Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) officially passed the revised Mineral and Coal Mining Law during a plenary session on Tuesday.

Hendrik Khoirul Muhid, Jakarta – The presence of sea fences in Tangerang and Bekasi waters have stirred public interest recently, as the two sea fences were erected without proper permits.

Amanda Puspita Sari, Jakarta – Earlier this month, Indonesian civil servant Kardiani (not her real name) found the supply of drinking water and toilet paper at her office restricted.

Most lights in the restrooms are now switched off, and use of the printer is tightly regulated.

Anwar Siswadi (Kontributor), Jakarta – Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) responds to the government and the People's Representative Council (DPR)'s decision to not grant mining management permits to higher education institutions.

Jakarta – The demonstration titled "Dark Indonesia" (Indonesia Gelap) in front of the Malang city Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) in East Java descended into chaos on Tuesday February 18 when protesters managed to break down the parliament's front gate

Kiki Safitri, Novianti Setuningsih, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has highlighted the increase in human rights violations in National Strategic Project (PSN) areas over the last three years.

Hendro D Situmorang, Jakarta – Village and Underdeveloped Region Development Minister Yandri Susanto confirmed that the Rp 71 trillion ($4.36 billion) allocated for 75,000 villages this year will not be impacted by government budget cuts.

Michelle Gabriela, Jakarta – Prabowo's government budget cuts policy has forced a number of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to terminate the contracts of honorary employees, despite Finance Minister Sri Mulyani's vow about no layoffs for workers. In several regions across Indonesia, reality paints a contrasting picture.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia kicked off 2025 with a considerable drop in the export of its top commodity palm oil, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

Jayapura – The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation or TPNPB-OPM has announced that all schools in Papua, especially in armed conflict areas, should go on strike for as long as the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Indonesian Police (Polri) use them as military posts.

Stefani Wijaya, Jakarta – A village head in Tangerang Regency, along with his secretary and two other individuals, has been named a suspect in the ongoing investigation into the construction of over 30 kilometers of illegal sea barriers off the northern coast of Banten Province.

Najma Sambul – As blackouts crippled Timor-Leste, its leaders scrambled for a solution. It was 2010 and the newly independent country, still reeling from decades of occupation and destruction, was desperate to keep the lights on in its capital, Dili.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – A growing number of Indonesians are considering leaving the country in search of better job opportunities, as frustration over limited prospects and low wages fuels the viral hashtag #KaburAjaDulu (just run away first) on social media.

Jakarta – American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt begins his popular book The Anxious Generation with a graphic showing a sudden and very large upturn in major depressive episodes among adolescents after the 2010s, a period he refers to as "the great rewiring of childhood".

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Batam, Indonesia – Stress levels among the population of Batam reportedly spiked in January after extreme rainfall over a saltwater crocodile farm allowed more than 100 captive predators to explore the local area for the first time.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) said the implementation of budget cuts to ministries and state agencies is discriminatory.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's recent budget cut to save over Rp 306 trillion (US$18.9 billion) to fund his administration's priority programs is incomprehensible.

Being fiscally prudent amid these uncertainties is a good thing, but the manner and scale of these cuts raise serious questions about their urgency, rationale and long-term impact of such a decision.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia's president has drafted the military to lead the reclamation of illegally occupied forest areas throughout the country, while the Ministry of Forestry has partnered with it to protect and rehabilitate forest areas.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Presidential Communication Office Head Hasan Nasbi responded to the protest against the free nutritious meal program in Papua. According to him, every individual has the right to reject the program and refuse to enjoy nutritious food.

Jakarta – Some members of Indonesia's parliament plan to propose the president remove the central bank governor because they think he was not properly backing the government's policy, investigative magazine Tempo reported on Monday (Feb 17), citing unnamed sources.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Navy has finished taking down a controversial sea fence off the coast of Tangerang, Banten, after more than three weeks of work.

Navy Marine Force commander Brig. Gen. Hermanto said that as of Thursday morning, Navy personnel had dismantled more than 28 kilometers of the sea fence and expected to remove the remaining section by the end of the day.

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – The Ministry of Manpower responded to the trending hashtag #KaburAjaDulu that has been widely discussed by the public on social media. Deputy Minister of Manpower Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan did not see any issue with the hashtag.

After a farewell from Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta, the inaugural direct air passenger service between Timor-Leste's capital Dili and the southern Chinese city of Xiamen touched down around 10 pm local time last Friday, reports Xinhua.

Hendro D Situmorang, Jakarta – Deputy Manpower Minister Immanuel Ebenezer on Monday joined a rally of motorcycle riders and car drivers demanding Ramadan bonuses from the ride-hailing companies they work for.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will reduce the number of potential amnesty or legal pardon prisoner candidates. Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas revealed that only 19,000 prisoners will receive amnesty, decreased from the previous number of 44,000 people.

Jakarta – The All Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM SI) is holding a marathon of simultaneous actions in different regions of Indonesia from Monday February 17 through to Wednesday February 19. The theme being taken up at the demonstrations is "Dark Indonesia" (Indonesia Gelap).

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Union of online motorcycle taxi drivers today are protesting the partnership work system with the provider company of online transportation services. Drivers from online motorcycle taxi (ojol), online taxi (taksol), and couriers go on a strike and do the mass 'bid off' application on Monday today, February 17, 2025.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Monday signed a regulation requiring exporters of resources other than oil and gas to hold all proceeds locally for at least a year, which he said would add US$80 billion to the country's forex reserves.

Surabaya – Around 1,000 students held a "Dark Indonesia" (Indonesia Gelap) action in front of the East Java (Jatim) Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) offices in the provincial capital of Surabaya on Monday February 17. They were rejecting the government's budget efficiency policy.

Sui Lee-Wee, Dili, East Timor – Three decades ago, he was a scrappy campaigner roaming the world's corridors of power with a dream to win independence for his tiny homeland. Today, at 75, Mr Jose Ramos-Horta is both the president and a relentless salesman for East Timor.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded a drop in exports and imports by 8.56 percent and 15.18 percent, respectively, in January 2025, compared to the previous month, said Statistics Indonesia (BPS). Last month, Indonesia's export value was logged at US$21.45 billion and imports at US$18 billion.

Jayapura – Today, on Monday February 17, students who are members of the West Papua High School Students Solidarity Front (FSPWP) held peaceful demonstrations against the government's free nutritious meals (MBG) program in a number of cities in the land of Papua.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has maintained a trade surplus for the 57th consecutive month since May 2020 as the country's exports surpassed its imports by $3.45 billion in January, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) on Monday.

Denpasar – A number of student groups, including those affiliated with the All Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM SI) Alliance, are holding a marathon of simultaneous actions in a number of regions in Indonesia between Monday February 17 and Wednesday February 19.

Duncan Graham – Before the 18th century Enlightenment, church and state in Europe were one. In Indonesia, fears that Islam will infiltrate civic affairs go back to the founding of the Republic. Instead, the threats are not from the mosques, but the military.

Bandung – Hundreds of students held a demonstration in front of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building located on Jalan Diponegoro in Bandung City on Monday February 17.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The Alliance of the Executive Board of the All-Indonesia Students or BEM SI along with the Civil Society Coalition have consolidated in preparation for the demonstration scheduled for today, Monday, February 17.

Adhyasta Dirgantara, Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto claims that the current state of the Indonesian economy is quite good. This was based on reports from economics ministers during a limited cabinet meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday February 17.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – In the past month, Aldo Simanjuntak's coffee shop in South Jakarta has only had about one third of its typical number of customers. His one-time regulars, mostly university students and employees of a nearby state-run bank, have been coming by less and less frequently.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto revealed Monday that Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves would skyrocket by tens of billions of American dollars this year as the government would soon require all resource exporters to hold its proceeds onshore.

Jakarta – Amid concerns of harmful content over social media and the platforms' impact on their children's development, some parents conveyed their support for the government's move to introduce age restrictions on social media users.

Marjorie Preston – In an 11 February filing, Asia-Pacific Strategic Investments Ltd (APS) announced it would establish a $60 million (#47.5 million/Euro 57.2 million) casino and a $20 million bank in the Southeast Asian country.

The agreements were "formalised" with Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, Timor-Leste's vice-prime minister and economic affairs and tourism minister.

Makassar – A "Dark Indonesia" (Indonesia Gelap) demonstration by the Islamic Student Association (HMI) in Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, blockaded the Trans-Sulawesi highway causing a long traffic jam on Monday February 17.

Jakarta – The Judicial Commission introduced on Feb. 14 a work from home (WFH) policy for its employees in an effort to cut costs amid President Prabowo Subianto's budget efficiency drive across various government institutions, both central and regional.

Hendro D Situmorang, Ricki Putra Harahap, Bogor – President Prabowo Subianto welcomed his predecessor, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, as a special guest during the 17th anniversary celebration of his Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) on Saturday evening. He thanked Jokowi for his support during last year's elections, saying it played a significant role in his victory.

Juan Ardya Guardiola, Bogor – The newly established sovereign wealth fund Danantara will finance 35 large-scale national projects throughout this year, a close ally of President Prabowo Subianto said on Saturday.

Roger Peet – I recently spent two weeks in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, collaborating with the artists of Taring Padi on a new artist book about the legacy of the political genocide of 1965.

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Ms Rinda (not her real name to protect her identity) and around 30 of her colleagues have worked for the past week with most of the lights in the office switched off, after President Prabowo Subianto ordered budget cuts for ministries and government agencies.

Yovanda Noni, East Kutai – The Dayak Wehea Indigenous Community in East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan, shares a very close relationship with the nature and forests around them. They not only protect the forest as part of their cultural heritage but also as a vital source of life.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Bogor – President Prabowo Subianto announced that Indonesia's budget efficiency measures will continue in three phases, targeting total savings of Rp 750 trillion (approximately $44 billion).