Liberty Victoria is awarding the 2023 Voltaire Empty Chair Award to Mr Victor Yeimo, a strong advocate for West Papua's independence from Indonesia and an international spokesperson for the National Committee for West Papua (KNPB) and the Papuan People's Petition.

Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta on Wednesday arrived in Manila for an official visit meant to boost the bilateral relations between the two nations.

Ramos-Horta was welcomed at the NAIA by Ambassador to Timor-Leste Belinda Ante and Manila International Airport Authority general manager Manuel Gonzales.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Firli Bahuri is facing a second round of police questioning as investigators say they have gathered more evidence related to the alleged extortion of former agriculture minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo.

Virdika Rizky Utama – Democracy thrives on a clear distinction between military, policing, and civilian roles. When these boundaries blur, there is cause for concern, so the passing of a new civil service law – known as the ASN law (Law no. 20 of 2023) – on 2 October should sound alarm bells.

Devy Ernis, Jakarta – Expert Council of the Indonesian Teachers Union Federation (FSGI) Retno Lisyarti urged all schools in Indonesia to form a team on prevention and management against juvenile violence (PPK).

James Kon – Timor-Leste President Dr Jose Ramos-Horta conveyed his gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam for the care and concern for Timor-Leste since achieving independence as well as the support for Timor-Leste's bid to join

Wamena, Jubi – In three districts within Yahukimo Regency, Mountainous Papua, hundreds of residents have been grappling with hunger since August due to crop failures. As many as 23 residents have lost their lives in this dire situation. The affected districts are Amuma, Panggema, and Anggruk.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia announced Tuesday that the country's foreign exchange reserves stood at $133.1 billion as of the end of Oct., down from $134.9 billion in the previous month.

The central bank attributed the decline in Indonesia's foreign reserves to payments of foreign debts and measures to stabilize the Rupiah exchange rate.

Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the purpose of the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza was to "fully" serve Palestinians in response to an accusation by the Israeli military that it has been used by Hamas to launch attacks.

Jakarta – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential hopeful Ganjar Pranowo led an opinion poll on Monday for the first time since election season formally got underway last month, nudging ahead of close rival and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.

Jakarta (VNA) – Chairman of the Indonesian Iron and Steel Industry Association (IISIA) Purwono Widodo on November 7 said that the Southeast Asian country's steel demand surges in 2023 due to the construction of major national projects.

Arlina Arshad, Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko Widodo has called for unity and a more constructive "battle of ideas" as the February 2024 presidential election heats up.

"Lately, we see too many dramas, too many K-dramas, too many sinetrons," he said, drawing laughter during the 59th anniversary celebration on Monday night of Golkar, the country's oldest party.

Jayapura, Jubi – Benhur Wally, the chairperson of the Jayapura chapter of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) expressed concerns about the shrinking space for the freedom of expression for Indigenous Peoples in Papua.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – A palm oil company in Indonesia has finally started paying off a $23 million fine for burning an important Sumatran orangutan habitat more than a decade ago, highlighting the difficulty of holding environmental violators to account in the country.

Max Lane – The lack of real political difference among the various contenders for the top political job in Indonesia has paved the way for the culture of political dynasties to strengthen. Will this culture win out? The votes will tell.

Fadlan Syam and Niniek Karmini (AP), Jakarta, Indonesia – The chief justice of Indonesia's top court was dismissed from the post after an ethics council found him guilty Tuesday of making last-minute changes to election candidacy requirements.

Jakarta – More than 500 students from the East Java Muhammadiyah Student Association (IMM) held a Defend Palestine action on Tuesday November 7 in which they descended on United States Consulate General (Konjen) in the provincial capital Surabaya.

Jayapura, Jubi – In Papua, the Press Freedom Index is quite low, with a rating of 64.01, lower than West Papua's index which is 68.22, says Hans Bisay, the chairman of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) Papua.

Maxwell Lane – On November 5, nearly 2 million people packed the central Freedom Square in Jakarta, Indonesia to express solidarity with Palestine. This was the largest rally registered in recent weeks coming on the heels of several smaller events organized by human rights and political groups over the last month.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Presidential hopeful Ganjar Pranowo revealed Tuesday how he planned on navigating the growing US-China rivalry if he wins the upcoming election.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court will try a motion challenging its recent decision which amended the age limit of presidential and vice presidential candidates and opened the path for President Joko Widodo's eldest son to enter the upcoming election.

Jakarta – Heavy rain over the weekend led to flooding in some parts of Depok, West Java, as piles of garbage blocked the city's waterways.

Several organizations, including the local fire agency, the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and the Depok disaster response team (Tagana), joined forces to provide assistance to residents in the affected areas.

Desty Luthfiani, Jakarta – More than two million people attended the pro-Palestine rally in Monas (the National Monument), Central Jakarta, on Sunday, November 5, 2023, organized by the Indonesian People's Alliance to Defend Palestine, according to the rally's coordinator Bachtiar Nasir.

