Jayapura – The Makassar city Papuan People's University and High School Student Forum of Concern (FSM-PRP) is urging the Sorong city District Police to release four Federal State of the Republic of West Papua (NFRPB) activists who were arrested and charged with makar (treason, subversion, rebellion) for distributing letters to a number of government agencies in Southwest Papu

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed on Thursday that it was his decision to remove South Korea's LG Energy Solution from a high-profile consortium developing an integrated electric vehicle (EV) battery industry in the country.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – A total of 93 individuals were arrested by the police during a demonstration commemorating the 27th anniversary of the reformation in front of Jakarta City Hall.

Amnesty Indonesia Director Usman Hamid said that all of those arrested were Trisakti University students.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – Representatives of online motorcycle taxi drivers, or ojol, held a meeting with the Ministry of Human Rights, during which a dozen members of the National Ride-Hailing Coalition (KON) voiced their concerns.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – The Ministry of Indonesian Communication and Digital (Komdigi) has blocked the PeduliLindungi website, which was suspected of being hacked for online gambling content. The Director General of Digital Space Supervision, Alexander Sabar, stated that this action was taken following reports that the website had been used for online gambling promotion.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The deputy chief of Presidential Staff, Muhammad Qodari, said President Prabowo Subianto's administration has introduced an economic democracy transformation concept, dubbed the 'Prabowonomics.'

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Economist Bright Institute Awalil Rizky stated that the online motorcycle taxi industry, or ride-hailing, is expanding not only because of technological innovation. He argued that the scarcity of the job market and layoffs also contribute to its growth.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – The government has once again reduced the number of inmates eligible for amnesty. From the initial list of 44,000 inmates, the number has significantly reduced to around 1,000 individuals.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts Indonesia's unemployment rate will reach 5 percent in 2025. This figure becomes the second-highest in Asia after China, which is projected to be 5.1 percent this year.

Yurike Metriani, Jakarta – Social Security Forum (Jamsos) of labor and worker unions want the government to reconsider the single-tier inpatient care system in the national health insurance scheme BPJS Kesehatan.

Anisa Fauziah, Jakarta – Former investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Yudi Purnomo, warned that threats and terror against anti-corruption officers are becoming more frequent and brutal. Yudi made the statement following President Prabowo Subianto's recent remarks about the dangers faced by law enforcers in corruption crackdowns.

Hanif Musyaffa, Jakarta – Transmigration Minister Muhammad Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanegara on Monday pitched the Prabowo Subianto administration's revamped transmigration agenda during a visit to the B-Universe media group office at Tokyo Hub in Pantai Indah Kapuk (PIK) 2, Tangerang.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – An armed clash between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM) reportedly occurred in the Kurima District, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Highlands. A TPNPB-OPM member was reported dead in a shootout around the Yetni River on Sunday, May 18, 2025.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 5.5 percent during its Board of Governors Meeting held on May 20-21, marking its first rate cut since January. The central bank also cut the Deposit Facility rate to 4.75 percent and the Lending Facility rate to 6.25 percent.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia has revised down its economic growth projection for 2025 to a range of 4.6 to 5.4 percent, citing weaker global growth and slower-than-expected performance in the first quarter of the year. The central bank had previously forecast growth between 4.7 and 5.5 percent.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – Rights activists and historians gathered at the House of Representatives complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday to demand lawmakers reject the government's controversial bid to rewrite Indonesian history, warning it could whitewash the nation's darkest chapters and serve the political interests of President Prabowo Subianto and past regimes.

Jakarta – Migrant Workers Protection Minister Abdul Kadir Karding warned prospective interns to be cautious of Japan's so-called "cheap labor" schemes.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's recent visits to Southeast Asian neighbors have yet to dispel concerns over his lack of engagement with ASEAN as an institution, analysts say, warning that Indonesia risks drifting from its historic leadership role in the region in favor of bilateral diplomacy.

Simone Galimberti, Kathmandu – Indonesia's democracy is in crisis after 27 years of reform. The threat is not an overt challenge to its liberal, election-based rule of law. Rather, it is the government's prevailing mindset and approach that are subtly weakening the nation's democratic social structure.

Yovanda Noni, Jakarta – A severe shortage of non-subsidized fuels, specifically Pertamax and Pertamax Turbo, has hit several public gas stations (SPBUs) in Balikpapan since Sunday, May 18, forcing residents to queue overnight for fuel.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has discovered a number of drawbacks in the discipline program initiated by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi by sending adolescents to military barracks.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – PT Telkom Indonesia Tbk (IDX: TLKM) has addressed the alleged fictitious financing case from the 2016 to 2018 period, which is currently under investigation by the Jakarta High Prosecutor's Office. The state's financial loss from the case is estimated at Rp431 billion.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metro Police have arrested 12 members of mass organizations (ormas) for engaging in thuggery. Jakarta Metro Police Public Relations Chief, Ade Ary Syam Indradi, stated that the dozen ormas members have been detained for legal proceedings.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The board of supervisors of the Social Security Agency (BPJS) for Employment predicts that 280 thousand workers will face layoffs in Indonesia throughout this year. The board mentioned that 24,360 workers have been terminated as of April 2025.

Linda Trianita, Jakarta – The Health Ministry has addressed recent claims that the PeduliLindungi website was hacked and redirected to an online gambling site. Aji Muhawarman, Head of the Health Ministry's Communication and Public Information Bureau, clarified that the website pedulilindungi.id has not been managed by the Health Ministry since March 2023.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Demak – Floods have inundated 12 villages in Demak Regency, Central Java, since Sunday, May 18, 2025. The surge of water occurred after the embankment of the Tuntang River breached in Karangrejo and Kembangan Villages, Bonang District.

