Jakarta – Last week, our attention was drawn to Bali, but not for its natural beauty. The resort island's streets were paralyzed, buildings were submerged in mud and tourists were evacuated as floods swept through Denpasar and six of its eight regencies, including major tourist hubs Gianyar, Tabanan and Badung.

Agencies, Jakarta – Over 800 students fell sick in two cases of mass food poisoning this week after consuming free school meals sponsored by the government, officials said on Friday.

One case affected more than 500 and was the biggest outbreak yet under President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program.

Saskia Wieringa – The denial of the genocide which took place in Indonesia after 1 October 1965 has cultural, legal, discursive and affective dimensions. This genocide was one of the largest mass murders after World War II, yet it is hardly known internationally.

Andreas Iswinarto – The process of democratisation that followed Suharto's resignation extended into the realm of history. His fall marked the beginning of a freer and more open engagement with the past, breaking away from the rigid, state-controlled narrative of historical truth imposed during the New Order regime.

Agencies, Jakarta – Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has erupted multiple times, spewing a column of ash kilometers into the sky after authorities raised its alert level to the highest, prompting a local airport to suspend operations on Saturday.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa explained the government's plan to reduce electricity subsidies without burdening the public with tariff increases. One of the discussions is about the development of Solar Power Plants (PLTS) as well as the utilization of other New and Renewable Energy (EBT), which are more efficient.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) has positioned the KHAN missile in the 18th Field Artillery Battalion under the Military Regional Command VI/Mulawarman in East Kalimantan Province. This ballistic missile was procured from Turkey in 2022.

Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is facing various challenges in determining the status of the suspects in the hajj quota corruption case. One of the challenges is examining the 400 or so hajj organizing agencies.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi clarified that President Prabowo Subianto never agreed to the formation of an independent investigation team to probe the riots that broke out in late August 2025.

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Jakarta – The Pati City Police have deployed personnel to several points to secure the protest demanding the impeachment of Pati Regent Sudewo. The United Pati Community held a demonstration on Friday, September 19, 2025.

Ankur Banerjee, Karin Strohecker and Rae Wee, Singapore – Bank Indonesia's rate cut this week stunned markets for all the wrong reasons – investors fear the central bank is bowing to pressure from President Prabowo Subianto to juice the economy, compromising its independence and risking a rupiah sell-off.

Jakarta – Political developments in the past few weeks have not been very kind to the concept of civilian supremacy in the country.

In the wake of looting and rioting that took place in late August, President Prabowo Subianto agreed to the deployment of more than 75,000 soldiers from the Indonesian Military (TNI) to secure areas within and around Jakarta.

Lawmakers in one of the world's poorest countries have scrapped plans for lavish spending on themselves amid days-long protests led by Timorese students.

Indonesia will ban the construction of new hotels and restaurants built atop cleared rice fields and agricultural land on the popular resort island of Bali, after recent flash flooding killed at least 18 people.

A state of emergency was declared on Bali on 10 September after the island experienced the most severe flooding in more than a decade.

Antara, Nabire – The Siriwini Bawah Bridge, which connects Nabire City with Nabire Port in Central Papua, collapsed following a magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck the region early Friday morning.

In addition, several buildings were reported damaged, while internet networks in Nabire Regency also experienced disruptions.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) has placed the Asset Forfeiture Bill among its top legislative priorities for 2025-2026, signaling renewed momentum on a measure long stalled in parliament.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – Indonesia's 2026 state budget plan has undergone significant revisions less than two weeks after the appointment of Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, marking one of his first major policy shifts.

Antara, Jakarta – The Jakarta Environmental Agency sprayed 4,000 liters of water mist in several strategic locations to help reduce air pollution. The effort is part of the pre-events leading up to the Jakarta Eco Future Fest (JEFF) 2025.

Rahmad Nur, Central Sulawesi – A total of 277 students from various education levels in Banggai Islands Regency, Central Sulawesi, were suspected of suffering from mass food poisoning on Wednesday. Reports stated that hundreds of students experienced nausea, dizziness, and vomiting after consuming their lunch.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa confirmed on Thursday that Siti Hardijanti Rukmana, better known as Tutut, has withdrawn her lawsuit challenging a government travel ban imposed over unsettled debt.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital Technology (Komdigi) has opened the option of implementing face and fingerprint scans as a requirement for activating social media accounts. This step is considered a solution to the problem of owning and controlling multiple social media accounts anonymously.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Human Rights regards the hunger strike carried out by Gejayan Memanggil (Gejayan Calling) activist Syahdan Husein as part of his freedom of expression. The activist has been on a hunger strike since September 11, to protest his detention over alleged incitement during late August protests.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission IX, Sahidin, revealed that there are thousands of suspected fictitious free nutritious meal (MBG) kitchens across Indonesia. He obtained the information during his working visit to Batam in the Riau Islands Province on Thursday, September 18, 2025.

Hanaa Septiana, Jakarta – The East Java Regional Police announced the arrest of nearly 1,000 people suspected of involvement in riots that erupted during demonstrations across ten areas of East Java from Friday to Saturday, August 29-30, 2025.

Officers also confiscated various items, including books they claim promote anarchist ideologies.

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – A recent survey by the Indonesia's Setara Institute revealed that most experts consider public trust in the Indonesian National Police to be poor.

