Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia is moving to diversify its energy import sources away from the Middle East, as disruptions linked to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz highlight vulnerabilities in global supply chains, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Tuesday.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has officially introduced a work-from-home (WFH) policy for civil servants (ASN) every Friday.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, said the policy will take effect on April 1, 2026, and will be evaluated after two months of implementation.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has expressed his condolences over the deaths of three Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) soldiers who were killed while serving on a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has revised its economic projection for Indonesia, with economic growth expected to park at 4.8 percent in 2026, down from the 5 percent forecast it released in December last year.

Dian Rahma Fika Alnina, Jakarta – The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) suspects that 16 people were involved in the acid attack on KontraS activist Andrie Yunus on March 12, 2026. The suspicion was based on Taud's internal findings by reviewing 37 surveillance camera recordings around the crime scene, according to TAUD representative Alghiffari Aqsa.

Ghafur Fadillah, Jakarta – Indonesia's markets took a hit as fears of a broader Middle East war triggered heavy foreign selling, pushing stocks, the rupiah, and bonds lower.

Agencies, Jakarta – The government has issued summons letters to Google and Meta over their failure to comply with a social media ban for under-16s that entered into force over the weekend, the communications minister said.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has approved annual production plans (RKAB) for 580 million tonnes of coal, the ministry's coal and mineral director general, Tri Winarno, said on Friday.

He added that the remaining approvals were expected to be finalized shortly, signaling that this year's total production quota would exceed that figure.

Nayana Ashok – A high-level business dinner hosted in London on Sunday (29) brought renewed focus to investment opportunities in Timor-Leste, as policymakers and industry leaders gathered to strengthen ASEAN-UK economic ties.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Jakarta has condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon that killed three Indonesian peacekeepers, as the border area became another flashpoint in Israel's war.

Antara, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that potential budget savings from optimizing the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program to five days per week have reached Rp20 trillion.

In an online press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, Airlangga explained that this optimization is implemented by providing fresh food five days a week.

On 28 March 2026, undercover police officers allegedly detained Mr Kenias Payage, 25, Mr Atera Payage, 20, and Mr Nerry Heluka, 21, without showing a warrant. The three papuan men were intercepted at the Sentani Airport, Jayapura Regency, Papua Province, where they wanted to board a Trigana Air flight from Jayapura to Wamena.

Antara, Jakarta – The Head of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Information Center, Major General Aulia Dwi Nasrullah, stated that the Military Police have named four TNI personnel involved in the acid attack on KontraS activist Andrie Yunus as suspects.

Agencies, Jakarta – Indonesia urged warring parties in the Middle East "to respect international humanitarian law" after three of its peacekeepers were killed in Lebanon, and called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting.

Banjar, Indonesia – Indonesia's government continues to review mines and plantations in the river basins of southern Borneo, months after more than 7% of the population there was impacted by flooding in December last year.

"An audit is still in progress," environment ministry spokesperson Yulia Suryanti told Mongabay Indonesia.

Agencies, Jakarta – A Russian naval unit including a submarine was docked in Jakarta Tuesday, officials said, for joint training with Indonesia, which is walking a diplomatic tightrope in an increasingly multipolar world.

The surge in non-performing loans among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) serves as a warning sign of two problems: the sluggishness of the grassroots economy and the poor governance of past credit disbursement. This situation calls for stimulus policies to support businesses, while also curbing reckless lending practices.

Mahfuzulloh Al Murtadho, Jakarta – Bobibos, labeled by its creator as "Red and White Vegetable Fuel" (BBN), is ready for mass production. However, the industrial-scale manufacturing of this alternative fuel made from straw waste is not taking place in Jonggol, Bogor, which is the producer's home base, but in the neighboring nation of Timor Leste.

Antara, Jakarta – According to IQAir on Tuesday morning, Jakarta's air quality was categorized as unhealthy, as residents' activities returned to normal after the long Eid al-Fitr 2026 holiday.

The Air Quality Index (AQI), monitored at 6:30 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB), showed Jakarta ranked 10th among cities with unhealthy air quality.

On 29 March 2026, plain-cloth-police officers arbitrarily detained 14-year-old Yerikson Nabyal, an indigenous Papuan belonging to the Una Ukam ethnic group, in the town of Dekai, Yahukimo Regency, Highlands Papua Province. According to the information received from a local source, Yerikson was using Wi-Fi in front of a small shop (Khanza Jalur Satu kiosk) at approximately 5:00 pm.

Maudey Khalisha, Jakarta – The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast that this year's dry season will begin earlier and last longer than usual, particularly in the country's western and southern regions.

Nava Nuraniyah – In a recent interview, Prabowo once again accused civil society groups and think tanks of being pawns of Western donors seeking to destabilise Indonesia through proxy mobilisation and cognitive warfare.

Theressia Silalahi, Dayat, Jakarta – The government has confirmed there will be no immediate fuel price hike, moving to calm panic buying after viral rumors of steep increases triggered long queues at gas stations across the capital.

It only took 29 years for the military to once again show its claws in damaging Indonesian democracy. In 1997, members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Special Forces Command under the command of Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto kidnapped activists.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) expresses dismay over the stalled investigation by law enforcement authorities in probing the case of acid attack on human rights activist Andrie Yunus. They suspect that non-judicial factors are obstructing the investigation and preventing the identification of the individuals responsible for this incident.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Head of the Nusantara Capital City Authority (IKN) Basuki Hadimuljono stated that Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka will soon begin working in IKN. He conveyed the plan during a meeting with the House of Representatives' Commission II at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday, March 30, 2026.

