Indonesia has been appointed President of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. On the surface, this moment may be seen as a diplomatic achievement and a reflection of global confidence, particularly from the Asia-Pacific region, which delivered 34 out of 47 votes from the Asia-Pacific Group (APG).

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – The Indonesian government added Rp 744 trillion ($44.2 billion) in new debt throughout 2025, exceeding the Rp 616 trillion target set under the state budget, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has shut down critics of its official response to the US strike on Venezuela, after Jakarta shied away from condemning Washington.

Jakarta – A Saudi has died and a local tourist is in critical condition after a jet ski accident off the coast of Pelabuhanratu, in Sukabumi regency, West Java, underscoring renewed concerns over tourism safety.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Results of a survey by the Indonesian Survey Circle, or Lingkaran Survei Indonesia (LSI) Denny JA conclude that Generation Z is the group most opposed to regional elections through the Regional Representative Council or DPRD. In this research, LSI Denny JA categorized Generation Z as respondents aged below 27 years as of 2025.

On 28 November 2025, members of Brimob under Ops Damai Cartenz (Cartenz Peace Operation) arrested 21-year-old student, Mr Iron Heluka (see photo on top, source: independent HRD), in Dekai town, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan province (West Papua/Papuan provinces), and subsequently detained him at the Yahukimo Police Station.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The issue of abolishing direct regional elections has resurfaced in Indonesia. The plan, which involves appointing regional heads through the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), is deemed a threat to local democracy by limiting public representation in determining their leaders.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto honored Indonesia's 2025 SEA Games medalists on Thursday, awarding $28 million in bonuses after the team exceeded expectations.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Thousands of West Java laborers will stage a protest against the provincial minimum wage (UMP) in front of the State Palace, Central Jakarta today, Thursday, January 8, 2026.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia said the country's average natural gas production in 2025 reached 5,600 billion British thermal units per day (BBTUD), with around 31 percent, or 1,691 BBTUD, allocated for export markets.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metropolitan Police have deployed personnel to secure a labor demonstration organized by the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) at the southern section of the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, January 8, 2026.

On 24 November 2025, at around 07:15 pm, police officers arbitrarily detained four members of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) at a coffee shop near Karang Tumaritis Market, Nabire town, Nabire Regency, Central Papua province, and subsequently detained them at the Nabire District Police Station (Polres Nabire).

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia fears that US President Donald Trump's decision to exit 66 global bodies can undermine multilateralism, as Jakarta calls on other countries to continue to stick together.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa reported that the state budget deficit for 2025 reached Rp695.1 trillion or 2.92 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This budget deficit is higher than the initial target of Rp662.0 trillion or 2.78 percent of the GDP.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has urged for the laying of the first stone or groundbreaking for the 18 downstream projects being studied by Danantara to be held no later than March 2026.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia officially became the president of the UN Human Rights Council for 2026 on Thursday, marking the first time for Jakarta to be at the group's helm.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, said the government has met its oil lifting target set in the 2025 state budget, marking a rare achievement in the country's oil and gas sector.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Jakarta – Despite efforts to improve healthcare domestically, a significant number of Indonesians continue to travel abroad for medical treatment.

According to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the reasons go beyond cost and facility sophistication – patients are often seeking better human-centered care and personalized attention.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – Indonesia's leading environmental organization, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), has rejected the government's plan to accelerate the construction of Waste-to-Energy Power Plants, known locally as PSEL.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has conferred an honor on the Minister of Agriculture, Amran Sulaiman. Amran has been awarded the Bintang Jasa Utama (Main Service Star) because he is considered instrumental in achieving rice self-sufficiency last year.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – The President of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) and leader of the Labor Party, Said Iqbal, has called on President Prabowo Subianto to raise Jakarta's 2026 provincial minimum wage (UMP) to 100 percent of the decent living cost (KHL), equivalent to Rp5.89 million.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Indonesian Deputy Minister of Health Benyamin Paulus Oktavianus responded to the influence of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program on the reduction of stunting rates. Benyamin said that the nutritious meal program is indeed related to the issue of stunting.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia will require exporters of natural resources to place proceeds from their overseas sales in state-owned banks, following the signing of a new regulation by President Prabowo Subianto, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said on Thursday.

Maretha Uli, Jakarta – The death of a protester detained after the anti-government protest in late August in Surabaya, East Java, has drawn scrutiny from rights activists over prisoner neglect in detention centers and the state's failure to protect those in its custody.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stated that the members of the Red and White Cabinet must be prepared to face criticism in carrying out their duties. Prabowo conveyed this during a grand harvest and announcement of food self-sufficiency event held in Karawang, West Java, on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.

On 9 December 2025, at approximately 10:00 pm, Mr Natan Matuan and Mr Selis Pahabol were arbitrarily arrested in Jalur 3 settlement, Dekai District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan province.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – A study conducted by Ubaid Matraji, National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI), suggests that Indonesia's free nutritious meal program for schoolchildren, known locally as MBG, may not be improving academic outcomes.

