TOPIC

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Indonesia

Latest news, in-depth features and opinion from Indonesia.

Capital

Jakarta

Head of State

President Prabowo Subianto

Head of Government

President Prabowo Subianto

last updated:

29 November, 2024

Indonesian cabinet minister and PSSI chairman Erick Thohir wants his country’s football team to be in the top 50 in the world by 2045. Photo: AFP

Fifa

Minister Thohir determined to take ‘sleeping giants’ Indonesia back to World Cup

The head of the national football body is banking on a top-down approach to put his country in the frame for a trip to the 2026 finals.

6 hours ago

Middle East

Israeli army forces patients out of Indonesian Hospital in Gaza, doctors say

25 Dec 2024 - 12:02AM

Prabowo Subianto

What Erdogan’s summit walkout could mean for Prabowo, Indonesia-Turkey ties

24 Dec 2024 - 4:27PM

Apple

What Apple’s US$1 billion investment pledge means for Indonesia’s tech sector

Apple’s offer shows Indonesia’s push for local content rules is starting to pay off, but new entrants to its tech sector could be deterred, analysts note.

24 Dec 2024 - 11:00AM

A customer inspects an Apple iPhone 15 at a mall in Denpasar, Indonesia’s Bali. Photo: EPA-EFE

North Korea

Revolution, elections and a baby hippo, this was the year in Asia

From climate change to political storms and a Taylor Swift world tour, Asia in 2024 was characterised by turbulence and surprises.

24 Dec 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

Asean

Opinion | How Southeast Asia can become the next AI powerhouse

Young, dynamic and fast, the region has unique advantages, supported by investment in infrastructure, talent, policy support and collaboration.

22 Dec 2024 - 8:30PMvideocam

Food and Drinks

Can Indonesia’s world-class cuisine food become its next global superpower?

Indonesian cuisine, voted the world’s seventh best by TasteAtlas, is struggling for global influence despite outranking French and Japanese dishes.

20 Dec 2024 - 6:19PM

Rendang is a spicy beef stew from Indonesia. The country’s cuisine was recently voted the world’s seventh-best food by TasteAtlas. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese overseas

Bakery assault video sparks anti-Chinese backlash in Indonesia, exposing biases

Experts say the clip of a bakery employee being assaulted by the owner’s son reflects historical traumas and societal anxieties, with social media amplifying racist rhetoric.

20 Dec 2024 - 11:10AM

Malaysia

2 Malaysians jailed in Guantanamo Bay over terror attacks return home

The two JI members, who were involved in the 2002 Bali bombings, will undergo a reintegration programme in Malaysia.

18 Dec 2024 - 6:34PM

Climate change

Indonesia’s ‘eternal snow’ on Puncak Jaya may melt away before 2026

The loss of Puncak Jaya’s glaciers will be an immeasurable loss to the area’s ecosystem and local tribes, scientists say.

18 Dec 2024 - 3:47PMvideocam

Indonesia’s Puncak Jaya, also known as the Carstensz Pyramid, where its glaciers are slowing disappearing. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Prabowo Subianto

Prabowo’s proposal to scrap regional polls stirs fears for Indonesian democracy

Critics say the Indonesian president’s proposal to have local legislatures appoint regional leaders echoes Indonesia’s authoritarian past.

18 Dec 2024 - 11:00AMvideocam

A man votes at a polling station in Tanjung Gusta, North Sumatra province, last month during Indonesia’s regional elections. Photo: Xinhua

The Philippines

Death row Filipino arrives home from Indonesia – then goes straight to jail

Mary Jane Veloso just wants to spend Christmas with her family. She has been imprisoned since 2010 on drug trafficking charges.

19 Dec 2024 - 3:13PMvideocam

Animals

Bali Zoo mourns death of ‘friendly’ elephant swept away by river current

Molly was in the river during a routine exercise when the current suddenly increased due to heavy rain upstream.

17 Dec 2024 - 5:25PM

Technology

Opinion | From TikTok to Apple, companies must tread carefully amid digital nationalism

Restrictive policies could hinder innovation, limit consumer choice and fragment the global digital economy.

