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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 Lynas Rare Earths processing plant in Gebeng, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia faces a false binary in US-China mineral trade

The real question for rare earth exporters is how to turn global mineral competition into higher-value industries.

Thailand

Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

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Asean

Opinion | How Chinese firms can optimise their ‘going out’ strategy in Southeast Asia

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Energy

Indonesian coal deal fuels doubts over production quota approvals

The sale of a stake in Bayan came as the coal miner was facing a delay in getting approval for three subsidiaries’ production quotas.

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A tugboat carrying coal barges at a port in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia. Photo: Antara Foto/Reuters
A tug boat pushes a barge carrying coal on Mahakam river in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photo: AP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Xi’s security chief among cohort of rising officials at White House banquet

Zhou Hongxu is one of a group of officials in their 50s and early 60s at the front line of China’s top diplomatic events.

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The Philippines

‘So happy’: Philippines pardons death row inmate repatriated from Indonesia

Mary Jane Veloso is expected to be freed after the clemency since there are no other active cases against her.

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Malaysia

‘Open, close, reopen’: return of choking haze traps Malaysian schools in limbo

All 108 schools in Serian close again as API readings break 200, highlighting the limits of cloud seeding while monsoon winds persist.

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The Kuala Lumpur Tower is obscured by toxic haze from Indonesian wildfires on Monday. Photo: AFP
Motorists travel along a road as the prime minister’s office is partially obscured by haze in Putrajaya, Malaysia, in September. Photo: AP
Firefighters arrive to battle peatland and forest fires in Banjar, South Kalimantan, Indonesia on Monday. Photo: AFP
A helicopter drops water on forest fires in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan province, Indonesia on Monday. Photo: AFP
Defence

Indonesia commissions first aircraft carrier, bolstering sea defence

Indonesia’s navy renamed the former Italian warship KRI Sriwijaya-100 at a ceremony in North Jakarta.

China exports

China has scrapped two-thirds of its planned coal power plants abroad: report

The cutbacks have saved 6.4 billion tonnes of potential carbon emissions, though campaign’s momentum slowed last year, report finds.

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South China Sea

Why Brunei prefers ‘quiet diplomacy’ over confrontation in South China Sea

As a nation with a small military, Brunei would rather work with Beijing in safe zones such as peacekeeping than butt heads, analysts say.

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Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (left) and son Prince Abdul Mateen arrive for the Asean Summit welcome ceremony in Cebu, Philippines, on May 8. Photo: EPA
Singapore

Indonesian arrested in Singapore over fake banknotes was victim of fraud: lawyer

Dosma Sijabat says the 34 counterfeit S$10,000 notes did not belong to his client, who was merely exchanging them for someone else.

People gather next to the Merlion statue at the Marina Bay waterfront in Singapore. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

As Malaysia bets big on a concert boom, where are the local acts?

Artists question efforts to develop local talent, highlighting ‘worrying trend’ of global stars with no Malaysian opening act.

Climate change

Indonesia breathing issues spike to over 170,000 cases amid wildfire haze

As blazes blanket some areas and neighbouring nations in toxic smog, oxygen canisters have been given out. Over 40,000 toddlers are affected.

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Energy

Indonesia to continue buying Russian oil despite ‘real risk’ of US penalties

Analysts say Jakarta made the ‘right decision’ for the country’s energy security but urge dialogue with Washington to maintain transparency.

Tankers and cargo ships at the oil depot and container terminal of Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, in March. Photo: AFP
Global South

Can Indonesia speak for the Global South in its UN Security Council bid?

Jakarta wants a fifth term on the council, but faces accusations of hypocrisy and being a ‘fence-sitter’, analysts say.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2025. Photo: Xinhua
SCMP Highlights

South Korean killer’s escape foiled, Duterte trial looms: 7 Asia highlights

From Singaporean minister’s Mandarin diplomacy to Indonesia’s Whoosh debt burden, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Canada

Southeast Asia supports multilateralism, wary of US or China leadership: survey

A recent Rockefeller Foundation survey shows strong regional belief in global cooperation and a reluctance to accept superpower dominance.

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Australia

Named as an enemy: Indonesia’s uneasy Aukus moment

Aukus inquiry testimony in Australia cast Indonesia as a foe in a hypothetical war, reviving old suspicions.

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US Navy officers stand aboard a Virginia-class submarine docked in Western Australia in February 2025. Under Aukus, Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines like the Virginia-class. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia deploys air force aircraft for cloud seeding to combat worsening haze

An Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft will be used as the main asset for the cloud seeding operations.

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Vladimir Putin

Opinion | Why the Global South keeps its doors wide open to Russia

Far from being isolated, Moscow’s relationships across the non-Western world are a geopolitical constant the West cannot break.

Defence

Pride or practicality? Indonesia welcomes first aircraft carrier

Jakarta has approved US$450 million for the aircraft carrier programme but some lawmakers warn the final bill could be higher.

Former Italian Navy aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi docks at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta on Friday. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

Video | Chinese national arrested for allegedly killing sea turtle

The viral video showed a diver hunting an endangered hawksbill sea turtle in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat islands.

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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

Experts say poor enforcement and inadequate supervision continue to leave passengers vulnerable, amid a rise in maritime incidents.

Environment

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

Indonesia is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, with the hazardous haze also affecting neighbours Singapore and Malaysia.

The Singapore Flyer and commercial buildings are shrouded in haze at the Marina Bay area in Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
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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