In fact, the study indicates a decline in student performance since the program's implementation.

Ria Fortuna Wijaya, Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves rose to $156.5 billion at the end of December 2025, up from $150.1 billion a month earlier, driven by stronger fiscal inflows and government financing.

Duncan Graham – The news from Indonesia this month has been dispiriting – natural disaster flooding in Bali and Flores, man-made maladministration, political chicanery, perpetual graft and rioting in the cities. The headlines imply the country is crumpling. It's not, and here's why.

A repost from 16 September 2025.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto admits being accused of wanting to be a dictator and staging a government coup. Prabowo claims that he wants to fight so that Indonesia's natural wealth can be enjoyed by the people.

Intan Setiawanty, Jakarta – Indonesia's Forest Area Regulation Task Force has identified strong indications that 12 companies may have contributed to recent floods in Sumatra, allegedly through the conversion of forested areas within river basins.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Ultra-high temperature (UHT) and evaporated milk are reported to be scarce in the market. A mother in Tangerang, Banten, identified as Putri, complained about the difficulty of finding milk over the past three days.

On 7 December 2025, at approximately 10:40 am, police officers forcibly detained indigenous environmental and land-rights defender, Mr Stenly Dambujai, outside the Divine Mercy (Kerahiman Ilahi) Church in Mangga Dua, Kelapa Lima Village, Merauke Regency, South Papua province (see photos, source: LBH Merauke).

On 28 November 2025, at approximately 2:40 pm, Nabire Police reportedly blocked a student convoy returning from a graduation celebration linked to the STAK Nabire campus. Officers reportedly used tear gas and firearms to disperse the crowd.

Wawan Kurniawan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has warned that a roughly 6 percent increase in the 2026 minimum wage in Tangerang, Banten – home to major textile and footwear manufacturers – could trigger mass layoffs and factory relocations, adding pressure to labor-intensive industries already grappling with rising costs and weakening global demand.

Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – The results of a survey by the Denny JA Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) show that the majority of President Prabowo Subianto's voters in the 2024 presidential election (Pilpres) reject the discourse on the election of regional heads (Pilkada) through Regional Representative Councils (DPRD).

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto announced that Indonesia has officially achieved self-sufficiency in rice production, specifically by the year 2025. He made the statement while attending a harvest festival in Karawang Regency, West Java, on Wednesday, December 7, 2026.

Merangin, Indonesia – There wasn't much Aris Adrianto felt he could do when the gold miners' heavy vehicles broke into Bukit Gajah Berani, here in this remote pocket of Sumatra's Merangin district.

"They just kept going, like they were afraid of nothing," said Aris, who is the head of the forestry office in Birun village in the Sumatran province of Jambi.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has announced what it describes as a sweeping, science-based effort to reassess environmental governance, zoning and corporate accountability in the wake of floods and landslides that killed more than 1,100 people across the island of Sumatra.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Bogor, W – Java. President Prabowo Subianto has established a special task force to accelerate post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction in three Indonesian provinces – Aceh, West Sumatra and North Sumatra – following deadly floods and landslides that struck the region late last year.

Natasha Khairunisa Amani, Jakarta – Rupiah remained under pressure on Wednesday, closing weaker against the US dollar as global uncertainties continued to dominate market sentiment.

Ady Anugrahadi, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform strongly rejects the draft Presidential Regulation (Perpres) on the Duties of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in Combating Acts of Terrorism, which has recently been circulating publically.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is offering investors to develop 75 new oil blocks across the country as part of its push to lift national crude output, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – The Indonesian National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) is still investigating several companies that could have contributed to the flash floods in Aceh Tamiang. Companies operating in the Tamiang River Basin (DAS) are within areas designated for other uses (APL) and production forests.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Galau D. Muhammad, a member of MBG Watch, responded to President Prabowo Subianto's claim of nearly perfect implementation of the free nutritious meal (MBG) program. He noted several discrepancies between the president's remark and the reality on the ground, ranging from mass food poisoning to perceived mismanagement and lack of transparency.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – The Jakarta Central Metro Police have deployed 2,038 combined personnel to secure a series of protests on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. The Public Relations Officer of the Jakarta Central Metro Police, Inspector Erlyn Sumantri, said there were three demonstrations today.

Agencies, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto said on Wednesday that Indonesia's rice production met all domestic demand, hailing a landmark achievement for food security – one of his key campaign promises.

A draft of Presidential Regulation on the Role of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in Counterterrorism is currently circulating in the public domain. The draft regulation is expected to be submitted to the House of Representatives (DPR) for consultation in the near future in order to obtain its approval.

Indonesia, West Papua – Between November and December 2025, human rights defenders and local media covered new internal displacements in West Papua due to new security force raids and the ongoing expansion of military infrastructure in the central highlands.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Best known as the home of the world's rarest great ape, the mountainous Batang Toru forest landscape on the island of Sumatra has become a test case for whether Indonesia can enforce environmental law in a region where mining, energy and plantation projects overlap with fragile ecosystems.