Glass ceiling in government Women in the Ministry of Finance face significant obstacles to advancement Read more
Strong women, strong unions Women are challenging the stereotypes that have long defined Indonesian unionists. Read more
Sex and tea in Semarang The peculiar relationship between sex and jasmine tea in downtown Semarang keeps both police and prostitutes in a game of cat and mouse. Read more
Shifting faultlines In the aftermath of religious conflict, ethnic difference is becoming more prominent in Ambon Read more
An unlikely unionist Inspired by television and Muchtar Pakpahan, a traditional fisherman decides it’s time to act. Read more
Children at work Officially, 2.4 million Indonesian children work in factories or on the streets, instead of being at school. Unofficially, the number could be 10 million. SHARON BESSELL talks with some working children, and asks what is being done. Read more
Waiting for Ngaben Kuta Beach ceased some time ago to be what the brochures say it is. For Robert Goodfellow, the piles of plastic rubbish are signs of a deeper malaise. Read more
Fishing in Australian Waters In the past decade, 140 Indonesian fishermen drowned in Australian waters, a further 400 were imprisoned. JILL ELLIOTT reports that policies dealing with the issue are costly, ineffective and have tragic consequences. She suggests better alternatives. Read more
Regulate or abolish? Should child labour be abolished or regulated? WENDY MILLER spoke with activist ARIST MERDEKA SIRAIT during the Child Labour Conference at Melbourne's Monash University. Read more
Information revolution Satellite TV and the Internet are opening Indonesia to the globe. MARK CRAWFORD asks: Will this mean less mind control by the state? Read more
New forms of rural conflict Idyllic rural Java is rapidly becoming urban. As a result, peasants are now less in conflict with landlords than with the state. This radically changes the way we think about the best way to organise for change, according to JUNI THAMRIN andVEDI HADIZ. Read more
Of money and trees: a 19th-century growth triangle Unbridled money freely crosses borders and destroys Sumatra's pristine environment.... The 1990s? No, the 1850s, writes FREEK COLOMBIJN. Read more
Colonial legacy It may be true that Java rules Indonesia. But Javanese labourers in Sumatra, writes BUDI AGUSTONO, have been at the bottom of the heap for generations. Read more
Privatising social justice As riots erupt across the country, Suharto is forcing rich companies to contribute to a private anti-poverty foundation. But, for DAVID BOURCHIER and IAN CHALMERS, the move smacks of personal greed. Read more
Middletown comes to Malang JASON PRICE talks with the new middle class and discovers they love progress but keep the poor at arms length. Read more
Big projects, little people After 20 years, LEA JELLINEK returns to Jakarta's kampungs only to find many demolished for condominiums. The mood of their constantly evicted residents oscillates between resignation and resistance. Read more
Ecotourism: can it save the orangutans? RACHEL DREWRY investigates ecotourism as a conservation tool. Read more
Togians: ecotourism is not the answer While others hope environmentally sensitive tourism will help the Togian Islands, KATE NAPTHALI wants to beef up traditional industries instead. Read more
The walking ghosts of West Java PETER HANCOCK finds that women in a rural Nike factory are considerably worse off than those who work in other factories. Read more