The commemoration of 27 years of reformasi – the political reform process that began in 1998 – was marked by the erosion of human rights through the ignoring of past human rights violations and their repetition in the present due to authoritarian policies and practices that undermine civil liberties, political and social justice, Amnesty International Indonesia said today.

Evi Mariani – Every World Press Freedom Day, journalists in Indonesia hold celebrations and reflect n their profession. But recent political and economic developments in the country have made this year's commemoration the most anxiety-inducing one for a long time.

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – The research group, Institute for Demographic and Affluence Studies (IDEAS), has estimated that the nationwide strike by online motorcycle taxi drivers or online ojek on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, led to a loss of up to Rp188 billion in daily transactions.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Deputy Chair of the Gerindra Party, Habiburokhman, jokingly remarked that President Prabowo Subianto possesses a "sixth sense" that most people lack. This so-called sixth sense, he explained, grants Prabowo insight into individuals attempting betrayal.

Jakarta – Around 50 Trisakti University students were arrested by police in Jakarta on Wednesday May 21 while holding a demonstration to commemorate the 27th anniversary of reformasi and the Trisakti student shootings in May 1998.

Jakarta – Speaker of the House of Representatives Puan Maharani has warned Culture Minister Fadli Zon, who currently leads the job of rewriting Indonesia's national history, against what she called promoting a distorted version of the country's past.

Caleb Fotheringham – A West Papua independence leader says escalating violence is forcing indigenous Papuans to flee their ancestral lands.

It comes as the Indonesian military claims 18 members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) were killed in an hour-long operation in Intan Jaya on 14 May.

The Special Committee on Decolonization (C24) is set to meet in Dili, Timor-Leste, from May 21 to 23, 2025 for its Pacific Regional Seminar.

The event is part of the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, which spans from 2021 to 2030.

Jakarta – The president director of bankrupt textile giant Sritex has been arrested as part of a corruption investigation, the Attorney General's Office said on Wednesday.

Creative Desk, Jakarta – Labor and worker unions under the Forum for Social Security (Jamsos) have strongly opposed the government's plan to implement a single-tier inpatient care system under the Standard Inpatient Class (KRIS) scheme, scheduled to take effect on July 1.

Jakarta – Manpower Minister Yassierli said on Tuesday that he had dismissed several officials who were implicated in a bribery case involving the foreign workers utilization plan (RPTKA).

Yassierly said the dismissals took place in February and March, without providing details on the number of affected officials.

Jakarta – Despite initially aiming to cut costs, the 2024 simultaneous elections turned out to be highly expensive, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Bima Arya Sugiarto has revealed.

Jakarta – West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi is an example of a regional head who uses simplistic logic when implementing public policy. In order to reduce juvenile delinquency, he sent misbehaving students to military barracks. In order to redistribute wealth, he proposed giving every family a share of the regional budget.

Indonesia's Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Dudy Purwagandhi spoke out about the demands of the online motorcycle taxi (ojol) driver association regarding the reduction of the applicator's cut to 10 percent. As a regulator, Dudy admitted that he could revise the regulation to accommodate these interests.

Thomas Rizal, Jakarta – Indonesia is trying to be a haven for investors from home and abroad, but the resource-rich country has a ticking time bomb: preman or "thugs".

Fadhil Haidar Sulaeman, Dili – For the people of Timor-Leste, May 20 is Independence Restoration Day: the day the United Nations officially handed over sovereignty after the Portuguese and Indonesian colonial periods, a time characterized by an enduring struggle for independence.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – A 13th-century statue of Prajnaparamita, the Buddhist goddess of wisdom, welcomes visitors to a new exhibition at the National Museum in Central Jakarta titled Sunting: Jejak Perempuan Indonesia Penggerak Perubahan (Sunting: Footprints of Indonesian women as drivers of change).

Hendrik Khoirul Muhid, S. Dian Andryanto – The monetary crisis in 1997 and the people's weariness with the New Order government made activists speak out for reform. These vocal efforts however were silenced repressively for the sake of maintaining president Suharto's position. Of the 23 activists abducted in 1998, on nine were returned. The rest remain missing to this day.

Jakarta – Grab Holdings and GoTo Group, which owns Gojek, were among ride-hailing and delivery services targeted by protesting drivers on May 20 in Indonesia, with thousands gathering to demand better compensation and other terms.

Maulani Mulianingsih, Jakarta – The online motorcycle (ojol) and taxi driver community held a demonstration at the Horse Statue in front of the southwest entrance to the National Monument (Monas) on Tuesday May 20.

Rescuers battle weather and conditions to find missing after storm kills six people at remote mine.

Torrential rains have forced Indonesian rescuers to suspend their efforts to find 14 missing gold miners after a landslide in the remote east of the country killed six of their colleagues.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The police have begun cracking down on a Facebook group that allegedly posts adult content revolving around incest, amid mounting calls for the operators behind these illicit accounts to be brought to justice.

Jakarta – The loss of 13 lives in an explosion related to the disposal of expired ammunition in Garut, West Java, last week constitutes a tragedy. While the Indonesian Military (TNI) has promised a thorough investigation into the accident, any conclusion will be meaningless without accountability from the top brass and an overhaul of the ammunition disposal mechanism.

Hendrik Khoirul Muhid, S. Dian Andryanto, Jakarta – The realisation of the 1998 reforms did not happen suddenly. Efforts to overthrow the authoritarian New Order regime of President Suharto had to be paid for with gross human rights violations. One of them was the abduction of pro-reform activists between 1997 and 1998.