17 Dec 2024 - 6:38PMvideocam

Participants hold signs in support of TikTok outside the US Capitol building on March 13 in Washington. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

The Philippines

Hopes high Mary Jane Veloso will get clemency upon her return to Philippines

Veloso, who was sentenced to death in Indonesia in 2010, is set to fly to Manila on Wednesday as her supporters fight to see her freed.

17 Dec 2024 - 4:00PMvideocam

Filipino death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso gestures as she leaves Yogyakarta Women’s Prison for her transfer to the capital city of Jakarta in preparation for her repatriation to the Philippines, in Gunung Kidul, Indonesia on Sunday, December 15. Photo: AP

Electric & new energy vehicles

Indonesia gives tax incentives to EV makers including China’s BYD, GAC Aion

The carmakers, which are building factories in Indonesia, will enjoy an exemption on import taxes and a break on luxury taxes.

16 Dec 2024 - 8:30PMvideocam

US-China relations

Opinion | Trump 2.0 is forcing Asian economies to make hard choices fast

The stability and prosperity of Asia depends on how regional economic powerhouses navigate complex dynamics while maintaining their autonomy.

16 Dec 2024 - 5:30AMvideocam

Australia

Last ‘Bali Nine’ prisoners back in Australia after 19 years

Five convicted members of the heroin smuggling drug ring were returned from Indonesia, following diplomatic efforts this month.

16 Dec 2024 - 2:16PM

Australian Matthew Norman, left, a member of the Bali Nine group and serving life sentences for drug smuggling, was among the remaining five who were allowed to return home. Photo: AP

Joko Widodo

‘One-man party’: is ‘kingmaker’ Widodo planning a political comeback?

Speculation is mounting whether the former Indonesian president might form a new political party to expand his clout.

15 Dec 2024 - 3:00PMvideocam

Joko Widodo

With self-branded aid, Indonesia’s Gibran steals a page from Widodo’s playbook

Indonesia’s new vice-president has come under fire for distributing aid packages featuring his name, echoing his father’s populist tactics.

14 Dec 2024 - 12:00PM

Women and gender

Video | Woman-owned cafe defies norms in Indonesia

Morning Mama was opened in 2023 to create a space that caters to women in Banda Aceh.

13 Dec 2024 - 5:15PMvideocam

Fearless women

Woman-owned cafe defies norms in Indonesia

13 Dec 2024 - 5:00PM

01:01

Singapore

Singapore explains why it did not arrest Chinese fugitive on Interpol Red Notice

Police said they do not have sufficient evidence to investigate the alleged money launderer, who was arrested when he travelled to Indonesia.

14 Dec 2024 - 4:28AMvideocam

Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong

Where do Hong Kong’s domestic workers sleep? 3 personal stories

Personal stories of three migrant workers in Hong Kong and their grim accommodation

12 Dec 2024 - 1:15PM

Asia travel

Indonesia’s smallest city offers beaches, boat rides and seafood galore

Sibolga may not feature on the international tourist trail – unlike the nearby Nias and Mentawai Islands – but there is enough to do to make a short stop-over in Indonesia’s smallest city worthwhile

11 Dec 2024 - 9:15AM

Pantai Pandan is one of the best known beaches in Sibolga, Indonesia. Photo: Aisyah Llewellyn

Singapore

Chinese fugitive’s arrest sparks questions on Singapore’s Interpol obligations

The notice does not give local police powers of arrest and member countries apply their own laws in deciding whether to take action, experts say.

11 Dec 2024 - 3:19PMvideocam

Indonesian immigration officials hold Chinese fugitive Yan Zhangxing (centre) during a press conference in Jakarta on December 5. Photo: EPA-EFE

Human rights

Indonesian teen’s death spotlights police brutality, ‘bleak’ human rights future

Amnesty report shows at least 116 cases of police brutality so far this year, as activists warn of ‘black hole of human rights violations’.

10 Dec 2024 - 8:18PMvideocam

Tourism

Indonesia’s Bali aims to root out foreign travellers offering sexual services

A law enforcement team in Bali has been deployed to deal with the problem by monitoring vice establishments and online platforms.

10 Dec 2024 - 7:36PMvideocam

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