Duncan Graham – Ancient Javanese mythology, often inherited from India and adapted to fit local culture, is rich with striking characters in the wayang kulit shadow puppet theatre. The fat-gut wise clown Semar is charged with maintaining stability.

James Balowski – Tens of thousands of workers, students and civil society groups took to the streets across Indonesia on May 1 to commemorate International Labour Day.

Jakarta – One bad apple spoils the whole barrel. As a result of the embezzlement of corporate funds that allegedly occurred at eFishery, an aquaculture startup, investor trust in startups in Indonesia is melting away. And the eFishery scandal shows that the young people managing them are highly skilled in financial manipulation.

Jayapura, Indonesia – Indonesia's security forces have clashed with separatist rebels in the restive Papua region, leaving at least 18 insurgents and two police officers dead, officials and the rebels said Friday.

A woman who survived sexual abuse at the hands of a convicted paedophile priest fears he will hurt her again if the Timor-Leste government succeeds in having him pardoned.

Sukma Kanthi Nurani, Jakarta - The Indonesian Industry Ministry has claimed that Indonesia currently maintains a relatively low number of non-tariff trade barriers (NTBs) and non-tariff measures (NTMs) compared to many other nations.

Antara, Jayapura – Two Indonesian police officers were fatally shot by suspected separatist rebels while riding motorcycles in Papua's Puncak Jaya Regency, authorities said on Friday.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The online motorcycle taxi drivers' association, Garda Indonesia, will stage a mass protest on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

Citra Lestari – Indonesia has around than 1 million TB cases annually and clinical trials of vaccine candidate M72/AS01E have been underway since last year. The final trials, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, start soon in Indonesia. They will also be conducted in South Africa, Kenya, Zambia and Malawi.

Pacnews – In a renewed wave of airstrikes, Indonesia has bombed several villages in Ilaga, Puncak Regency, West Papua – displacing entire communities and reigniting memories of past atrocities.

Jakarta – Police need to lighten up and have a better sense of humor in their work, particularly in monitoring social media platforms. For one, they need to be able to recognize satire when they see it, which in a democracy is a protected form of political speech.

Divya Karyza, Jakarta – The government is slated to raise its export levy on crude palm oil from 7.5 percent to 10 percent of the reference price starting May 17 to fund a biodiesel program and replanting efforts.

Caleb Fotheringham – West Papuans in Merauke claim the Indonesian government is stealing land to build its global "food barn" and feed its population of 280 million.

Indonesia denies this and says all transactions are lawful.

Radhiyya Indra and Maretha Uli, Jakarta – A government project to rewrite parts of Indonesia's history has prompted concern that it might discourage scientific discourse and close off any other interpretations of historical events.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday threw a festive reception to welcome Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese back to the State Palace in Jakarta, marking their first official meeting following the latter's second-term inauguration just two days prior.

Jihan Ristiyanti, Jakarta - Public prosecutors have indicted Zulkarnaen Apriliantony, Adhi Kismanto, Alwin Jabarti Kiemas, and Muhrijan alias Agus in a bribery case connected to the unblocking of online gambling sites by the then Ministry of Communication and Information or Kominfo (now the Ministry of Communication and Digital or Komdigi).

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organization (TPNPB-OPM) has stated that it carried out a retaliatory attack against the Indonesian Military (TNI) in Kampung Usir, Mulia District, Puncak Jaya Regency, Papua, on Thursday, May 15, 2025.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to Indonesia comes at a pivotal time as Jakarta prepares to vault into the ranks of the world's biggest economies.

Nadja Skopljak – Switzerland-based StreamTec Solutions has signed a cooperation agreement with Timor-Leste's national oil & gas company Timor Gas & Petroleo, E.P. (TIMOR GAP) and the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MPRM) to establish a company that will develop an underwater pipeline highway for the transport of natural gas.

Muhammad Farhan, Jakarta – Indonesia has officially reopened salt imports after mounting pressure from domestic industries unable to secure enough raw materials, according to Chief Food Affairs Minister Zulkifli "Zulhas" Hasan.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Herman, Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – Indonesia's benchmark Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) rallied past the 7,000 mark for the first time in over three months on Thursday, buoyed by optimism surrounding a temporary easing in US – China trade tensions. The benchmark rose 1 percent to 7,050.5 as of 9:37 a.m. local time, after a 2.15 percent surge the day prior.

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.

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.

Jakarta – International civil society organizations strongly condemn the initiative to grant the title of National Hero to Soeharto, the second President of the Republic of Indonesia. His authoritarian rule from 1967 to 1998 was marked by gross human rights violations and systemic corruption, collusion, and nepotism.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 – 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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