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Indonesia
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Indonesia

Indonesia
Indonesia
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion from Indonesia.
Capital
Jakarta
Head of State
President Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto
Head of Government
President Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto
The incident has reignited concerns about safety at Indonesian tourist sites. Photo: Ullstein Bild via Getty Images
Malaysia

Malaysian woman scuba diving in Bali dies after being swept away by currents

Siti Nuraini was on a diving trip with several others when the incident occurred at Crystal Bay.

Marine safety

Indonesia faces reckoning over maritime safety after deadly ferry disaster

Environment

Indonesia’s Prabowo mulls labelling wildfires as ‘ecological terrorism’

South China Sea

‘Wolf in sheep’s clothing’: why Japan’s Natuna port plan raises alarm in China

Tokyo offers port upgrades to boost maritime security, but analysts say Jakarta is being pragmatic, not taking sides against Beijing.

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An Indonesian coastguard ship sails next to a Vietnamese fishing vessel near Indonesia’s Natuna Islands in July 2020. Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian fishing boats have occasionally clashed over marine resources in the area. Photo: AFP
Environment

‘My eyes sting, my head hurts’: health crisis grips Indonesians enduring haze

‘While working, my chest feels tight, my head dizzy, my eyes burning. Even with this unhealthy air, we still must work,’ a resident says.

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John Lee policy address 2026

Hong Kong launching pilot scheme to bring in foreign carers for the elderly

Chief Executive John Lee says in policy address that the government will admit carers under a scheme modelled on domestic helper regime.

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Environment

How wildfires are threatening Indonesia’s economy and carbon market

Total economic and health costs from January to August as a result of the haze could reach US$6.9 billion, analysts warn.

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A drone view shows a barge being towed along the Kapuas River, shrouded in haze from wildfires, in Pontianak, Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
India

‘Growing stronger’: India and Russia push to expand defence ties

Analysts say offers of Su-57 stealth jet tech and BrahMos upgrades signal an exit from simple buyer-seller deals.

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Singapore

Singapore ministers earn millions. What do other Asian leaders make?

Political pay structures elsewhere in Asia are shaped by factors including bureaucratic hierarchy, austerity and symbolic restraint.

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Asean

Opinion | As the global order fragments, at least Asean is still talking

A modest lesson in a multipolar world is that sometimes the achievement is simply that disagreement does not end the conversation.

US President Donald Trump (third from left) gathers with Asean leaders for a group photo before the 13th Asean-US summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

Who will shoulder the debts behind Indonesia’s China-backed Whoosh railway?

Jakarta plans to transfer the US$56.5 million annual debt into state accounts as critics warn taxpayers will subsidise the losses.

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The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train, known as Whoosh, during a public trial in Bandung, West Java, in September 2023. Photo: AFP
Prabowo Subianto

Indonesian finance minister notified of his firing in mid-meeting call

Purbaya ⁠Yudhi Sadewa said he was ‘upset’ over losing the top finance job, a move that also surprised markets.

SCMP Highlights

Thais stage rare Israel protest; India-Pakistan water row: 7 Asia highlights

From Thai PM Anutin’s US$90,000 amulet to the Philippines’ big bet on railways, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Climate change

Video | Indonesian volunteers deliver oxygen tanks as wildfire haze worsens

Sri Mulyani delivers oxygen tanks door-to-door to residents and firefighters suffering from breathing difficulties as wildfire haze worsens in the region.

Volunteers from "Rumah Oksigen" (Oxygen House) check an oxygen cylinder used to provide oxygen assistance to residents affected by haze from wildfires in Pontianak, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, September 14, 2026. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
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Singapore

Toxic haze shrouds Singapore as air quality hits unhealthy levels

The financial hub’s air currently ranks among the 10 most polluted cities in the world, according to IQAir data.

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A cyclist rides along the bayfront with Singapore’s skyline shrouded in haze on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Singapore

Singapore is open to chemical castration, but what are ethical, health concerns?

Experts point to considerations on who receives the treatment, duration of the process and whether it is proportional to the offence.

Prabowo Subianto

Indonesia’s Prabowo appoints third finance minister in under 2 years

Suahasil Nazara takes over amid growing pressure on the budget, with analysts expecting a more cautious approach to fiscal management.

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Video | 130 missing after ferry sinks in Indonesia

Authorities have rescued 107 people and recovered 6 bodies since the vessel travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin sank after losing contact while in rough seas.

Rescue teams evacuate a victim of the Virgo Transport 8 passenger ferry, which capsized while carrying 243 people on its route to Banjarmasin from Surabaya, to a hospital in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan on September 13, 2026. Rescuers in Indonesia said at least six people were killed and 130 others were missing on September 13 after a ferry sailing between the islands of Java and Borneo was hit by bad weather and capsized. (Photo by INFUZ / AFP)
Ukraine war

‘Cannon fodder’ Asians tricked to fight for Russia spur calls for intervention

A group of Indonesians was duped into fighting for Russia, Ukraine says, with other ruses involving Filipinos and Indians.

Indonesia searches for 130 passengers after ship sinks in Java Sea

Rescuers evacuated 107, and 6 bodies were recovered, after the vessel travelling from Surabaya to Banjarmasin lost contact in bad weather.

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Malaysia

Who will look after ageing Asia when its carers grow old?

Asia’s care economy is booming, but its biggest supplier nations are ageing too, raising fears of a coming carer shortfall.

Filipino nurses, many of whom were bound for work abroad as carers, take an oath in Manila in 2009. Filipino carers have become an expensive “gold standard”, according to a recent white paper. Photo: AFP
Environment

When Indonesia burns, these women run towards the fire

Meet the all-female volunteer brigade risking their lungs and lives to fight Indonesia’s devastating wildfires.

A member of the Power of Mama on night fire patrol at a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, last month. Photo: Garry Lotulung
Brics

Internal splits threaten to slow Brics’ progress as bloc marks 20th anniversary

The grouping has emerged as a strong champion of the Global South, but analysts warned that major challenges still lie ahead.

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Asean

Up in smoke: why Southeast Asia failed to halt the haze

Asean was going to eliminate transboundary haze by 2020. What happened?

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Singapore

As Singapore weighs joining China-led AI body, does it risk US retaliation?

Joining the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation gives Singapore influence, but may affect its Pax Silica role, analysts say.

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People walk along the promenade next to Marina Bay in Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
India

Indonesia steps in to save baby orangutans found motherless at Indian forest

Authorities suspect the five primates were trafficked into India, sparking a criminal investigation.

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The rescued orangutans sit next to bananas at a forest in Balasore district, India’s Odisha state, on Tuesday. Photo: Odisha Forest Department/AFP
Animals

Indonesia rescues 6 orangutans from forest fires in a week

The apes were saved from plantations in West Kalimantan province, where they got stuck after fires cut off access to their forest home.

Video | Indonesian journalists, crew missing near erupting volcano

The group, which included five journalists, two crew members and a guide, set out on a speedboat on Monday morning.

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