Duncan Graham – As Indonesia prepares to release a new official national history, an Australian historian's account of the 1965-66 mass killings threatens to reopen a long-suppressed debate about power, violence, and memory.

Jakarta – Indonesian state railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) has introduced strict sanctions for anyone found committing sexual harassment in railway areas. Offenders will be blacklisted and banned from using all train services for 20 years.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Central Lampung Regent Ardito Wijaya was detained by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday night for questioning in a bribery investigation.

Ardito entered the KPK building at around 9:15 p.m., wearing a cap and pulling a small suitcase, escorted by officers. He appeared calm and briefly spoke to reporters.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta The government plans to tighten rules on how natural resource exporters must keep their entire export receipts (DHE) starting at the turn of the year, aiming to close lingering loopholes that have allowed funds to leak offshore. However, experts warn that the stricter requirements could strain liquidity and unsettle investors.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Human Rights Natalius Pigai is scheduled to present awards to six prominent individuals during the 2025 World Human Rights Day commemoration at Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

Malvyandie Haryadi, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform has highlighted agrarian conflicts occurring in several areas, including in Pasuruan regency, East Java, and North Luwu regency in South Sulawesi.

The conflicts arose in connection with plans to build new military facilities on land previously cultivated by residents.

Jakarta – The Labour Movement with the People (GEBRAK) is urging the government and House of Representatives (DPR) to pass the Draft Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers (RUU PPRT).

This was conveyed in an action commemorating International Human Rights Day which was held on Jalan Merdeka Selatan in Jakarta on Wednesday December 10.

Jakarta – The Labour Movement with the People (GEBRAK) held a demonstration in the National Monument (Monas) area of Central Jakarta on Wednesday December 10.

One of the demands taken up during the action to commemorate International Human Rights Day was the release of activists who were arrested during demonstrations at the end of last August.

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – SETARA Institute has released the 2025 Human Rights Index for Indonesia to commemorate this year's World Human Rights Day. SETARA noted a decline in scores compared to the previous year.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta Persistent air pollution in Jakarta has triggered nearly 2 million cases of respiratory illness throughout this year, raising concerns over the long-term well-being of the capital's 11 million residents and the 42 million residents of the greater Jakarta area, the most populous city in the world, according to new United Nations data.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The chair of the Regional Representative Council (DPD), Sultan Bachtiar Najamuddin, backs President Prabowo Subianto's decision to hold back from accepting foreign aid to address the floods and landslides in Sumatra.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has identified companies in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra that have caused damage to forests and river basins covering a total of 889,125 hectares, triggering recent flooding.

Vonia Vieira, Doug Dingwall – As Indonesian warplanes flew overhead, they dropped something many in Timor-Leste had never seen.

But Jose Bareto de Jesus recognised the rounded objects floating to the ground and sounded the alarm to his friends that day on December 7, 1975.

"I was shouting that the plane dropped a parachute," he told the ABC.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Tempo's YouTube account went dark on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at around 7 a.m. local time. Upon tracing and checking, Tempo's team suspected the editorial e-mail had been hacked, where other individuals or parties have now gained control of the account.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Environmental group Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI) is calling on the government to take tougher action against companies accused of contributing to recent deadly floods and landslides in Sumatra.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Finance has allocated Rp210.4 trillion in the 2026 State Budget for food security programs, marking a significant increase from this year's Rp144.6 trillion.

The funding will support a wide range of initiatives, including the development of food barns, expanded paddy cultivation, and land optimization covering 550 hectares.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) launched a report titled "Human Rights Catastrophe" ahead of the 77th International Human Rights Day commemoration, highlighting the deteriorating human rights situation during the first year of the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition has formally delivered a legal notice urging President Prabowo Subianto to declare the catastrophic floods and landslides that have ravaged Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra a national disaster.

Jayapura, Papua – The Indonesian government aims to clear 100,000 hectares of land to support rice cultivation in Papua, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said.

During a visit to the provincial capital Jayapura on Wednesday, he said his ministry is ready to help the Papua administration achieve its food self-sufficiency goals.

Fia Hamid-Walker – Heavy rainfall in Sumatra on 23 November caused landslides and flash floods three days later, with widespread loss of life. Fatalities to date exceed a thousand, and many others have been injured or displaced.

Islamabad – Speaking during a ceremony held for the signing of several memoranda of understanding between Indonesia and Pakistan, PM Shehbaz detailed the pair's discussions and said, "What we have decided is [ ] to promote our bilateral trade, culture, interact in the field of medical health, education, and vocational training."

Radhiyya Indra and Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta/Medan – Suffering through days without clean water or proper medical care, evacuees packed into emergency shelters across three provinces in the northern part of Sumatra are falling severely ill, with some reportedly dying before help can reach them, as the region's floods and landslides continue to isolate entire communities.

Jakarta – Along with the momentum of International Human Rights Day on Wednesday December 10, the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy released the 2025 Human Rights Index which shows the worrying state of human rights in Indonesia throughout this year.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Indonesia has temporarily suspended all timber extraction and log transportation in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra after flash floods and landslides killed nearly 1,000 people and caused widespread destruction to public infrastructure.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – Rising staple food prices have overtaken fears of job termination as the biggest source of public anxiety in Indonesia, according to a new study released by research firms Inventure and Alvara Research Center.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Dimas Bagus Arya, the coordinator for the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), said Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto has been maintaining the atrocious human rights conditions that were happening under former Joko Widodo's leadership.

