Ana Norman Bermudez, South Siberut, Indonesia – As night falls over the Siberut jungle, a fire crackles inside the Tateburuk clan's wooden home, or uma. The walls are covered in traditional Mentawai carvings of forest creatures – birds, lizards, monkeys and gibbons – a reminder that the boundary between the outside world and the home is thin.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Health Minister has defended his controversial comments calling men with a jeans size of 33 inches or more "definitely obese" and "more likely to meet God sooner."

Budi Gunadi Sadikin's remarks drew a wave of criticism from netizens across the country.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) has defended the practice of setting maximum age limits for certain job applications in Indonesia, arguing that some positions require younger employees due to physical health considerations.

A five-year-old boy and two adults have been wounded in shootings during an Indonesian military operation in Papua's Intan Jaya regency, according to local human rights defenders.

The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia has revealed several notes from its surveillance of the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program. These notes were conveyed by Ombudsman Member Yeka Hendra Fatika during a press conference with the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana at the Ombudsman office in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Ishvar – According to Law Number 20/2009 on Titles, Services and Honours, the requirements to be named a national hero include having moral integrity and setting an exemplary example, a service to the nation and state and/or being loyal to and not betraying the nation and state.

Max Lane – Indonesia's main opposition party faces both a succession and an identity crisis. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), headed by former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, is Indonesia's largest political party by vote share.

Deborah Dan-Awoh – Indonesia, has relaxed its multiple-entry visa policies to permit longer uninterrupted stays.

The new regulations, announced by the Directorate General of Immigration, now allow eligible foreign nationals to remain in the country for up to 180 days without having to exit and re-enter.

Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – The acts of thuggery carried out by several mass organizations (ormas) have caused harm to various groups, including entrepreneurs. In addition, individuals acting in the name of mass organizations often engage in extortion, which is considered to hinder the entry of investors into Indonesia.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Jakarta – In front of member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto affirmed support for the independence of Palestine.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has killed 18 Papuan separatists during an operation in its easternmost region of Papua, an official said on Thursday.

The military seized dozens of munitions, including an assault rifle, bows and arrows and an unspecified homemade weapon during Wednesday's operation, TNI spokesperson Kristomei Sianturi said in a statement.

Chappy Hakim, Jakarta – The recent clash between India and Pakistan marks a significant development in the regional air power constellation. This event has sparked strategic concerns about Indonesia's procurement of advanced weaponry and its unresolved airspace sovereignty issues, particularly in critical border regions such as the Strait of Malacca.

Monique Handa Shafira, Jakarta – Grab Indonesia on Thursday dismissed market speculation of a potential $7 billion merger with Indonesian tech giant GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (GOTO), calling the rumors unsubstantiated and lacking any verified basis.

Anwar Siswadi (Kontributor), Bandung – Floods and landslides struck five areas across West Java following moderate to heavy rainfall on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. The disasters occurred mainly from the afternoon to the evening in Bogor, West Bandung, Bandung, and Tasikmalaya.

Ichsan Ali, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia will reimpose a cap on the number of SIM cards registered per user in response to the growing problem of spam calls, Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid announced on Thursday.

Agencies, Jakarta – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese touted his country's defense cooperation with Indonesia during a visit to Jakarta on Thursday, his first trip abroad since his reelection.

The two nations have sought to boost security ties in the face of numerous flashpoints in the Asia-Pacific region including the contested South China Sea.

Jakarta – Indonesia is making a big splash for this year's haj season, as it has done in previous years. Sending off the world's largest number of pilgrims, President Prabowo Subianto launched recently a new terminal at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport that offers fast-track Saudi Arabia immigration clearance for the convenience of the pilgrims.

Gusty Da Costa – The Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) has called for an immediate halt to a military operation that has reportedly affected three villages in Papua's Intan Jaya Regency.

Jakarta – Hundreds of workers who are members of the Indonesian Workers Alliance Against War and Colonisation spilled on to the streets in front of the United States Embassy in Central Jakarta on Thursday May 15. During the action commemorating the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, they rejected war and colonialism and supported independence for Palestine.

Sapto Yunus, Batam – Miswadi, the head of the United Rempang-Galang Indigenous Community Alliance (AMAR-GB), voiced the latest rejection of residents towards the National Strategic Project (PSN) Rempang Eco City which took place last Monday, May 12, 2025.

Tempo, Sentul, West Java – In a landmark collaboration, the Indonesian National Defense Forces Peacekeeping Center (PMPP TNI) and the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Jakarta have successfully concluded the inaugural Journalist Boot Camp: Experiencing Indonesia's Peacekeeping Mission.

M. Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – Google Cloud has announced an expansion of the computing capacity of its Jakarta Cloud Region. This large-capacity data center houses servers, silicon chips, storage devices, and networking equipment.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's external debt rose to $430.4 billion in the first quarter of 2025, marking a 6.4 percent year-on-year increase, according to Bank Indonesia. The growth outpaced the previous quarter's 4.3 percent expansion and was largely attributed to a surge in public sector borrowing.

Basten Gokkon – Authorities managing one of the last protected areas on Earth that still hosts Sumatran tigers must do more to deter poaching and promote alternative livelihoods for local communities, a new study suggests.

