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
Chinatown in Melbourne, seen in 2020. Despite its strong trade and people-to-people links to Asia, reinforced by waves of migration, Australia’s Asia literacy has steadily declined. Photo: Shutterstock
Australia

Opinion | Australia is losing its ability to engage Asia on its own terms

With security increasingly tied to regional developments, Australia’s eroding Asia literacy risks shutting Canberra out of crucial decisions.

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SCMP Highlights

Rise of Peranakan Chinese networks, Malaysian ex-PM jailed: 7 Asia highlights

Environment

Opinion | Forest conservation must be long-term priority for Southeast Asia

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Fire at Indonesia retirement home kills 16 elderly residents

Fast-moving blaze engulfed facility on the island of Sulawesi as residents were sleeping, police said.

Local people rescue an elderly man from the retirement home fire. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Indonesian helper battles trauma, faces job insecurity after Hong Kong fire

NGOs say they are bracing for more terminations among helpers as families begin to count the cost of their losses.

Weather

Spanish father, 3 children missing in Indonesia after tourist boat sinks

High waves are believed to have caused the sightseeing boat to capsize en route to popular tourist destination Labuan Bajo.

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Artificial intelligence

Macroscope | Can AI deliver the economic goods and high returns? Don’t count on it

The dash towards AI might become a rout as the public rebels against the environmental costs while investors worry about the returns.

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A construction worker stands outside a data centre being built in Sedenak Tech Park in Johor, Malaysia, on September 27, 2024. Emerging AI data centres are giving the region’s main data centre hubs, Japan and Singapore, a run for their money. Photo: AP
Malaysia

How the Peranakan Chinese built one of Southeast Asia’s most powerful networks

Born of trade and migration, the Peranakan community has forged a distinct identity that has bridged China and Southeast Asia for centuries.

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Prabowo Subianto

Power, protests and policy shake-ups shape Indonesia’s 2025

President Prabowo Subianto asserts his authority as he navigates the global stage and domestic challenges in his first full year in office.

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Myanmar

Stay or go? Rohingya see no way out of predicament as Myanmar heads to poll

Myanmar’s phased election, set to start on Sunday, is likely to be steered by the same leaders responsible for driving the Rohingya out.

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A boat with Rohingya refugees attempts to enter Malaysia from Langkawi in this photo released on January 4. Photo: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/AP
Climate change

‘Starting anew’: Indonesians in flood-struck Sumatra hold Christmas mass

Many in the congregation are still sheltering at evacuation sites after the fatal disaster wreaked havoc on the island four weeks ago.

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The Angkola Protestant Church is seen amid flood devastation at Aek Ngadol village in North Sumatra province on Christmas Day. Photo: AFP
Fame and celebrity

Red, white and Blue: Indonesia lodges complaint over porn star’s flag stunt

Bonnie Blue’s run-in with Indonesia began earlier this month when she was arrested for making pornographic content in a Bali studio.

Environment

Seeking climate justice: Indonesian fishermen’s case against Holcim to proceed

The lawsuit states that Holcim has ‘significantly contributed to climate change with its massive CO2 emissions’.

Singapore

Singapore’s athletes debate on funding after official’s ‘come to party’ review

The debate was prompted by a sports official’s underwhelming assessment of Singapore’s performance in athletics at the recent SEA Games.

Team Singapore marches during the parade of athletes at the SEA Games’ closing ceremony in Bangkok on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Extreme weather

‘Worse than the tsunami’ – Indonesia’s Aceh residents traumatised by flooding

A month after the disaster, residents are still struggling to recover as anger against Jakarta’s slow rescue response mounts.

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A staff member works to clean a submerged medical equipment after a flash flood at a hospital in Aceh Tamiang, northern Sumatra, on December 16. Photo: AFP
International Cricket Council

Indonesia bowler enters record books with five-wicket over in T20 International

Gede Priandana rips heart out of Cambodia batting in first game of eight-match series in Bali.

Oxford University

Rafflesia flower rediscovery in Indonesia revives push to drop colonial name

The giant flower find has renewed calls among researchers to rename its genus, which honours British colonial official Thomas Raffles.

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Mainland China

Economic ‘pragmatism’ powers Indonesians’ positive view of China, survey finds

Analysts say China’s ‘visible’ investment activities and its ‘soft diplomacy’ in Indonesia have contributed to the positive public perception.

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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping shake hands during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, in November 2024. Prabowo is seen as “close” to Xi in a new survey. Photo: Pool via AP

Video | Indonesian women prepare food for Sumatra floods victims

A community kitchen has been cooking non-stop for six days to prepare servings of traditional rendang, a dish that can last three to six months.

Extreme weather

Asia’s year in extreme weather and natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods

From the deadly earthquake in Myanmar to tropical cyclones in the Philippines, Asia went through its share of natural disasters in 2025.

Transport and logistics

Video | 16 killed in Indonesia bus crash

The bus carrying 34 people slammed into a concrete barrier on a toll road reportedly after the driver was speeding and lost control.

In this photo released by the Semarang Search and Rescue Office, rescuers carry a survivor of a deadly bus crash on a stretcher, in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (Semarang SAR Office via AP)
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Prabowo Subianto

Prabowo, Trump to sign Indonesia-US trade deal as issues resolved

The pact removes tariffs on major Indonesian exports and boosts economic ties between the two countries.

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US President Donald Trump (right) with his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Egypt on October 13. Photo: AFP
SCMP Highlights

Philippines’ Chinese tourism woes, police officer goes viral: 7 Asia highlights

From India’s anxiety over US-Pakistan deals to South Korea’s visa policy debate, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Asean

Southeast Asian floods set to threaten more wildlife due to climate change

Environmental crimes and poor oversight are also worsening the risks faced by animals and trees.

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16 dead as Indonesian passenger bus hits barrier, rolls on side

Police will be questioning and testing the injured driver, who was a substitute, for drugs.

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Rescuers carry a survivor from the wreckage of a crashed bus in Semarang, Central Java, on Monday. Photo: Basarnas/EPA
Prabowo Subianto

‘Hunting in zoo’: Indonesia seeks extra tax from rich to plug budget deficit

The push is adding to unease among rich Indonesians already rattled by what many see as a crackdown on the affluent under Subianto.

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Jakarta’s business district. Indonesia is home to some of the wealthiest billionaires in Southeast Asia. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong society

Filipino helper killed in Hong Kong fire hailed as heroine on repatriation

Filipino official says Maryan Pascual Esteban’s body arrives in country while Hong Kong authorities vow long-term support for affected residents.

US-ally trade wars

Mexico’s 50% tariff shock shuts Asia’s North American trade bypass

A tariff wall will soon separate protected partners like CPTPP members Singapore and Malaysia from exporters facing a shutout.

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