On 16 March 2026, sixteen-year-old Rio Keroman, and Mr Ferly Wesapla, 23, were arbitrarily detainted and subsequently tortured by Indonesian security personnel at the District Police station in Dekai (Polres Yahukimo). The arrest occurred at approximately 2:00 pm at Kali Biru, Kurima Road.

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – Malaysia and Indonesia are seeking to align their positions in addressing the ongoing crisis triggered by the United States-Israeli war on Iran, as President Prabowo Subianto meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to explore ways to intensify diplomatic efforts to ease the conflict.

On 13 March 2025, a 30 Indonesian Air Force (TNI AURI) personnel collectively tortured Mr Bernadus Eusebius Ndawe, a member of the Kimam indigenous tribe, near the Indonesian Air Force barracks complex (Rajawali/AURI complex) in Merauke Regency, South Papua Province.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – The Monitoring and Investigation Commissioner of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), Saurlin P. Siagian, stated that the case of an acid attack on the Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Andrie Yunus, has met the criteria for a human rights violation.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Tokyo – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto oversaw the signing of $22.6 billion (Rp 380 trillion) worth of investment commitments between Indonesian and Japanese companies on Monday, as Jakarta steps up efforts to attract foreign capital and accelerate industrial transformation.

Agencies, Jakarta – Indonesia is in talks with Iran to secure safe passage for its tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran responding favourably to Jakarta's diplomatic efforts, a foreign ministry spokesman said Saturday.

Agung Dharma Putra, Heru Andriyanto, Surabaya – The Indonesian Navy on Sunday officially commissioned a new warship, KRI Prabu Siliwangi-321, in a ceremony held in the waters off Surabaya, marking a further upgrade to the country's maritime defense capabilities.

The vessel is a multipurpose combat ship built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri SpA.

Max Lane – Over the last few months, controversy has erupted in Indonesia over a major foreign policy decision of the Prabowo Subianto government. This was the decision to join President Trump's Board of Peace, whose immediate stated task is to take control and manage the Gaza strip.

Erta Darwati, Jakarta – The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) lost Rp 31 trillion ($1.8 billion) in market capitalization over the past week, as escalating tensions in the Middle East drove oil prices higher and triggered capital outflows from equities.

Following the decline, the IDX's total market capitalization stood at Rp 12,547 trillion ($740.9 billion).

Martin Bagya Kertiyasa, Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia said only two digital platforms – X and Bigo Live – have fully complied with its new child protection regulation for online services, as the rules take effect on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Jayapura - The Papua Student Association (IMAPA) in the Greater Jakarta area (Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi) has called on the Supreme Audit Agency Republik Indonesia (BPK RI) to conduct an audit of budget use within the Papuan People's Assemblies (MRP) across the Land of Papua.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – State prosecutors have detained businessman Samin Tan as a suspect in an alleged corruption case tied to the management of coal mining operations at Asmin Koalindo Tuhup, authorities said early Saturday.

Indonesia, West Papua – Between January and March 2026, human rights defenders and local media covered new internal displacements in West Papua due to new security force raids and the increasing presence of military personnel in the central highlands.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Environmental activists are sounding the alarm over a new trade agreement between the U.S. and Indonesia that they warn could accelerate mining expansion, fossil fuel dependence and forest loss, while offering only weak, nonbinding environmental safeguards.

Antara Jakarta – Executive Director of the Center of Economics and Law Studies (Celios), Bhima Yudhistira, believes that the government could divert the surplus budget balance (SAL) as reserve funds to avoid widening the State Budget deficit in 2026. "Especially for energy subsidies," said Bhima, as quoted by Antara on Friday, March 27, 2026.

Maudey Khalisha, Jakarta – The Indonesian National Air Carriers Association (INACA) has urged the government to approve a 15 percent increase in the fuel surcharge and raise the domestic airfare cap (TBA) for both jet and propeller aircraft by the same margin, as airlines grapple with mounting cost pressures.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Indonesia's decision to hold fuel prices steady has helped lift public support for President Prabowo Subianto's administration, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa claimed on Friday.

Indonesia, West Papua – Christian Solidarity International (CSI) has called on the Indonesian government to grant international observers access to West Papua, warning that ongoing military operations in the region are driving a mounting humanitarian crisis.

Jakarta – The plan to introduce work from home (WFH) once a week in the public and private sectors should not be that hard to implement since the nation has already had plenty of experience from the COVID 19 pandemic years. But with the emerging energy crisis, Indonesia needs more drastic measures to reduce national fuel consumption.

Max Lane – Anti-government sentiment – especially online – among Indonesia's youth has not been cowed by intimidation or arrest, but this resistance does not seem to have generated any moves toward more formal political organisation in real life.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Indonesia's tax reporting system remains so complex that even Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa admits he could not complete his own filing without assistance.

Purbaya said he encountered difficulties using the government's Coretax system while filing his annual tax return, citing ongoing technical and design issues in the platform.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid has urged President Prabowo Subianto and the House of Representatives (DPR) to establish a Fact-Finding Team (TPF) following the resignation of the Chief of the Indonesian Military's (TNI) Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), Major General Yudi Abrimantyo, over the acid attack on Andrie Yunu

Jakarta – The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) is calling for the immediate disclosure of the military chain of command behind the acid attack on Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Deputy Coordinator Andrie Yunus.

Prisma Ardianto, Ardina Rizka, Karanganyar – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia on Thursday urged the public to use fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) more responsibly as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of the global energy crisis.