Ifan Ahmad, Makassar, S – Sulawesi. The Indonesian government has rejected foreign assistance for the devastating floods and landslides that have struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra, emphasizing that the country has the capacity to manage disaster response independently.

Adyaksa M, Poso – The detention of Kristian Toibo, a resident of Watutau Village in Lore Peore district, Poso regency, has sparked criticism from environmental activists. The Central Sulawesi chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) believes that the authorities are criminalising residents who defend their land rights.

Jakarta – For politicians without empathy, disaster locations are nothing more than content for their social media. They turn up for applause in the form of "likes" or "engagement," rather than to carry out their duties as public officials to reduce the burden on suffering citizens. Although they do not visit to entertain, we might as well categorize them as disaster clowns.

Andrea Shalal, Washington – A U.S. trade agreement reached with Indonesia in July is at risk of collapsing because Jakarta has backtracked on several commitments it made as part of the deal, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

Jakarta – Dompet Dhuafa, a Muslim alms organization, recently held a charity concert "Together for Sumatar" at M Bloc Live House and M Bloc Space to gather support for the disaster-hit island.

Jakarta – Blaming nature for the deadly floods and landslides in Sumatra is not going to take us very far beyond stating the obvious and long held wisdom that, if we cannot beat nature, we have to try to live with it.

Addin Anugrah Siwi, Jakarta – Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has raised concerns over Indonesia's persistently high youth unemployment, with the jobless rate among Gen Z still hovering around 17 percent, a pressure point for both the government and employers heading into 2026.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesia's electricity company PLN continues to accelerate the restoration of the electrical system in Aceh following flash floods and landslides that damaged the main transmission network in several areas.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has identified companies in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra as having caused damage to forests and river watersheds covering as much as 889,125 hectares.

Indonesian police used unlawful force against protesters, including beatings and the improper use of water cannon and tear gas grenades, during mass demonstrations that swept the country earlier this year, according to new investigation released today by Amnesty International.

David Akana, North Sumatra, Indonesia – Indonesia's environment ministry on Dec. 6 suspended private sector activity in a crucial high conservation value rainforest as rescuers continued working through three Sumatran provinces following a highly unusual and catastrophic tropical cyclone.

Islamabad – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived in Islamabad on Monday on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

According to state broadcaster PTV News, the Indonesian president was received by PM Shehbaz and President Asif Ali Zardari upon his arrival at the Nur Khan airbase.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Jakarta – Customs data confirms that a flood of suspected illegal electronic waste (e-waste) continues to arrive in Batam, Riau Islands. As of Monday, December 8, 2025, authorities have recorded 822 containers entering the region believed to contain hazardous and toxic waste (B3).

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Kontras) reported 205 incidents of civil liberty violations during the first year of the presidency of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Dian Fiantis, Budiman Minasny and Frisa Irawan Ginting, The Conversation – Cyclone Senyar hit South and Southeast Asian countries in late November. In Indonesia, the island of Sumatra took the worst hit, especially its northern parts.

Haryanti Puspa Sari, Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has criticised the trend of verdicts in criminal cases of corruption and the confiscation of assets carried out by the government against corruptors in the last year.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The Indonesian Minister of Human Rights, Natalius Pigai, responded to President Prabowo Subianto's recent statements regarding the principles of Human Rights (HAM). At that time, Prabowo criticized the application of Western-style Human Rights, which he considered to be hypocritical.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metropolitan Police have confiscated six Molotov cocktails from two men suspected of planning to incite riots during the International Human Rights Day demonstration scheduled for December 10, 2025. The suspects have been identified by their initials as BDM and TSF.

Gloria Dickie – A small brown line snakes its way through the rainforest in northern Sumatra, carving 300 metres through dense patches of meranti trees, oak and mahua. Picked up by satellites, the access road – though modest now – will soon extend 2km to connect with the Tor Ulu Ala pit, an expansion site of Indonesia's Martabe mine.

Greg Fealy – Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and its high-profile chair, Kiai Yahya Cholil Staquf (commonly known as Gus Yahya), have for many years presented themselves to the world as champions of peace and moderation.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – Indonesia's bid to mass-produce cars of a homegrown brand in 2027 is "highly ambitious", experts say, noting that an electric vehicle (EV) model would require sustained fiscal outlays and far stronger technical competencies than the country currently possesses.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Indonesia's goal to upscale the downstream cacao industry faces a multitude of obstacles spanning the entire supply chain, from low crop yields to inconsistent quality that must be overcome for the country to become a meaningful chocolate exporter.

A. Anantha Lakshmi and Diana Mariska in Jakarta – Almost every Thursday for the past 18 years, Bedjo Untung has joined a small group of protesters in front of the Indonesian presidential palace come rain or shine. The group want accountability for crimes under the late dictator Suharto – crimes in which Bedjo was himself a victim.

Jakarta – An Indonesian government task force has ordered dozens of companies in palm oil cultivation and mining to pay fines totalling 38.62 trillion rupiah ($2.31 billion) for operating illegally in forest areas, an official said on Monday.