Bella Evanglista, Antara, Jakarta – Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly has confirmed that immigration data services, now hosted on Amazon Web Service (AWS) following a cyberattack, are secure.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The government has seized assets worth Rp 333.66 billion ($20.4 million) belonging to former bankers Benny Ahadi and Andri Tedjadharma as part of a debt recovery initiative targeting major debtors who received state bailouts during the 1998 financial crisis.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – The public prosecutor of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has demanded a 12-year prison sentence and a fine of Rp 500 million for former Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo, also known as SYL.

Long-standing tensions in Timika have escalated, resulting in the significant destruction of local community plantations. The conflict began in 2017 and has reached alarming levels in 2024 with repeated incidents of violence, destruction, and threats. The person behind these actions is an individual known by the initials YG.

Timeline of Events:

The Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (BPN) and the government of Sorong Regency, Southwest Papua (Papua Barat Daya) Province, are being urged to review the permits and impose strict sanctions on PT Inti Kebun Sejahtera (IKSJ) following recent trespassing on customary land.

The Indonesian government's plan to transform Merauke town, South Papua (Papua Selatan) Province, into a major centre for sugarcane plantations and bioethanol production has sparked significant controversy and legal disputes.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Gresik – The Indonesian government inaugurated Freeport Indonesia's (PTFI) $3.7 billion (Rp 60 trillion) copper smelter, Smelter Manyar, at the Java Integrated Industrial and Ports Estate (JIIPE) in Gresik, East Java, on Thursday.

Thomas E Harefa, Jakarta – Indonesia is still far from being halfway through its tax revenue target as the populous country has only collected Rp 760.38 trillion (about $46.3 billion) so far this year as of May.

"We have reached 38.23 percent of [our tax revenue] target for this year," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani told a virtual press briefing on Thursday.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – Jakarta has emerged as one of the top 10 most congested cities worldwide. The three cities topping the list for highest traffic congestion are New York City, Mexico City, and London, according to the 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard released by traffic data analysis firm INRIX.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Antara, Jakarta – German chemical producer BASF and French miner Eramet have withdrawn from a $2.6 billion ($42.67 trillion) investment in a nickel-cobalt refining complex in Weda Bay, North Maluku.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia will not block social media platform X (formerly Twitter) because it is not violating the country's pornography law.

Djibril Muhammad, Jakarta – Hundreds of foreign nationals were arrested by immigration officials for misusing their residence permits and suspected cybercrimes.

Silmy Karim, Director General of Immigration at the Law and Human Rights Ministry, reported that the Bali Becik surveillance operation led to the capture of 103 foreign nationals at a villa in Bali.

Agencies, Jakarta – More than 40 agencies, including the ministry overseeing immigration, were impacted by a cyberattack on the country's data centers, an official said on Wednesday.

The latest cyberattack, the worst that the country has experienced in recent years, disrupted immigration services and affected operations at major airports for days.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – Investors have demanded hefty returns in order to get engaged in the future capital city, Nusantara, despite numerous incentives already offered to woo them.

Jakarta – Indonesians are so used to their data being stolen by hackers at this point that most of the time they simply shrug it off, keep calm and carry on.

Stefan Armbruster, Victor Mambor and BenarNews staff – An unheralded visit to Indonesia's Papuan provinces by a leading Pacific diplomat has drawn criticism for undermining a push for a United Nations human rights mission to the region where pro-independence insurgents have fought Indonesian rule for decades.

Calvin Yang, Dalian, China – Indonesia is working on digitising permits and licences needed to bring in "good quality international events", said the country's Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Environment Agency has installed more air quality monitoring stations in an effort to curb air pollution in the city, which has repeatedly ranked among the world's most polluted in recent weeks.

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has denied that it will replace its secretary-general, Hasto Kristiyanto, amid the ongoing investigation by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in relation to the hunt for former party member and graft fugitive Harun Masiku.

Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that only two out of 11 recommendations by the government's Team for the Non-Judicial Resolution of Past Gross Human Rights Violations (TPPHAM) have been followed up on by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration.

Fito Akhmad Erlangga, Balikpapan – The Public Works and Housing Ministry (PUPR) is working diligently to ensure President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo can occupy the presidential office in the new capital, Nusantara Capital City (IKN) in East Kalimantan, by next month.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – An executive of the National Awakening Party (PKB) criticized the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) on Wednesday for nominating its former chairman, Sohibul Iman, as a running mate for Anies Baswedan in the upcoming Jakarta gubernatorial election.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The Ministry of Communications and Information (Kominfo) assured the country's digital transformation efforts will not be deterred by the recent ransomware attack on the Temporary National Data Center (PDNS). Deputy Kominfo Minister Nezar Patria emphasized the importance of staying the course.

Jakarta – Aliansi Kolibri, a coalition promoting sustainable agriculture and fighting deforestation in Indonesia, said local involvement in sustainability is important in contrast with dominant national strategies such as the extensive development of new agricultural lands known as 'food estates'.

