Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia is allowing foreigners to get emergency stay permits and waiving overstay fees after eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatau fueled severe travel disruptions.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Statistics Indonesia (BPS) has addressed the progress being made on revising the poverty standard. They stated that they are still conducting studies and making in-depth refinements to the methodology for calculating the poverty line.

Isabel Esterman – Deep within Indonesia's Leuser Ecosystem, one of the most important peat swamp forests left on Earth is being cleared, drained, and burned.

Jakarta – Forest and land fires throughout 2026 have once again become a source of large-scale emissions. WALHI has calculated the emissions resulting from these fires. Estimated emissions from burned vegetation from January through early September 2026 reached approximately 31 million metric tons of CO2.

Johnny Blades – A leading West Papua pro-independence group has questioned Indonesia's assertion that a proposed visit by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to West Papua is on track.

The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) is urging Indonesia to put its words into action on the proposed visit with a clear date, genuine access and meaningful engagement.

Hendro D Situmorang, Zhulfakar, Jakarta – Indonesia has threatened to remove the business permits of mask-hoarding sellers as parts of the country grapple with volcanic ash spewed by Mount Anak Krakatau.

Muhammad Ihsan Syahreza, Panji Satrio, Medan, N – Sumatra. Several students in Karo regency, North Sumatra, are still receiving medical treatment weeks after 256 students were affected by suspected food poisoning linked to Indonesia's free nutritious meal program at their schools.

On 13 August 2026, Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) personnel reportedly shot three indigenous civilians at a garden camp near the Kamundan River in the Ainod area, Aifat Timur Tengah District Maybrat Regency, Papua Barat Daya province. The victims, Mrs Anike Fatie, 47, Mrs Selfiana Sorry, 66, and Mr Silfester Asem, 25, were seriously injured during the shooting.

Agencies, Premium – The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has temporarily closed nearly 2,000 kitchens for failing to register for hygiene checks, its chief said.

BGN suspended 1,999 kitchens across Indonesia because they did not register with the health ministry to undergo mandatory hygiene and sanitation certifications, agency chief Sudaryono said on Monday.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has raised concerns over repeated food poisoning incidents linked to President Prabowo Subianto's flagship Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, saying the recurring cases are increasingly becoming a pattern.

Agencies, Jakarta – Jakarta's main airport and three others extended their closure to 6 p.m. on Monday after being forced to halt operations due to a volcanic eruption, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – Indonesia's "independent" university admission system is facing renewed scrutiny following the arrest of senior officials at a state university, with experts warning that weak oversight and broad institutional discretion could allow wealthy applicants to buy their way into coveted academic programs.

Susana Suisuiki – For 20 years, West Papuan activist Paula Makabory has not set foot in her ancestral homeland. Her family still lives in West Papua, but she has not seen them since she left in 2006.

Speaking to Pacific Waves from Melbourne, Makabory said she does not know what would happen if she attempted to return.

Zhulfakar, Jakarta – About 735 hectares of peatland remain affected by forest and land fires in six Indonesian provinces, with authorities warning that fires can reignite underground even after appearing to have been extinguished.

Ali Mirin – The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Meeting in Koror, Palau, last week has pushed West Papua back to the centre of Pacific diplomacy.

Indonesia, West Papua – The period between July and August 2026 was characterised by new conflict-driven internal displacements in the regencies Yahukimo, Intan Jaya, and Paniai.

Demonstrations by the United Pati People's Alliance (AMPB) in Jakarta on August 27, 2026, showed the political elite's skill in manipulating public aspirations. Civil society movements, meanwhile, are also vulnerable to co-optation.

Indonesia – On 5 September 2026, the Jakarta High Military Court II-06 upheld the appeals of two Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel convicted for their involvement in the acid attack against KontraS activist and human rights defender Mr Andrie Yunus.

Yohanes Gobai, Jayapura – West Papua National Committee (KNPB) International Spokesperson Victor Yeimo has questioned the certainty of the planned visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Papua following the Indonesian government's statement that the process is "on track".

Indonesia halted operations at five airports on Sunday, including its main international airport, suspending hundreds of flights, because of an ash cloud from the Anak Krakatau volcano.

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – SETARA Institute has criticized the Jakarta High Military Court II-06 ruling, which reduced the sentences of two of the four defendants in the acid attack case against Andrie Yunus.

Agencies, Jakarta – Transportation Ministry halted operations at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport outside Jakarta on Sunday after ash spewed from the Anak Krakatau volcano more than 150 kilometres away, impacting thousands of passengers.

Jayapura, Jubi – Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has discussed the human rights situation in Papua with the Papua Special Committee of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD RI).

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – A Panel of Judges of the Jakarta High Military Court II-06 has accepted the appeal filed by four members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Intelligence Body in the case of splashing acid on activist Andrie Yunus.

Tria Sutrisna, Bilal Ramadhan, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform is urging the Supreme Court (MA) and the Judicial Commission (KY) to examine the entire legal process, including the recent appeal court ruling in the case of the acid attack on Andrie Yunus.

Jayapura, Jubi – Abner Mansai, Executive Secretary of the Papua Forum for Cooperation among Non-Governmental Organisations (FOKER LSM Papua), said development and investment policies in Papua often disregard Indigenous land ownership systems that existed long before the establishment of the Indonesian state.

Johnny Blades – Indonesia's government has indicated that a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to West Papua is on track.

