National

Indonesia brokers Philippines peace bid

On 2 September 1996, the Philippines government signed an agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front that promised to end decades of violence and give Moro Muslims substantial autonomy. Indonesian Ambassador to Australia, Wiryono Sastrohandojo, helped broker the deal.

Outbreak of rioting: Tinder-box or conspiracy?

Is Indonesia a 'tinder-box'? A potential Bosnia in Southeast Asia? Or is it essentially peaceful, but someone is stirring the pot, perhaps to make a point before the 1997 elections? GERRY VAN KLINKEN visits the sites of three riots.

The world's first street university

Street children are not social misfits. They are creative exiles from an oppressive state system, according to LAINE BERMAN and HARRIOTT BEAZLEY.

Making an ass of the law

Spend a day in an Indonesian courtroom during the recent wave of political trials and you will probably leave at the end of the day hot, sweaty and confused. Make a habit of it and cynicism becomes the order of the day.

The fear and the fury

FRANZ MAGNIS-SUSENO believes that riots happen because people feel threatened by change.

Citizens organise themselves

Goenawan Mohamad explains to GERRY VAN KLINKEN why the independent electoral monitoring committee KIPP inspired so many volunteers to take action.

Preventing AIDS

The epidemic is spreading more slowly than once feared, but OCTAVERY KAMIL still wants better resources for prevention work.

Fading signal

STANLEY fears slashing Radio Australia's Indonesian service will harm Australian diplomacy.

Rock'n'Roll radicals

DAVID HILL and KRISHNA SEN scour the music shops. They find that foreign music is now as Indonesian as batik. From Hindi film to 'Indie' punk rock, foreign musical genres are being indigenised, and imbued with Indonesian political meaning.

Portrait of a female preacher

NELLY VAN DOORN discovers a woman preacher revered for her faith and drive, who questions the image of a male-centred Islam.

Lippogate? Not really

Allegations of influence peddling by Indonesia's Lippo financial group may be unproven, but opened a bigger trail that led elsewhere. JAY LOSHER reports from America.

Itinerant scholars

Hinduism and Islam were born so far away. How did Indonesians learn of them? KAREL STEENBRINK traces a long history of religious scholars travelling overseas.

Islam in opposition? It's not that simple.

Despite an impression that Islam has lately become a potent force of opposition, GREG BARTON thinks many Muslims have a stake in the status quo.

How Muslims will say 'No'

What are the prospects of Islamic opposition? How democratic will it be? GEORGE ADITJONDRO finds much to be hopeful about.

Breaking out!

DJOHAN EFFENDI explores the paradox of young progressives in Indonesia's most traditional Islamic organisation.

What the elite do when their banks are in trouble

Many private banks set up by Indonesia's super-wealthy in the 1980s are reeling under the weight of mismanagement. But connections sometimes allow them to evade the laws of financial gravity, as SUARA INDEPENDEN shows in these two reports.

Political gangsters

The riot that engulfed Jakarta on 27 July 1996 started after army-backed gangsters invaded Megawati's PDI headquarters. JESSE RANDALL traces the strange relationship between government and criminality.

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