Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto plans to expand Indonesia's centralized export system to cover strategic commodities, aiming to improve governance, prevent export underreporting, and increase state revenues.

Jayapura, Jubi – The Boven Digoel Customary Community Institution (LMA) in South Papua has declared its support for the Awyu Indigenous community in Boven Digoel, which is opposing a National Strategic Project (PSN) planned on their customary land.

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD), together with a coalition of civil society groups, has urged Indonesian police to immediately release two youth activists identified by their initials R and Z and drop the legal proceedings against them.

Indonesia, West Papua – The ice around Carstensz Peak in West Papua's central highlands has shrunk to roughly 16 hectares and could disappear entirely by late 2026 or early 2027, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.

Jayapura, Jubi – Amnesty International Indonesia has called for an end to the killing of civilians in Papua by armed groups, including the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).

The call came in response to recent cases involving the alleged abduction, hostage-taking and killing of civilians in Papua by the TPNPB.

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition has criticised President Prabowo Subianto's plan to expand the strength of the Indonesian Military (TNI) by establishing new battalions on the pretext of securing Indonesia's natural resources and combating illegal logging, illegal mining and unauthorised plantations.

Stefanno Sulaiman and Gayatri Suroyo, Jakarta – The House of Representatives discussed potential changes to the country's fiscal deficit limit on Thursday, with several lawmakers signalling they would back proposals to allow the government to exceed the current ceiling to improve welfare.

Jayapura, Jubi – Pastor Yance Douw of the Jayapura Diocese says dialogue, access to information, solidarity and a better understanding of Papua's history are important to addressing the ongoing conflict and humanitarian issues in the region.

On 17 September 2026, officers of the Jayapura District Police reportedly detained six political activists, including a 17-year old minor, affiliated with the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) at Old Sentani Market (Pasar Lama Sentani) in Jayapura Regency, Papua Province.

Military personnel reportedly detained Mr Melkias Hagismijau, 25, and Mr Pius Emani, 27, during an overnight military operation in Eknemba Village, Sugapa District, Intan Jaya Regency, Central Papua Province, beginning around midnight on 8 September 2026. Both were reportedly detained at the Eknemba TNI Outpost until local residents and community representatives intervened.

Touted as the manager of state-owned enterprise dividends for major investments, Danantara's executives are instead fighting with the government over profits. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa is scrambling to plug the fiscal hole caused by President Prabowo Subianto's major projects. He plans to withdraw Rp120 trillion in SOE profits.

Ilona Estherina Piri, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Finance reported that the realization of non-tax state revenue (PNBP) as of August 31, 2026, reached Rp435.1 trillion. This figure surged by 41.7 percent from last year's realization in the same period, which was Rp307 trillion.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia's free meal initiative has consumed at least Rp 134.2 trillion (almost $7.6 billion) in the state budget this year, according to the Finance Ministry, as the government tries to prevent more kids from falling ill.

Indonesia has received its first aircraft carrier, a former Italian warship that the government says will strengthen the archipelagic nation's maritime security and disaster response capabilities.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Indonesia will launch its campaign next week for a fifth term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), seeking to represent the priorities of developing countries at the UN's most powerful body, the Foreign Ministry said.

Indonesia, West Papua – This report on shrinking civic spacetime in Papua is the second of the CoDA series. Developed by the Institute of International Studies (IIS) Universitas Gadjah Mada, CoDA is part of Connect, Defend, Act! (CDA), a project conceived by Hivos and Humanis, with the support of the Norwegian Agency for Development and Cooperation (NORAD).

Andrew Mathieson – Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights has counted 109 people have officially been killed or seriously injured in violence from the ongoing armed conflict across the West Papua territory in the first half of this year.

Isabel Esterman, Jakarta – Nearly a year after what scientists describe as one of the most severe ecological shocks ever documented for the world's rarest great ape species, there is still no coordinated recovery strategy for Tapanuli orangutans, even as mining resumes, future development plans remain active, and a strong El Nino introduces a new threat.

Indonesia, West Papua – The past weeks have been characterised by a re-occuring pattern of impunity across the Papuan provinces. Civilians died or were seriously injured during security operations, families and lawyers file reports, legislative bodies form special committees, and the police pledge transparent investigations.

Singgih Wiryono, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia (AII) Media Manager Haeril Halim has highlighted the 94 people who have died in refugee camps following the earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Yenni Kwok, Kuala Lumpur – Video editor Mohamad Haazim has lost count of how many times he refreshes Malaysia's Air Pollutant Index (API) website every day to check air quality in the city where he lives. It's been hovering between "unhealthy" and "hazardous" in recent weeks.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is investigating what it describes as a possible "shadow" network of intermediaries operating outside the formal structure of the Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Ministry to facilitate land-related services in exchange for fees.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Conservationists are racing to rescue orangutans from a fire-ravaged peat-swamp forest inside an RSPO-certified oil palm concession in West Kalimantan, with smoke still rising and the ground remaining dangerously hot.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto recently defended the country's military spending, which the public had pointed out as being mammoth-sized, saying that it is still smaller than Singapore's.

Dian Rahma Fika Alnina, Jakarta – A number of residents from the Jakarta Citizens Coalition for Justice visited the Ministry of Social Affairs on Thursday, September 17, 2026, to protest chaos in the welfare decile ranking based on the National Socioeconomic Single Data (DTSEN).