This comes as Melanesian Sperarhead Group (MSG) countries agreed to push Jakarta to facilitate the visit, after years of apparent inaction.

Basten Gokkon, South Konawe, Indonesia – A marine protected area in Indonesia's Southeast Sulawesi province is home to a critically depleted population of humphead wrasse. The species presence helped the area gain its protected status, but mining permits overlap parts of the conservation zone and line its coast.

Sorong, Jubi – Residents of Baros village in Klasafet District, Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua Province, are struggling to access clean water after the flow of water from several wells – their main source of clean water – declined.

Some wells have even dried up during a prolonged dry season that has affected the area for several months.

Aniwaniwa Paterson – Pacific Islands Forum leaders are under pressure to do more for Kanak people and West Papua, with advocates demanding stronger action on decolonisation, human rights and self-determination.

Phesi Ester Julikawati, Jakarta – Seven students from State Elementary School 59 in Bengkulu were rushed to Harapan dan Doa Hospital following suspected food poisoning. The students suffered dizziness, stomach pain, and vomiting after consuming the government's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) on Friday, September 4, 2026.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The government cut direct transfers to regional administrations after finding that much of the funding was not being spent effectively or on its intended targets, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said Thursday, as Jakarta shifts more responsibility for regional infrastructure development to the central government.

Septhia Ryanthie, Jakarta – East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao stated that the vision of former Indonesian President Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, continues to extend to East Timor. Xanana made the remark following a meeting with Jokowi at his private residence in Sumber, Banjarsari District, Surakarta City, Central Java, on Friday, September 4, 2026.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia's top Muslim organization, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), has called on Muslims across the country to perform Shalat Istisqa, a prayer traditionally offered to seek rain, amid prolonged dry conditions and forest and land fires in several provinces.

Delfi Neski, Ria Fortuna Wijaya, Jakarta – Indonesia's worsening peatland fires may be more difficult to track than satellite hotspot data suggests, as some fires smolder underground or remain hidden beneath thick smoke and forest cover while drought grips large parts of the country.

Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) Regional Defence Command (Kodap) XVI Yahukimo has declared a period of national mourning after four of its members were killed in a gunfight with a joint Indonesian military and police team in Gunung Street, Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Highland Papua Province, on 1 September 2026.

Beritasatu Team, Jakarta – Hundreds of schoolchildren across Indonesia have fallen ill after consuming meals from the government's Rp 240 trillion ($13.6 billion) Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, prompting authorities to suspend food distribution from several kitchens and strengthen safety controls.

Ivamere Nataro-Tunidau – Pacific Island leaders have recognised Indonesia's sovereignty over West Papua while urging all parties to protect and uphold the human rights of all residents.

The position was agreed to by leaders as the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, ended yesterday.

Pribadi Wicaksono, Jakarta – Representatives of protesters who gathered at the Gramedia intersection in Yogyakarta on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, have rejected a police claim that demonstrators sprayed officers with a pepper-based substance during clashes.

Arlina Arshad, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto pitched his country as Russia's gateway to South-east Asia on Sept 3, saying the Pacific should become a "highway between our two economies" as he pushed for closer trade, investment and transport links.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – The police have not yet identified any corporate suspects in handling the land and forest fire cases. Chief of Subdirectorate III of the Directorate of Certain Criminal Acts at the National Police Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim Polri), Sr. Comr.

Agencies, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) urged the police on Friday to investigate several new outbreaks of food poisoning linked to President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program to provide free meals to students, which made 2,000 people sick this week.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Nearly a quarter of forest and peatland areas burned across Indonesia are located inside business concessions with some having been repeatedly engulfed in fire, according to a recent analysis, exposing gaps in forestry law enforcement intended to mitigate wildfires.

Raya Aulia Jenar, Jakarta – Coordinator of Power Outage Advocacy at the Borneo Nusantara Legal Aid Institute (LBH Borneo Nusantara), Muhammad Pazri, revealed the latest developments in the public lawsuit against state electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara or PLN regarding repeated, widespread blackouts in Banjarmasin since June 22, 2026.

Agencies, Kuching, Malaysia – Malaysia's Sarawak state declared an emergency in the district of Serian on Friday, after thick haze caused by forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia pushed air pollution up to hazardous levels.

Johnny Blades – Melanesian countries are pushing Indonesia to facilitate a long-requested visit to West Papua by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or have its membership in their regional bloc reviewed.

Politicians always find opportunity in adversity. The latest example can be found in the revision of the Oil and Gas Law. Since 2015, the draft revision of Law No. 22/2001 has appeared only on the national legislation program. At a House of Representatives (DPR) plenary meeting on August 15, 2026, the bill was once again proposed for deliberation.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Laboratory tests have found that 93% of sampled rice products marketed as fortified rice failed to meet requirements, prompting the National Food Agency (Bapanas) to investigate the products and businesses behind the claims.

Achmad Ali, Erfan Maruf, Sidoarjo, East Java – At least 567 students and Islamic boarding school students in Sidoarjo, East Java, have received medical treatment after allegedly falling ill from food linked to the government's Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.

Jakarta – Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific (FoE APAC) condemns the recurring transboundary haze crisis in Southeast Asia, as smoke from forest and land fires currently burning in Indonesia, particularly in the Kalimantan region, has reportedly reached neighboring countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines.