Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia will introduce two new economic incentives in 2027, offering 6% mortgage rates to salaried workers earning around Rp 17 million ($947) a month and revising value-added tax (VAT) facilities for the precious metals jewelry industry, Chief of Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Wednesday.

On 26 September 2026, Indonesian Marine personnel allegedly apprehended Mr Wilem Wakom, a civil servant (ASN) and resident of Wakom Village, East Aifat District, Maybrat Regency, Papua Barat Daya Province. Military members subsequently took him to a Marine post in Aisa Village, East Aifat District.

Ketapang, West Kalimantan – Housework in the morning followed by several hours of firefighting: women in West Kalimantan risk life and limb to battle blazes making their communities sick, all while shouldering a sexist backlash.

Agencies, Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia's capital topped a global pollution ranking on Wednesday and nearby Singapore came in third, with smoke from wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia blamed for the unhealthy conditions.

A milky haze has shrouded the cities for more than a month as smoke drifted from fires on Kalimantan and Sumatra islands.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – The death of a civil servant participating in a basic military training under the Defense Ministry's Reserve Component (Komcad) over the weekend has raised fresh public concerns over the program's safety and militarization of the civil service.

Rebecca Ratcliffe – The mother's hands were peeling from walking on the torched ground. Her eight-month-old baby, which clung to her side, was dehydrated and thin. The pair, named Mama Abu and Abu ("ash" in Indonesian), were found in an oil palm subsidiary estate, rescuers say.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Mathew Wale has urged Indonesia to allow a long-awaited United Nations human rights visit to West Papua, telling the UN General Assembly that persistent reports of abuses must be independently verified.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The 2024 presidential election dispute regarding the validity of Gibran Rakabuming Raka's vice-presidential candidacy has moved to the evidentiary stage at the Constitutional Court.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The government has allocated Rp 5 trillion ($278.26 million) for a pilot program offering free education from elementary to senior high school in 2027, as it seeks to expand access to education and strengthen support for disadvantaged regions.

Natasha Khairunisa, Jakarta – The rupiah is expected to weaken further against the US dollar on Wednesday as elevated oil prices amid geopolitical tensions and expectations of further US monetary tightening continue to weigh on the Indonesian currency.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Cibinong, West Java – Indonesian lawmakers are scheduled to inspect Cibinong Prison on Wednesday following the discovery of 16 buildings near the facility, some containing apartment-like amenities and suspected of being used to provide preferential treatment to certain inmates.

On 30 September 2026, Indonesian police intervened in a student protest at the Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) campus in Padang Bulan, Abepura District, Jayapura City, Papua Province.

Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Jakarta – Every afternoon around 4 p.m., a familiar and friendly jingle echoes through the narrow alleys of Neighborhood Unit (RT) 11/Community Unit (RW) 07 in Gandaria Utara, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

Reiner Brabar, Jayapura – Sixty-four years have passed, yet the question of who determined Papua's future remains unresolved.

Five Indonesian prison officials have been suspended after investigators found an apartment-style compound complete with airconditioners, big-screen televisions and expensive cars allegedly used by inmates at a prison near Jakarta.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia rejects unilateral allegations of systematic human rights violations in Papua. The country asserts that it takes any credible allegations seriously and addresses them through national institutions and legal mechanisms, including the independent National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Agencies, Jakarta – The National Police charged a train driver Tuesday with allegedly failing to hit the brakes in time to prevent a crash that killed 16 women near Jakarta in April, an official said.

A long-distance train smashed on April 28 into a women-only car at the back of a stationary commuter train near Bekasi Timur station in West Java.

Jakarta – The Grand Coalition of Indonesian Workers' Struggle (KBPBI) is proposing a maximum temporary work contract (PKWT) period of one year in the Employment Protection Bill that is planned to be ratified in early October.

Intan Setiawanty, Jakarta – Indonesia's Attorney General's Office has named former National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Deputy for Procurement and Distribution Secretary Colonel Budi Utomo a suspect in an alleged corruption case involving the governance of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program in 2025-2026.

Vanuatu has raised concerns over alleged human rights violations in West Papua, called for the decolonisation of Kanaky New Caledonia and urged France to accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the disputed Matthew and Hunter Islands.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia recently insisted that third countries could not force a UN verification visit to Papua as the country continues to deny allegations of abuse in its easternmost region.

The UN may travel to countries to verify any human rights abuses on the ground. Pressure is now mounting for Indonesia to open its doors.

Antara, Jakarta – Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto stated that President Prabowo Subianto has directed the design of an educational model that supports the rehabilitation of drug addicts, including young people.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia found that officials at the Cibinong Class IIA Penitentiary in West Java have charged inmates illegally. Ombudsman member Syafrida Rachmawati Hasan said inmates were allegedly charged Rp150,000 per week.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives passed President Prabowo Subianto's budget bill for 2027 into law on Tuesday, with spending projected at Rp 4.1 quadrillion (US$228 billion) as the administration aims to lift the pace of economic growth to 6 percent.

Vebyana Putri Amanda, Jakarta – State railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) turns 81 on Monday with improvements in its rail services. However, growing public reliance on trains has also brought new demands, particularly for capacity, reliability, and passenger comfort.

Andrew Mathieson – Pacific leaders used their address at the 81st session of United Nations general assembly to urge Indonesia to permit the UN Human Rights High Commissioner unrestricted access to visit West Papua.

Azifah Astrina (The Conversation) – Thousands gathered at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, Aceh, on Aug. 15, to commemorate 21 years of peace between Indonesia and the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM)

Chandra Adi Nurwidya, Yogyakarta – Indonesia's economy has yet to show significant improvement as President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming approach their second year in office, with economists warning that fiscal constraints and weaknesses in policy implementation could limit the impact of government programs.

Jayapura, Jubi – The Legal and Human Rights Department of the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI) has launched the GIDI Legal Aid Institute (LBH GIDI) in Jayapura, Papua, on Monday (28/9/2026).

Maretha Uli, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has turned to experts for solutions to prevent recurring forest and peatland fires and expressed his respect for science, after his recent tirade against some experts critical of his administration drew public backlash.

Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir – The role of violent groups in Indonesia's political landscape has captured public attention following reports that the United Indonesian People's Movement (Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia Bersatu Jaya, GRIB Jaya) was allegedly involved in the deadly riots during the mass protests demanding the immediate enactment of the contentious Asset Forfeiture Bill in Jakarta

Lorencia Sariani Tondang, Jakarta – Indonesia is accelerating oil exploration and production as global crude prices climb above $100 a barrel and domestic output remains below 600,000 barrels per day, underscoring the country's continued dependence on imported oil.

Brent crude futures for November delivery rose $1.71 to $106.99 a barrel on Tuesday, September 29.

Christine Rovoi – Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Cooper Wale has taken the long-running West Papua human rights issue directly to the United Nations.

Wale is calling again for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to be allowed into the region.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia's parliament has passed a law intended to resolve long-running land conflicts and curb land concentration, but civil society groups say provisions in the final draft could limit redistribution, leave state-controlled land difficult to challenge and expose some land occupants to criminal charges.

Budiman, Jakarta – The Rangkasbitung District Court in Banten has sentenced a salon owner to 1 year and 8 months in prison for desecrating the Quran by forcing another woman to step on the holy book, according to the court's case-tracking system.

The court also sentenced Meta Meita, who was involved in the same incident, to one year in prison.

On 13 July 2026, members of the Indigenous Ateta clan from Sumuri District, Teluk Bintuni Regency, West Papua Province, staged a peaceful protest beginning at approximately 07.00 am at the Office of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) in Teluk Bintuni Regency.

Jakarta – The death toll from an Indonesian ship that capsized earlier this month rose to 66 as of Monday, as divers braved leaking fuel and dangerously unsound structures to find the 69 passengers still missing on the 16th day of the search.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia has canceled a major military parade planned for the 81st anniversary of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) on Oct. 5, opting instead for a modest ceremony as troops remain deployed to disaster-hit areas across the country.

Yerica Lai and Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – The case for Palestine will be the "clearest test" of the United Nations' shared principles and conscience, Indonesia's top diplomat said on Saturday, as he pitched the nation's support for a better institution that will make good on its promise to build peace amid growing distrust in multilateralism.

On 9 July 2026, reports emerged that members of the Moi indigenous community, together with the Malamoi Indigenous Peoples' Organisation (LMA Malamoi), had rejected state claims and planned government programmes affecting customary territories in Sorong Regency, Papua Barat Daya Province.

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – Indonesia will continue its annual US$1.2 million contribution to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, with Foreign Minister Sugiono calling for greater international support for the organization amid mounting political and financial pressure.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Hundreds of candidate managers of the red and white village cooperative flocked to PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (Agrinas) office in Cawang, East Jakarta, on Monday, September 28, 2026. They are protesting the cooperative's placement issued by the state-owned firm.

Chandra Adi Nurwidya, Investor.id, Yogyakarta – A group of Indonesian economists has called for a fundamental reassessment of President Prabowo Subianto's Free Nutritious Meals program, arguing that its universal approach consumes vast public resources that could be more effectively directed toward children and families most at risk of food insecurity.

Chairunisa – The government plans to build 33 Waste to Electrical Energy (PSEL) processing facilities with an investment value of 89 trillion rupiah, which is the concern of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).

Walhi believes that government policies have not addressed the root of the problem regarding the waste crisis in Indonesia.

Nagekeo – Sahria Lelu and her family were still living in a tent outside a mosque six weeks after a powerful earthquake that killed dozens in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), demonstrating the hard road home for thousands of survivors.

Yerica Lai, New York – Indonesia has signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime and joined 90 other signatories to the first multilateral treaty aimed at strengthening international cooperation to prevent and combat cybercrime.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower recorded 10,880 workers affected by layoffs from January to August 2026, with February recording the highest number at 1,894 workers.

The political parties' proposal of a higher parliamentary threshold reflects the underhanded behavior of elites seeking to entrench their power. Through this maneuver, they collude to erect barriers that prevent leadership turnover, even though one of the fundamental purposes of elections is to produce alternative candidates for leadership.

Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Foundation for Justice and Human Integrity (YKKMP) says the Indonesian government should respond to allegations of human rights violations in Papua with evidence, not pressure.

Sorong, Jubi – A resident of Wakom Village, East Aifat District, Maybrat Regency, Southwest Papua, identified as Wilem, also known as Yae Wakom, has allegedly been tortured at a Marine post in the area.