and agencies to participate in the reconstruction and rehabilitation process in Aceh
General Suharto (born June 8, 1921) was an Indonesian dictator and military strongman. He was the second President of Indonesia, from 1967 to 1998. His years as the leader of Indonesia were characterized by substantial economic growth that reduced poverty in the nation, although much of the standard of living gains that were made were reversed by the Asian financial crisis that began in 1997.
Megawati was born in Yogyakarta, the second child and eldest daughter of Sukarno, then the president of Indonesia, which had declared its independence from the Netherlands in 1945. Her mother Fatmawati was one of Sukarno's nine wives. Megawati grew up in luxury in her father's Merdeka Palace.
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said in Isfahan on Wednesday that establishment of a refinery in Indonesia by Iran would provide further security for Iran's market supply.
Abdurrahman Wahid (also known as Gus Dur) (born August 4, 1940) was President of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001, and leader of the National Awakening Party, which he founded after the fall of Suharto. He was educated in Indonesia, Egypt and Canada. He was a widely-respected populist Muslim cleric and leader of the Nahdatul Ulama.
Under constitutional changes in 2004, the MPR will become a bicameral legislature, with the creation of the Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (DPD) or Senate, in which each province will be represented by four members, although its legislative powers will be more limited than those of the DPR.
He was born in Pare-Pare, South Sulawesi, and studied at the Bandung Institute of Technology. 1955-1965 he studied aerospace engineering at the RWTH Aachen, Germany, receiving diploma in 1960 and doctorate in 1965. He then worked for Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm in Hamburg. Jusuf Habibie (born June 25, 1936), more commonly known simply as Rudy Habibie or B J Habibie, was the third President of Indonesia, holding office from 1998 to 1999.
Germany is participating in the reconstruction of Aceh through the Indonesian-German Disaster Relief Committee (INDOGERM-direct).INDOGERM-direct has so-far raised 2.4 million euro (US$3.1 million) to build boarding schools, rehabilitate secondary and vocational schools, and to provide scholarships. It will also help re-establish fishery businesses in local communities, chairman Danny Jozal said recently.
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A spokesman for Indonesia's navy says five of its warships have left a disputed area in the Sulawesi Sea ahead of talks Wednesday with Malaysia.
Much has been said on the impact of the tsunami on Indonesia-Australia relations. The tragedy has indeed provided yet another opportunity to better Indonesia's rollercoaster relationship with Australia.
In 1998, following over thirty years of military dictatorship under General Suharto, the 1998 Indonesian Revolution led to the introduction of democracy. The fall of Suharto followed a severe weakening of the Indonesian economy by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and rising internal opposition from other military figures.
Indonesia has defended a 30-month jail term for a radical cleric linked to the Bali bombings, after the US and Australia said it was too lenient. Abu Bakar Ba'asyir was found guilty on Thursday of conspiracy over the 2002 attacks, in which 202 people died.
Beginning in 1602 the Dutch gradually established themselves as rulers of what is now Indonesia, exploiting the fractionalization of the small kingdoms that had replaced Majapahit. The most notable exception was Portuguese Timor, which remained under Portuguese rule until 1975 when it was invaded and occupied, becoming the Indonesia province of East Timor.
The Indonesian government says two Indonesian journalists kidnapped nearly a week ago in Iraq have been released. The two journalists, 26-year-old Meutya Viafa Hafid and 38-year-old Budiyanto, were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen last week while traveling to the Iraqi town of Ramadi.
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake has hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tremor, lasting about 2 minutes, sparked panic in numerous seaside communities on the island. According to officials, no injuries have been reported but sea water levels have risen up to four meters in areas.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who took office last October, says he wants to see an average of 6.6 percent growth during the next five years. Speaking in Singapore, he set out an ambitious plan.
The Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation was an intermittent war over the future of the island of Borneo, between British-backed Malaysia and Indonesia in 1962-1966. It is called Konfrontasi in the Indonesian and Malay languages.
The humanitarian crisis created by last month's earthquake and tsunami has drawn scores of relief organizations to Indonesia's Aceh province. Among them are several religious groups with radical agendas or controversial backgrounds.
Various sources have indicated that as of today no significant international aid has arrived in the island of Nias -- a small volcanic island off the coast (North Sumatra province, Indonesia) -- a full ten days after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred. These observations were noted by former Indonesian central parliament member Firman Jaya Daeli, activists from Howu-howu (a Dutch NGO), and Surf Aid International.
Over the past few days, at least 16 aftershocks have shaken Indonesia's tsunami-hit province of Aceh and the strongest one occurred Thursday morning measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, the Antara news agency reported Friday.
UPDATE: MSF is looking for volunteers with medical experience in Indonesia. Here's who you need to contact
More than 11,000 people have been killed in South and Southeast Asia Sunday, after one of the largest earthquakes in a century struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Most of the dead were victims of a tidal wave that spread out across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastal communities as far as Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia and is located in the north-eastern part of Java. It is also the capital of the state of East Java. During World War II, the Netherlands established a very significant military base in Surabaya. However, between 1942 and 1944, the city was occupied by the Japanese.
The Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM)), also known as the Aceh Sumatra National Liberation Front (ASNLF), is an armed Islamic group seeking independence for Aceh (sometimes given as Acheh, Achin or Atjeh) on Sumatra from the rest of Indonesia. The Indonesian government calls the group the Aceh Security Disturbance Movement.
Many of us in Indonesia saw what happened on September 11 almost two years ago through television. There was a stream of sympathy over the tragedy. But, not long after that, two or three types of public responses emerged. One, in particular, became quite visible: skepticism and conspiracy theories.
Like a mouse perpetually roaring, Howard's warmongering has endangered every young Australian backpacking in those countries where his and Bush's provocations are welcomed by extreme groups. Since he became prime minister in 1996, Howard has renewed Australia's reputation in Asia for European exclusivity. This is tragic, for it is not long since Australia emerged from the cultural isolation of its notorious "white Australia policy" and appeared to express the confidence of the ethnically diverse...
IT didn't take long for the fireworks to begin. Hours after the ASEAN summit in Singapore had ended, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid was bad-mouthing his hosts. "They just look after themselves," he ranted.