The findings come as the government prepares to establish a Police Reform Commission under President Prabowo Subianto.

Muhammad Farhan, Jakarta – Indonesia will introduce new import restrictions on cassava and ethanol to protect local producers, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman announced Friday, following directives from President Prabowo Subianto.

Sigit Zulmunir, Jakarta – A total of 657 students in Garut Regency, West Java, Indonesia, have been affected by suspected mass food poisoning linked to the government's free nutritious meal program (MBG).

"Currently, only 10 students remain hospitalized, down from 30 at the peak," said Garut Health Office Head Leli Yuliani on Friday, September 19, 2025.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – Sixteen activists detained at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police have launched a hunger strike to protest their detention over August 2025 mass demonstrations.

Among them is activist Syahdan Husein from the Gejayan Memanggil movement, who is believed to have initiated the action.

Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform has criticised a statement by the Ministry of Defence (Kemenhan) which said that the involvement of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in guarding public facilities is similar to the situation in the United States (US).

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa disapproves of tax amnesties, as the senior economist feared forgiveness would only build a bad habit among Indonesia's taxpayers.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has signed a presidential regulation formally designating Nusantara Capital City (IKN) in East Kalimantan as Indonesia's political capital by 2028.

The policy is outlined in Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 79 of 2025 on Updating the Government's 2025 Work Plan.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) has released its latest monitoring results on mass food poisoning cases allegedly caused by Prabowo's free nutritious meal program. By mid-September 2025, the organization had recorded at least 5,360 children across the country poisoned after consuming the state-sanctioned meals.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia is preparing a new market-based incentive scheme to encourage citizens to repatriate U.S. dollar savings held abroad, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said Friday, outlining one of his first major policy priorities since taking office.

Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has asked several prominent figures, including former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mohammad Mahfud MD, to join a newly planned National Police Reform Commission, a close presidential aide said Friday.

Dili – Timor-Leste has assured Myanmar's military regime that it will no longer allow Myanmar opposition groups to engage in political activities or open offices on its territory.

The diplomatic breakthrough came during a two-day visit to Naypyitaw by Timor-Leste's Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – While Indonesia is experiencing a "wet dry season" with relatively high rainfalls, a recent independent analysis has revealed an increasing rate of forest and land fires across the country, particularly in oil palm plantation and energy concessions.

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – Deputy Chief of the National Economic Council (DEN) Mari Elka Pangestu stated that the mass protests in Indonesia in August 2025 were not a result of President Prabowo Subianto's 10-month rule. According to her, these actions were the consequences of the legacy of economic policies over the past decade.

Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has criticised the confiscation of books by the police, in this case the East Java and West Java Regional Police (Polda), over last few days.

Jakarta – The appointment of Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa as Finance Minister replacing Sri Mulyani Indrawati marks a new chapter in Indonesia's fiscal politics. Instead of bringing optimism, he gives rise to concerns about the direction of the management of state finances.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government urges the public not to conclude that there have been cases of enforced disappearance during the late August protests. This comes in response to the failure to locate two individuals, Reno Syachputra Dewo and Muhammad Farhan Hamid, after the protests in Jakarta.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) is urging President Prabowo Subianto and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to immediately halt the free nutritious meal program. This demand comes against the backdrop of repeated mass food poisoning cases over the past week.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) and the government, along with the Regional House of Representatives (DPD), have agreed on 67 bills to be included in the Priority National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) for 2026.

Jakarta – Online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers remain divided over commission fees charged by ride-hailing platforms. However, once they understand the deductions, most prioritize higher booking volumes over commission rates, a new survey shows.

Jakarta – The National Police have submitted a request to Interpol headquarters in France to issue a Red Notice for business tycoon Mohammad Riza Chalid, who remains at large after he was named as a suspect in a high-profile corruption case linked to state-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina.

Aqila Izatul Rahman, Jakarta – The Association of All Indonesian Workers (Aspirasi) welcomes the government's policy to expand tax incentives for employees with incomes below Rp10 million. As part of the economic stimulus, the coverage of income tax incentives (PPh) under Article 21 has been expanded to include workers in the hotel, restaurant, and catering sectors.

Denny Gunawan, Ari Pasek, James Christian and Wibawa Hendra Saputera – The year 2025 begins with persistent global geopolitical tensions. The war between Ukraine and Russia drags on, conflict in the Middle East is heating up, and the United States-China trade war continues. All of this could send shockwaves through the global energy market – including in Indonesia.

Responding to the government's decision not to form a Joint Fact Finding Team (TGPF) related to a series of demonstrations that claimed at least eleven fatalities at the end of August, Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid, said:

Surabaya – The East Java Regional Police and its officers have confiscated 11 books from protesters involved in demonstrations that turned violent in Surabaya and Sidoarjo on August 29-31.

Several of these books have been linked to the riots that occurred during the wave of demonstrations in Indonesia last August, including several areas in East Java.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Chairperson of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), Shinta Kamdani, hopes the government's economic stimulus could address the dual needs of maintaining people's purchasing power while also strengthening production capacity. She cautioned about several prerequisites to ensure that the stimulus will deliver real impacts.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Food poisoning incidents continue to plague the Indonesian government's free nutritious meal (MBG) program.

The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) reported that at least 4,000 students have fallen ill after consuming meals from the program in the past eight months.