Jakarta – A weaker rupiah may impose a burden on the state budget since it will increase the amount of fuel subsidies that the government has to pay to secure domestic fuel supplies, an analyst has warned.

Stefanno Sulaiman and Gayatri Suroyo, Jakarta – Indonesia's economy logged solid growth in the third quarter, although it slowed more than expected to its weakest in two years as exports shrank and household spending softened.

Mei Leandha, Karo – The people of Karo Regency, North Sumatra, planned to build a 75-meter-high statue of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in Liang Melas Datas. The project, named Juma Jokowi, was expected to cost Rp2.5 billion.

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam on Monday received in audience Dr Jose Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste who is here on a four-day state visit.

Riri Rahayu, Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government planned to send the second batch of humanitarian aid worth Rp31.9 billion or US$2 million to Palestine next week through the Indonesian Agency for International Development (Indonesian AID).

Moh. Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) responded to trending footage of water leaking from the ceiling of Whoosh's Halim Station during heavy rain on Saturday evening, November 4, 2023.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is consolidating power around himself ahead of the 2024 elections by nominating his confidante, newly installed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Agus Subiyanto to replace Adm. Yudho Margono as the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander due to retirement.

Jakarta – Emerging economies can rest easy, at least for now, after the Federal Reserve decided at its Nov. 1 meeting to keep interest rates at their current level, even though the United States central bank said it was unclear whether overall financial conditions were restrictive enough to properly tame inflation.

Im Eun-byel, Seoul – South Korea and Indonesia, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, are seeking to further extend their economic cooperation in key areas from electric mobility and infrastructure to finance, as both countries are eager to nurture future growth drivers.

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court's ethics council is poised to deliver a verdict that could cost Chief Justice Anwar Usman his job if he is found guilty of making last-minute changes to election candidacy requirements that cleared the way for his nephew by marriage to run for vice president.

Nina A. Loasana and Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – Health authorities have found more mpox cases across the country after epidemiologists estimated that the actual caseload was much larger than the number of reported and detected cases.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has officially become a member of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Jakarta – The Indonesian economy expanded by 4.94 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of this year, marking the first time it failed to reach the 5 percent mark in the past nine quarters.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) attributes this weaker growth to the global economic slowdown and a decline in exports of Indonesia's primary commodities.

Jakarta – The recently enacted law on civil servants allows active military and police officers to assume certain civilian positions in the central government, raising concerns about the return to the authoritarian rule of the Soeharto era.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – The construction of Bank Indonesia's (BI) office building has begun in the new capital city Nusantara or IKN. IKN Authority chief Bambang Susantono and President Joko Widodo laid the first stone of the building in a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, November 2, 2023.

Dyna Rochmyaningsih – One dawn in 2010, the sound of adzan from the mosque reverberated among the wooden houses of Seumanah Jaya, a village in Indonesia's Aceh province, on the north end of the island of Sumatra.

Krisiandi, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition is concerned that there is a politicisation of the TNI (Indonesian military) occurring in the lead up to the 2024 elections.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – The results of a Charta Politika survey on October 26-31 show that almost half of respondents or 48.9 percent believe that Solo Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka is not fit to run as a vice presidential candidate (cawapres) in the 2024 presidential elections.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The mass pro-Palestine rally in Jakarta over the weekend collected approximately Rp 2 billion (around $128,584) in donations, according to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

Hendro D Situmorang & Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto on Monday unveiled his extensive campaign team, a star-studded lineup that includes prominent figures from various backgrounds.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), announced on Monday that it has requested Bobby Nasution, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son-in-law, to relinquish his party membership. This decision came after Bobby publicly declared his support for the rival presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is ready to send its naval hospital ship to the waters near Gaza, Palestine, to provide medical treatments to the victims of Israeli assaults, stated Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.

Dear Pacific Islands Forum leaders,

On behalf of the Australia West Papua Association (Sydney), I am writing to you concerning the issue of West Papua.

There has been no improvement in the human rights situation in West Papua since the last Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) was held in Suva, Fiji in July 2022.

Bayu Nugraha, Jakarta – Thousands of protesters took part in a rally organised by the Indonesian People's Alliance to Defend Palestine at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta on Sunday November 5. During the action they conveyed six demands.

Douglas Gerrard –- A recent military escalation in West Papua is the latest episode in a long history of repression and dispossession since the island came under Indonesian control. But the authorities in Jakarta still haven't been able to stabilize their rule over West Papua.

Antara, Jakarta – Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, and a number of other state officials attended the Pro-Palestine Rally in the National Monument (Monas) area, Jakarta, Sunday, November 5, 2023. This rally is held to provide support for the Palestinian people who are still continue to be assaulted by the Israeli military.

Hellena Souisa, Kai Feng, and Sally Brooks – Chinese electrician Mr Ding says he saw co-workers die, a crane catch fire and worked for "175 days straight" during an 18-month stint at two nickel refining sites in Indonesia.

His experiences left him with a critical view of the Chinese companies he worked for.