Kiki Safitri, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf has stated that the government will consider all input related to the discourse on naming the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto, a national hero.

Dziedzic in Indonesia and Erwin Renaldi – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has landed in Indonesia as he begins his first overseas trip since his resounding election victory on May 3.

It won't be a long visit – Mr Albanese will only spend one full day on the ground in Jakarta before flying to Rome to meet European leaders and attend the pope's inauguration mass.

Ardhike Indah, Jogja – Heavy rain showered the Gajah Mada University (UGM) campus in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on the afternoon of Thursday May 15. But the heavy downpour from the sky did not dampen the spirits of a group of students who set up a large blue tent on the grounds of the Pancasila Hall yesterday.

Nawir Arsyad Akbar, Jakarta – Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Impunity Monitoring Division Head Jane Rosalina has revealed that 30 international institutions have rejected giving the 2nd president of the Republic of Indonesia the title of national hero.

A former Catholic priest convicted of sex abuse is among 38 people considered for the presidential executive clemency in Timor-Leste, according to the country's justice minister.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metropolitan Police, together with the Indonesian National Army (TNI) and the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), conducted the Berantas Jaya 2025 Operation on Tuesday night, May 13, 2025.

Human Rights Monitor says at least 13 people have been killed in West Papua in the past six months as tensions between Indigenous people and Indonesian troops increase.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Another incident involving the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) occurred, where expired ammunition exploded in Garut, West Java. The explosion claimed the lives of 13 people.

Here are several incidents of TNI ammunition explosions within the past year.

1. Ammunition depot explosion

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – The Banten Regional Police is investigating the incident of a group of local businesspeople allegedly seeking a project quota worth Rp 5 trillion without a bidding process from foreign investors at the Krakatau Steel industrial area in Cilegon.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia's first road map for its energy transition, focusing on phasing out coal, is riddled with loopholes that will make it difficult for the country to retire its massive fleet of coal-fired power plants, critics say.

Ayat S. Karokaro, Asahan, Indonesia – On Nov. 11, 2024, Alfi Simatupang, a police officer in Asahan district on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was arrested along with two soldiers and a civilian for allegedly attempting to traffic nearly 1.2 metric tons of pangolin scales.

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – The National Police have arrested thousands of suspected gang members in a nationwide operation targeting rogue mass organizations and street crime, amid escalating reports of racketeering and extortion that business leaders say are harming the country's economic climate.

Julie Wark – On May 6, Deris Kogoya was riding his motorbike when he was executed by an Indonesian rocket, bazooka, or mortar attack from a helicopter near Kelanungin village, Puncak Jaya regency, West Papua. The mangled human remains in the photo had been an eighteen-year-old youth just a few hours earlier.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The Free Papua Movement (OPM) group has reported that one of its members, Bumi Walo Enumbi, died during a military operation conducted by the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the OPM's armed wing TPNPB-OPM, confirmed this incident.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – State electricity company PT PLN (Persero) has set a target to develop 20.9 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy power plants by 2030, in line with the 2021-2030 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL). However, as of April 2025, only 1.6 GW of operating capacity has been realized.

Jakarta – Without proper follow-up measures, the move by Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan and Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq to seal off two housing clusters on high land in Sentul, Bogor, West Java, will not have any meaningful result.

Septia Ryanthie, Jakarta – Several energy analysts have responded to the government's plan to slash fuel imports from Singapore. Mulyanto, the head of the Indonesian Society of Scientists and Technologists (MITI), for example, suspects that the plan is a consequence of the tariff talks underway between the United States and Indonesia.

Shinta Maharani, Solo – Former Indonesian President Jokowi referred to a viral meme of himself and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto made by a student from Bandung Institute of Technology as an example of democracy gone too far.

He said the meme had crossed the line.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, has disclosed the cause behind the mass poisoning of hundreds of students in Bogor who had consumed the Free Nutritious Meal program at school.

As of May 11, 2025, a total of 210 students were reported to have shown symptoms of food poisoning.

Riri Rahayu, Yogyakarta – The Alliance of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Students staged a protest on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, against what they described as the chaotic handling of sexual violence cases and the growing presence of militarism on campus.

Muhammad Beni Saputra – After the fall of Soeharto's repressive New Order regime, new media outlets emerged across Indonesia, and a new diversity in perspectives followed. However, this was not true of public journalism. In fact, the post-Soeharto era has been characterised by the oligarchisation and corporatisation of the Indonesian press.

Wijayanti Putri, Solo – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo hinted on Wednesday that he might join the race to become chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), which is currently led by his youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Khairul Munadi, the Director General of Higher Education at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek), has stated that the government is paying close attention to the many complaints about high "development institution contributions" (IPI) at several state universities, including the University of Indonesia (UI) and

[The following is a translation of flyer for a public discussion that will be held on May 25, 2025, organised by the Indonesian Poor People's Union (SPRI).]

Enough! The people must rise up and fight!

Rachel Caroline L. Toruan, Jakarta – Mass food poisoning incidents linked to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program have continued to surface across Indonesia.

Jakarta (Jakarta Post/ANN) – The Indonesian Military's (TNI) expanded deployment of personnel to provide security protection for prosecutors nationwide has once again landed the institution in hot water for stoking fears of military intervention in the judicial realm.