Jihan Ristiyanti, Jakarta – Director of Citizen Protection at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, said there were over 53,000 Indonesian citizens who migrated abroad through unlawful means.

"There has been a consistent increase in the last 5 years," he told Tempo on Monday, June 24, 2024.

Antara, Jakarta – West Sumatra Regional Police Chief Inspector General Suharyono admitted that his members had procedural errors in handling 18 teenagers suspected of being involved in brawls in Padang City.

Hendri Agung Pratama, Fauzi Ibrahim, Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission or Komnas HAM reported that the National Police is the most frequently reported for torture cases compared to other state institutions. From January 1, 2020, to June 24, 2024, the human rights institution received a total of 176 torture cases by police out of 282 reports.

Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – Following a ransomware attack that compromised the national data center and crippled the immigration service, Communication and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said on Thursday Indonesia is not the only country to suffer from such an attack.

Jakarta – Protesters from the Labour Movement with the People (GEBRAK) and other social groups have disbanded after holding a demonstration near the Horse Statue in Central Jakarta on Thursday June 27 opposing the Public Housing Savings (Tapera) program.

The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT), established in 1979 on the basis of the Universal Declaration of Peoples' Rights, and in compliance with its Statute, has opened a procedure to investigate the environmental impacts of development in West Papua and the human rights violations linked to those practices.

Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – The Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SafeNET) has launched a petition on the change.org website calling for Communication and Information Technology Minister (Menkominfo) Budi Arie Setiadi to resign from his position.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Land Bank Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday with Bank J Trust Indonesia and J Trust Consulting Indonesia to utilize the agency's land in North Penajam Paser Regency, where the future national capital, Nusantara, is being constructed.

Jakarta – Indonesia recently signed a partnership agreement with Bezos Earth Fund, the philanthropic commitment by the American business magnate Jeff Bezos to fight climate change.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jakarta – The Hartono brothers, owners of Djarum Group, have overtaken coal magnate Low Tuck Kwong, moving to second and third place on Forbes' list of Indonesia's richest people. Barito Group's Prajogo Pangestu retains the top spot.

Resty Woro Yuniar – In a rare admission, Indonesian authorities revealed that last week's catastrophic collapse of the country's immigration system was caused by hackers using new ransomware to attack a critical data centre.

Jakarta – A number of South Sumatra regencies have been put on siaga (alert) status, the second-highest level of the country's four-tiered alert system, for land and forest fires ahead of the peak of the dry season.

Three regencies, namely Banyuasin, Musi Banyuasin and Ogan Komering Ilir, have imposed the emergency alert status from June until at least November.

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) is investigating the death of a 13-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten to death by police in West Sumatra, officials said on Tuesday.

Residents discovered the bruised body of high-school student Afif Maulana in a river close to a village in Padang, in West Sumatra on June 9.

Friends of the Earth – Today, Friends of the Earth US, WALHI (Friends of the Earth Indonesia), and Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) released a new report detailing how protracted land conflicts, governance failures, and a lack of accountability define Astra Agro Lestari's operations in Indonesia.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – The National Police are investigating reports that data from its Indonesia Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (Inafis) were being sold on the dark web after a massive national database breach last Thursday temporarily crippled public services.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – Indonesia's president-elect Prabowo Subianto plans to fund his campaign promises by increasing the Indonesian debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio by 2 percentage points annually, potentially reaching 50 percent by the end of his term.

Jakarta – In another case that many suspect is an attempt to weaponize law enforcement to silence those critical of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has questioned Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto in connection with the hunt for graft suspect fugitive and party member Harun Masiku.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Chief Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan recently said that a Chinese textile giant would build a factory in Indonesia. His announcement came amid mass layoffs within the sector.

Antara, Jakarta – Austria is looking to recruit professional and skilled workers from Indonesia as the country faces a labor shortage, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Wednesday.

Retno discussed the cooperation with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg during a bilateral meeting in Vienna on Tuesday.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Financial Transactions Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) revealed that 1,000 members of the House of Representatives (DPR) and Regional Legislative Councils (DPRD) are involved in online gambling.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Head of Indonesia's Financial Transactions Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), Ivan Yustiavandana, unveiled suspicious transactions totaling Rp 80 trillion ($4.87 billion) linked to the 2024 elections.

Jakarta – Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya recently addressed the Oslo Tropical Forest Forum, saying that Indonesia's deforestation had been witnessing a decline.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – The newly launched Task Force against Online Gambling has arrested at least seven social media personalities for endorsing gambling on their Instagram accounts, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The president of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has welcomed the launch of a new political front, urging support for this new initiative on the "roadmap to liberation".

Benny Wenda said the launch of the West Papua People's Liberation Front (GR-PWP) was a new popular movement formed to execute the national agenda of the ULMWP.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Protests are mounting in Indonesia against a China-backed zinc and lead mine being developed on the island of Sumatra in defiance of opposition from local communities.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's temporary National Data Center (PDN), managed by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) and Telkom Sigma, was compromised by a ransomware attack on June 20, 2024.