The downfall of the Soeharto regime has radically changed power relations between centre and region in Indonesia. Decentralization and administrative fragmentation (pemekaran), based on Government Regulation 129/2000, have created new opportunities for political actors at all levels. As a result, from the late 1990s, regional autonomy movements have mushroomed. These changes in administrative structures often entail a radical reshuffle of relationships, patterns of control over resources, identities, territories and boundaries. Therefore, such changes can only be understood against the background of their specific historical contexts, paying attention not only to the changes but also to the ‘changing continuities’ (Schulte-Nordholt 2003) behind such changes.