Jakarta Globe, Johor Bahru – A 36-year-old Indonesian man has become the first person in Malaysia to serve jail time for littering a cigarette butt in a public place, Bernama reported.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court has limited the government's authority to change allocations in the 2026 state budget through a presidential regulation without approval from the House of Representatives (DPR).

The ruling could affect funding for government priority programs, including the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – A surge in wildfires across Sumatra is putting critically endangered Sumatran elephants at greater risk of extinction, with hundreds of thousands of hectares of their habitat now affected by fires.

Fia Hamid-Walker – On 31 August 2026, President Prabowo Subianto issued Presidential Instruction (Instruksi Presiden, Inpres) 11 of 2026 to strengthen enforcement of the ban on slash-and-burn farming and to control forest and land fires (kebakaran hutan dan lahan, karhutla).

On 15 September 2026, Indonesian police arbitrarily detained school pupils and university students, used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations, and obstructed access to legal assistance during protests against the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (Makan Bergizi Gratis, MBG) in Jayapura City and Jayapura Regency, Papua province.

Tria Sutrisna, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – The Grand Coalition of Indonesian Workers' Struggle is disappointed with the draft Employment Protection Law (RUU) prepared by the House of Representatives (DPR).

Irma puts on her heavy rubber boots as she prepares for a volunteer firefighting shift in her village of Sungai Putri, on the Indonesian side of Borneo island.

Dressed in full safety gear she heads into fire zones on her motorbike, the air thick with toxic smoke.

Manokwari, Jubi – Two palm oil companies involved in National Strategic Projects (PSN), Genting Oil Kasuri Pte. Ltd (GOKPL) and PT Prabu Alaska, have been accused of dumping waste and clearing endemic Papuan trees in the Sumuri District of Teluk Bintuni Regency, West Papua province.

Sentani, Jubi – Jayapura Police said 78 students were detained while they were preparing to take part in a demonstration against the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program in Sentani, the capital of Jayapura Regency in Papua province, on Tuesday (15 September 2026). The students were registered and later released.

Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has claimed responsibility for the shooting that killed a driver, Aris Sanda, on the Wamena-Nduga road in Papua Highlands province.

The incident occurred near Lake Habema in Jayawijaya Regency on Tuesday (15/9/2026). The victim was found dead inside his burnt vehicle on Wednesday (16/9/2026).

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Secretary General of the Gerindra Party Sugiono claims that his party and coalition partners have unanimously agreed on a proposed parliamentary threshold of 5 percent to be discussed in the revision of the General Election Law.

When it comes to regulating cigarettes, the Indonesian government lacks a consistent perspective. Scientifically, cigarettes have been proven to trigger various diseases and drain the budget of the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan).

Ahmad Syarif – In 2018, the West Papua Liberation Army declared open war on the Indonesian military. Since then, at least 100 Indonesian military and security personnel have died, alongside hundreds of civilian casualties, and hundreds more on the rebel side.

Raya Aulia Jenar, Jakarta – Human and Nature for a Sustainable Indonesia (Madani Berkelanjutan) Foundation evaluates forest fires as a real risk that could disrupt the sustainability of carbon projects in Indonesia, including projects whose credits have been issued and sold in the market.

Stefanno Sulaiman, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto sacked Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa after he clashed with a top ministry official who served on Prabowo's former special forces team, three government sources said.

Sorong, Jubi – Moi Indigenous youth blocked several government offices in Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua Province, on Monday (14/9/2026), as a form of protest against development and investment policies and National Strategic Projects (PSN) that they say are increasingly threatening the land, forests and livelihoods of the Moi Indigenous community.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto once again reshuffled his cabinet on Monday, September 14, 2026, replacing Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa with Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara.

Imam Suhartadi, Jakarta – Indonesia has identified around 400,000 invalid records among 5.7 million prospective Hajj pilgrims currently on the national waiting list, a finding that could significantly reduce the number of people in line and shorten waiting times, a senior official said Monday.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto ousted Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa in a latest cabinet reshuffle on Monday and appointed Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara as his replacement, putting a familiar hand as the government faces mounting pressure to balance ambitious growth plans with tighter fiscal space.

Max Lane – As a lecturer at the University of Sydney in 2008, I taught a course, "An Introduction to Asia." Its perspective was historical, and given the Western-centrism of history education in the West, it was clear that the relationship between the West and Asia, especially the colonial era, became a topic of discussion at the beginning of the curriculum.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's external debt edged up to $454.8 billion in July 2026 from $454.5 billion a month earlier, while increasing 4.9% year on year, Bank Indonesia said Tuesday.

The country's external debt was equivalent to 30.7% of gross domestic product (GDP), with long-term borrowing continuing to account for the majority of the total.

Antara, Jakarta – Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf urged residents and key stakeholders to remain vigilant of potential disasters during heavy rains, as floods and landslides have begun to strike the central region of Aceh again.

Singgih Wiryono, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid is calling for an investigation into the accident involving the passenger ship KMP Virgo Transport 8 in the waters off South Kalimantan on Sunday September 13.

Stefanno Sulaiman and Gayatri Suroyo, Jakarta – Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, who was sacked as finance minister this week, said on Tuesday he was upset to be removed from his job, but was half expecting the decision.

Penajam Paser, Indonesia – Indonesia's escalating wildfire crisis has reached the outskirts of Nusantara, the new capital city under construction as the world's fourth-most-populous country seeks to transplant its political heartland from a flood plain in Java to the island of Borneo.