Usman Hamid, Jakarta – The tactics used by the country's security forces may have changed since the fall of military rule in 1998, but in Papua – Indonesia's easternmost, restive region

John McBeth, Jakarta – Barring any last minute changes, Indonesian President Joko Widodo is close to naming Golkar Party chairman and Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto as his running

Viji Menon – Timor-Leste's second parliamentary elections in a space of 10 months have raised the prospect for a resolution to the young country's political gridlock; but challenges rem

David Dixon – They just couldn't leave it alone could they?

Clinton Fernandes – The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Sarah McNaughton SC, recently filed criminal charges against Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery and his client, a for

Tommy Soesmanto and Yenny Tjoe – The increasing level of Indonesia's government debt has become a hot topic ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

Today, Indonesia is holding simultaneous regional elections across the country, but the one being watched most closely is the governor's race is taking place in West Java, the country's

Keoni Indrabayu Marzuki – The highly anticipated third stage of the simultaneous regional executive elections (pilkada serentak) is set to take place this week on 27 June 2018, with 17

Abhishek Mohanty – In a major setback to Islamic State (ISIS) in Southeast Asia, a top court in Indonesia has sentenced to death a cleric reckoned as the de facto supremo of ISIS apolog

Harold Mitchell – Today finds me in Timor-Leste. Not too many Australians are aware of this tiny nation just 40 minutes off the coast of Northern Australia.

David Hutt – It is almost certain, barring a constitutional calamity, that Taur Matan Ruak will soon be appointed the new Prime Minister of Timor-Leste.

It is now less than a year before Indonesia holds its first ever simultaneous national legislative and presidential elections on 17 April 2019.

In June this year, elections will take place in 171 districts, provinces and municipalities across Indonesia.

Last Thursday, participants in Indonesia's longest running human rights protest, Kamisan ("Thursdays"), met with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Nathalia Tjandra – With more than 260m people, Indonesia is the biggest economy in South-East Asia.

Jonas Guterres – Timor-Leste has held a series of successful and competitive elections in the last year; one for president, and two separate parliamentary elections.

Hao Duy Phan – On May 9, 2018, the Conciliation Commission in the maritime boundary dispute between Timor-Leste and Australia issued its report, marking the conclusion of the first-ever

Jose Belo, Dili, Timor-Leste – Timor-Leste's parliamentary elections on May 12 have returned Xanana Gusmao to the Government Palace in Dili in an alliance that gives him enough votes to

Rebecca Strating and Clive Schofield – In April, Australia and Timor-Leste reached agreement on their maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea.

Indonesia is hastening deliberations of an anti-terrorism bill, following a series of suicide bombings carried out by supporters of Islamic State in Surabaya, East Java, this month.

Sandra Hamid – Last week turned dark for Australia's Indonesian neighbour when a parent and four young children detonated suicide bombs in front of three churches in the city of Surabay

Max Lane – May 21, 2018 marked the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the dictator Suharto, who ruled Indonesia from 1965 until 1998 – 33 years; a very long time.

Sidney Jones, Jakarta, Indonesia – A sudden spate of terrorist attacks in Indonesia during the past few weeks offers insights into how supporters of the Islamic State around the world a

Rizky Alif Alvian – Moving away from their past ambiguous stance on violent Islamic extremism, Indonesian conservative Muslim organisations are taking a more assertive position against

Jonas Guterres – Through the fresh election held on May 12, Timor-Leste has for the time being put an end to nearly half a year of political impasse.

Joshua Roose – It was no coincidence that Sunday's suicide attacks on three Catholic churches in Indonesia came as Muslims began the holy month of Ramadan.

Agus Mutohar – A series of terrorist acts has rocked Indonesia in the past week.

Sophie Raynor – After ten months of political gridlock and one dissolved parliament, Saturday's decisive parliamentary election result represents one kind of victory for Timor-Leste's f

Sidney Jones – Indonesia has again exploded in a paroxysm of terrorist violence, but with a new twist: family suicide bombers.

Guteriano Neves – After nearly a year of political deadlock resulting from a minority government, and a divisive political campaign, Timor-Leste is set to have a stable government after

Erin Cook, Jakarta – As answers slowly come to light about the families behind the terror attacks in Indonesia's second city of Surabaya and nearby Sidoarjo, questions are already being

Michael Leach – After nearly ten months of political uncertainty, Saturday's parliamentary elections in Timor-Leste delivered a decisive result.

Rafiqa Qurrata A'yun – Since becoming a democracy that supports freedom of speech, Indonesia, ironically, has seen an increase in people being jailed for blasphemy.

David Hutt – Preliminary results from Timor-Leste's general election on Saturday indicate that an opposition coalition has clinched victory, winning enough seats to form a majority gove

Jose Belo – Timor-Leste's general election in 2018 will prove to be like no other.

Michael Leach – After a tense month-long campaign and two rest days, East Timorese cast their votes tomorrow in the country's latest parliamentary elections.

Jerry Courvisanos – For the last year, the people of Timor-Leste have expected – and received – little from their government except deadlock.

Kyle Knight – It has been almost a year since 20-year-old "Muhammad" and 23-year-old "Hanif" were marched in front of a jeering crowd in Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia's Aceh prov

Guteriano Neves – For the third time in less than a year, Timorese are going to cast their votes.

Edward Aspinall, Diego Fossati, Burhanuddin Muhtadi & Eve Warburton – Are Indonesia's political parties all alike? Are some more in favour of political reform than others?

David Hutt – The campaign season is now in its second week in Timor-Leste ahead of another general election on May 12.

Bobby Anderson and Adrian Morel – Last year's "hostage stand-off" in Indonesian Papua had hardly ended before more armed clashes began.

Ben Bohane – China, China, China. All the talk is of increasing Chinese influence in our region. But this is to wilfully ignore the elephant in the room.

Daniel Peterson – On 30 March, Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, the third daughter of Soekarno, delivered a poem at Indonesian Fashion Week.

Santi Kusumaningrum – Indonesia plans to renew its criminal code to update the 100-year-old law.

Michael Leach – Timor-Leste returns to the polls on 12 May, almost ten months after last July's election failed to produce a sustainable government.

Euan Moyle – A landmark agreement between Australia and Timor-Leste has finally marked their maritime borders and exclusive economic zones, which have been a sore point in relations bet

Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir & Andi Rahman Alamsyah – Two decades of democratisation in Indonesia has been marked by the presence of former civil society activists in formal politics.

James Guild – When Jokowi came to office in 2014, he promised to jump start Indonesia's lagging infrastructure development.

Clive Schofield and Bec Strating – On March 6, 2018, Australia and Timor-Leste signed a landmark treaty that draws permanent maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea.