James Massola, Jakarta – Indonesian authorities have arrested a US journalist and detained him for more than a month for travelling on the wrong visa.

Phil Jacobson was detained on December 17 as he was preparing to leave Palangkaraya, a city in Central Kalimantan province, a day after attending a meeting with an indigenous rights advocacy group.

Kiki Astari, Jakarta – Residents of North Jakarta's Tanjung Priok rallied in front of the Law and Human Rights Ministry headquarters demanding Minister Yasonna Laoly to make a public apology after he made a degenerating comparison involving the people living in the area.

Diana Mariska, Jakarta – The Iranian Ambassador to Indonesia has said that Iran would gladly work with Indonesia in a defense partnership if the government is interested in the plan.

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The Riau Police have fired a local police chief for his lackluster performance in handling land and forest fires in the province's Pelalawan regency.

Bayu Marhaenjati, Jakarta – The Jakarta Police have arrested six people for allegedly forcing underage girls to work as prostitutes in a cafe under horrific conditions, where each victim was forced to serve 10 clients per day and take pills to delay menstruation to "maximize profits."

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – Indonesia's largest gas distributor is keeping its options open to import cheaper gas to bring down prices and create a more supportive business environment for top-consuming industries as mandated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Jakarta – The supervisory board of public television broadcaster TVRI has criticized its former president director, Helmy Yahya, who was fired from his position after purchasing the rights to broadcast the English Premier League. The board said the program was counter to the nation's identity.

Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Jakarta – Civil society groups have filed a lawsuit against President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration over the internet blackout imposed during the weeks of protests in Papua and West Papua last year, arguing that it was substantially and procedurally flawed.

Indonesia's most infamous alleged fraudster at the moment has owned up to his delusions as his imaginary kingdom crumbles as quickly as it ascended to its imaginary heights.

Caesar Akbar, Jakarta – The Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform has commenced listing the names of civil servants (PNS) who are willing to move to the new capital city in East Kalimantan Province.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – "Panembahan Reso," a classic play that tells the story of a bloody power struggle and a barely disguised critique of New Order politics, written by the late, great Indonesian playwright and poet W.S. Rendra, will grace the stage again after an absence of 34 years at the Ciputra Artpreneur in South Jakarta this weekend.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives' Commission XI, which oversees financial affairs, has announced the establishment of a working committee to monitor the financial services industry following a string of allegations implicating major companies.

Jakarta – Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Firli Bahuri has revealed that the antigraft body has put Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Harun Masiku, who is implicated in bribery allegations, on its most-wanted list.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – A comic strip posted on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's Twitter account that conveys the message of looking past appearances and instead judging people by their actions has been met with a less-than-favorable reception on social media, with many users pointing out the comic's inherent irony in regard to the various instances of discrimination still pl

Two Papuan activists on trial for treason in Indonesia's capital decried what they described as 'racism' after the court on Monday ordered them to remove traditional penis gourds.

The Jakarta hearing descended into a standoff as the panel refused to proceed until the men put on pants – the second time their native garb led to delays in the trial of six activists.

James Massola and Amilia Rosa, Jakarta – Bali bombing survivors say they are devastated by delays to the establishment of a memorial "peace park" after landowners in Bali moved to double the price and size of the plot of land on which an Australian-based charity wants to build.

We've written about heartwarming stories involving app-based motorcycle taxi drivers (locally known as ojek online or ojol for short) before, but a recent viral thread on an elderly driver is making us tear up a little as it restored our faith in humanity.

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – The lawyer representing six Papua defendants, Oky Wiratama Siagian, has criticised a statement by the prosecutor who said that acts of separatism disguised as free speech must be cracked down on.

According to the prosecution, freedom of expression is limited and regulated under Article 28J of the 1945 Constitution.

Diana Mariska, Jakarta – The government says it is trying to find a way to bring home 660 Indonesian foreign terrorist fighters now stranded in several overseas countries including Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has trimmed its economic growth prospects for ASEAN-5 countries, including Indonesia, because of exports

Jakarta – A supposed draft of the omnibus bill on job creation circulating in the media is fake, the government has said, adding that it has yet to submit a final document to the House of Representatives.

Jakarta – A 20-year-old defendant accused of hurling rocks at the police during student protests in the capital in September of last year has told a panel of judges at the Central Jakarta District Court that he was tortured by police officers to falsely confess to having attacked authorities.

Jakarta – Two of the six Papuan activists standing trial on charges of treason wore koteka (traditional Papuan dress) to a hearing on Monday at the Central Jakarta District Court, despite the judges' ban last week.

Jakarta – The public prosecutor says that the lawyers representing six Papua activists indicted on charges of treason and criminal conspiracy do not understand legal classifications after they questioned the failure to include Article 87 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) in the indictment.

A man in Bekasi, West Java became the latest sexual assault suspect for allegedly groping the breast of an unsuspecting pedestrian, joining an extensive list of other sexual predators with the same modus operandi in Indonesia.

Neil Ford – In August, Timor-Leste – formerly known as East Timor – celebrated the 20th anniversary of the referendum that paved the way to independence from Indonesia, yet its economic future looks very uncertain.

An unapologetically racist community tax policy in Surabaya, East Java is triggering outrage in Indonesia due to its disturbingly discriminatory nature.

Budiarti Utami Putri, Jakarta – Gerindra Party Chief Patron Prabowo Subianto has balked at commenting on the remarks of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Head Budi Gunawan who mentioned that Sandiaga Uno would likely be a presidential candidate in the 2024 election.

Jakarta – Labor unions voiced their persistence in rejecting the government's omnibus bill on job creation as they staged another protest in front of the House of Representatives building complex in Jakarta on Monday.

[Special report by Arnold Belau, Ligia Giay, Febriana Firdaus and Belinda Lopez of the Voice of Papua newsletter.]

Everything about what happened in the Papuan provincial regency of Nduga just over a year ago is still a blur and closed off. It remains an elephant in the room, just like another mass killing case in West Papua during the 1970s.

Andita Rahma, Jakarta – The presidential advisory board (Wantimpres), led by former Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, paid a visit to Tempo headquarters on Monday to introduce the team's main tasks and functions.

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – The public prosecutor handling the treason case against six Papua activists has rejected all of the arguments of the demurrer presented by the lawyers representing the six.

Not just rejected the demurrer's arguments, the prosecutor also explained the aim of the treason charges to the panel of judges.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – A South Korean power producer is looking to finance a hydropower plant project in Central Java that would be the coal buyer's first renewable energy deal with Indonesia.

Jakarta – A female student in Anambas regency, Riau, has decided to drop out of vocational high school after allegedly being subjected to constant verbal abuse by her peers.

The student was reportedly called a lonte (prostitute) by a religious studies teacher in public, prompting her classmates to refer to her by the derogatory term on a regular basis.

Michael Leach – In an extraordinary development, the government's revised budget for 2020 failed to pass Timor-Leste's parliament last Friday, despite the governing alliance having an outright majority.

Jakarta – A footbridge on Indonesia's Sumatra island broke while it was packed with people and several fell into the overflowing river below and drowned, officials said on Monday.

Seven bodies have been pulled from the water as far as 12 kilometres from the bridge that broke Sunday afternoon in Kaur district of Bengkulu province.

Sania Mashabi, Jakarta – Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) Director Arif Maulana believes that the Omnibus Law will only benefit the oligarchy or the interests of the government which is being run by a handful of people from the elite. Because, he says, the regulation will largely sides with investors.

Halida Bunga, Jakarta – Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin has pledged to solve the human rights violation cases of the Trisakti, Semanggi I, and Semanggi II tragedies. Burhanuddin made his promise in a joint meeting with the Indonesian House of Representatives' (DPR) Law Commission on Monday, January 20, 2020.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing health care and manpower will form a team with labor unions to discuss the upcoming omnibus bill on job creation, which has been rejected by workers over speculations it would undermine labor rights.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – The provinces of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and North Sumatra have begun operating four renewable-energy power plants with a modest production capacity of 11.8 megawatts (MW) combined.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – For the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, to come to fruition, a collaborative effort involving the private and public sectors is necessary, according to the National Development Planning Board, or Bappenas.

Karlis Salna and Arys Aditya – Indonesian labor unions threatened to step up protests and strike against a government plan to press ahead with a reform package that includes a controversial overhaul of the nation's job law.

M Yusuf Manurung, Jakarta – Six Papua activists who are defendants in a treason case performed the song "Hindang Makendang" before the hearing began at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday January 20. The song was sung to the accompaniment of a guitar.

After having failed to meet two police summons for a witness statement last week, Siwi Widi Purwanti, an air hostess who has been accused by a whistleblower of being a key figure in an alleged prostitution scandal within flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, finally showed up at the Jakarta Metro Police today.

Aryo Wisanggeni, Jayapura – The Advocate Team for Indigenous Papuans hopes the panel of judges would be objective and fair in examining the facts during the trial of a mass rampage on 29 August 2019. They said it is crucial acts to avoid perceptions that the Jayapura District Court is only an instrument of Indonesian colonialism against Papuans.

Made Anthony Iswara, Jakarta – Indonesia has set its eyes on multinational corporations attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to attract investments, including tech behemoth Amazon and Singapore ride-hailing giant Grab.

Jakarta – The lawyer representing Surya Anta Ginting and five other Papuan activists, Mike Himan, has confirmed that two of his clients will continue to wear traditional Papuan penis gourds (koteka) during a hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court today, Monday January 20.

Jakarta – Contrary to what the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Law and Human Rights Ministry have claimed about the whereabouts of politician Harun Masiku, CCTV footage taken from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport appears to show that the politician, who is embroiled in graft allegations, returned to Indonesia on Jan. 7.

Jakarta – When thousands of students took to Jakarta's streets last year to protest the passing of the new Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law, which they believed was designed to weaken the antigraft commission, the lawmakers – including Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Yasonna Laoly – said their work should be given the benefit of the doubt.

Karina M. Tehusijarana, Jakarta – A three-judge panel at the Jakarta Corruption Court has sentenced former United Development Party (PPP) chairman Muhammad "Romy" Romahurmuziy to two years' imprisonment for accepting bribes in relation to promotions in the Religious Affairs Ministry.