Advertisement
Advertisement
Indonesia
TOPIC
 / location

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
London remained the world’s top choice for international arbitration last year, while Hong Kong tied with Singapore for second place in a survey by Queen Mary University of London. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong society

Hong Kong could overtake London as top arbitration hub in decade: Bar Association head

Jose-Antonio Maurellet says Hong Kong’s status as global fundraising capital fuelling rise as city increasingly chosen to resolve high-value disputes.

Prabowo Subianto

Can Indonesia’s new police chief repair the force’s image, commit to reforms?

videocam
Joko Widodo

Indonesia’s Prabowo turns to technocrats to restore credibility amid criticism

Volcanoes

2 new islands appear near Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano after eruption

The island-like mounds are likely the first in nearly a century to emerge within the caldera left by Krakatoa’s 1883 eruption.

videocam
Mount Anak Krakatoa spews volcanic smoke in the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, on September 5. Photo: Badan Geologi via AP
US-China relations

Panda diplomacy: all the countries currently hosting China’s beloved ambassadors

The arrival of Ping Ping and Fu Shuang in the US following the Xi-Trump summit in Washington continues a Chinese diplomatic tradition.

videocam
Prabowo Subianto

Indonesia’s Prabowo appoints new foreign minister

Arrmanatha Nasir is a career diplomat who was Indonesia’s former permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Prabowo Subianto

Indonesia’s Prabowo appoints new police chief following scandals at the force

Listyo Sigit Prabowo’s dismissal comes amid allegations of police impunity, abuse of power and brutality.

Indonesia’s Mobile Brigade police officers stand guard in Jakarta in December last year. Photo: EPA
Indonesian police members gather ahead of a public caning in Banda Aceh in July. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Video | Mary Jane Veloso case exposes gaps in Filipino migrant labour protection

Advocates say her case spotlights the dangers workers face overseas and Manila’s inability to sufficiently protect its citizens.

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur is world’s most polluted city due to haze, Singapore third

The readings for Kuala Lumpur at 166 and Singapore at 155 put both cities’ air quality as unhealthy, according to Swiss monitor IQAir.

Education

Indonesia targets free public schooling amid funding concerns

Education experts question where the money will come from, and urge the government to focus on improving the quality of learning.

Pupils take part in a routine ceremony on the first day of school at an elementary school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia on July 15, 2024. Photo: AFP
Singapore

Can pay-as-you-earn funding fix Southeast Asia’s higher education debt problem?

A Singapore scheme linking tuition to graduate income is testing if private finance can fill the ‘missing middle’ in regional student loans.

Graduates attend the National University of Singapore graduation ceremony. Photo: Handout
Corruption in Asia

Video | Luxury villas found at Indonesian prison

Indonesia’s ombudsman discovered 16 spacious villas at Cibinong prison.

Malaysia

From Ed Sheeran to Massive Attack: Gaza rows spark Southeast Asia backlash

With global acts also touring Asia, UK star Ed Sheeran’s concert fallout in the US raises the question of how the saga would play out regionally.

7
Singapore

Singapore or bust: how Indonesian’s crowdfunding plea shows city’s desirability

A woman’s appeal for sponsors to fund her US$78,000 programme has drawn criticism but not dimmed her dream of studying in Singapore.

Tri Maira Pangestuti poses at the National University of Singapore. She graduated from a master’s programme in environmental management in August. Photo: Tri Maira Pangestuti
People’s Justice Party

Indonesian prison chief suspended over secret VIP compound for inmates

Inspectors found a hidden compound at Cibinong Prison, complete with villas and a pool reportedly reserved for paying inmates.

videocam
A screenshot from an Indonesian Ombudsman video shows luxury facilities discovered during an unannounced inspection at Cibinong Prison in West Java on Wednesday. Photo: Instagram/ombudsmanri137
SCMP Highlights

Indonesian victim of fake cash scam, Filipinos warm to China: 7 Asia highlights

From young Filipinos warming to China to Malaysians’ nettle bed joke, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

The Philippines

How Mary Jane Veloso’s case exposes gaps in Filipino migrant protection

Advocates say her case spotlights the dangers Philippine workers face overseas and Manila’s inability to sufficiently protect its citizens.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Singapore

Paid to read: can cash and gamification fix Southeast Asia’s falling literacy?

Facing shrinking attention spans and ‘doomscrolling’, governments are using cash, vouchers and book drives to get citizens reading again.

Children take part in a reading event outside the National Library in Singapore 2014. Photo: Xinhua
Malaysia

Chickens in Malaysia are producing fewer eggs. Is haze a leading cause?

Small farmers in Malaysia and Indonesia who are also worried about rising heat are spending more to ventilate their sheds.

videocam
Prabowo Subianto

Indonesia’s 3% deficit cap: guardrail or growth barrier?

As lawmakers weigh lifting the statutory deficit ceiling, economists warn of downgrades and higher borrowing costs.

Belt and Road Initiative

Indonesia eyes China for massive 2,772km railway project – with caution

As Jakarta explores foreign backing for the Trans-Kalimantan railway, analysts say costly past ventures could shape any coming negotiations.

13
Passengers take selfies in a carriage on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia on October 17, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
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.

The Lynas Rare Earths processing plant in Gebeng, Malaysia. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

Viral misbehaviour, crimes and foreign-ownership scandals are exhausting the patience of a country famous for its hospitality.

videocam
Asean

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

While local partners gain valuable technical and marketing skills, Chinese companies must navigate vastly different regulatory and cultural landscapes to succeed.

videocam
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.

videocam
A tugboat carrying coal barges at a port in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia. Photo: Antara Foto/Reuters
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.

videocam
Zhou Hongxu was one of several relatively young senior Chinese officials who attended the White House banquet on Thursday night. Photo: AP
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement