Sukarjito, Jakarta – Indonesia experienced 4,071 earthquakes in August 2025, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Of the total, 21 quakes had magnitudes above 5.0, while the remaining 4,050 were below that threshold. Most were minor and went unfelt by residents.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Financial Services Authority (OJK) reports a continued increase in public debt from the banking industry's buy now, pay later (BNPL) services. In July 2025, consumer pay-later debt in banks reached Rp24.05 trillion, up from Rp22.99 trillion the previous month.

As Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders gather in Honiara for the 54th Leaders' Meeting, Pacific communities are demanding more than diplomatic platitudes – it's time for Forum Leaders to end the silence and act on the escalating humanitarian crisis unfolding in our region.

Jakarta – The Advocacy Team for Democracy (TAUD) rejects the charges against activists who have been arrested for allegedly inciting students and children to take part in demonstration at the end of August.

On 3 September 2025, an indigenous Papuan named Vicktor Bernadus Deyal, 29, was arbitrarily arrested by police officers in front of the police station (Polsek) on Paradiso Road in the town of Dekai, Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province. Initially suspected of being intoxicated, Mr Deyal was reportedly arrested and tortured inside a police truck for about three hours.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) reported that ten demonstrators remain unaccounted for following recent protests.

"The total number of missing persons reported is ten," KontraS Coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya said in a written statement on Friday, September 5, 2025.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) leadership has decided to scrap several benefits for its members following an internal meeting on Thursday, September 4, 2025. The decision includes ending the monthly housing allowance and imposing a moratorium on overseas trips.

Adinda Jasmine, Jakarta – The Gerak Solidaritas Belanda or Dutch Solidarity Movement (GSB), a coalition of Indonesian citizens in the Netherlands under the umbrella of Aksi Kamisan Netherlands, held a solidarity walk to the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in The Hague on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, read out the results of the DPR's factional agreement in response to the 17+8 People's Demands. The DPR held an internal meeting on Thursday, September 4, to address several demands made to the institution.

Jakarta – Protesters consisting of students, academics and civil society activists held a peaceful demonstration titled "The National People's Picnic" in front of the parliament building in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Friday September 5.

Jakarta – Since the outset, simple business calculations have shown that the Whoosh high-speed rail service will never break even, yet alone make a profit. Last year, with monthly revenues of Rp133 billion, Indonesian railroad company Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), had to cover the operational costs of Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) and repay Rp179 billion of project debt.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – JPMorgan Indonesia said the country's financial markets remain attractive to foreign investors despite recent protests, underscoring confidence in the government's ability to maintain stability and respond to public demands.

Beijing – China and Indonesia should deepen all-around strategic collaboration and the synergy of development strategies, and drive ties to serve as a role model in regional and global settings, President Xi Jinping told visiting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Head of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Information Center, Brigadier General Freddy Ardianzah, confirmed that a member of the TNI's Strategic Intelligence Body (Bais TNI) was arrested by the Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) of the Indonesian National Police during a mass protest in Pejompongan, West Jakarta.

Mass protests erupted in Indonesia on 25 August, as thousands gathered outside the Parliament in Jakarta to denounce a newly approved housing allowance for lawmakers worth nearly ten times the capital's minimum wage.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) notes that as many as 4,000 students have become victims of food poisoning from consuming free nutritious meals in the past eight months.

Beijing – Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Friday met with Maria Fernanda Lay, president of the National Parliament of Timor-Leste, who is in China for a visit and the commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, announced that the government plans to revise Indonesia's general elections law. According to him, President Prabowo Subianto wants to reform the political system to allow for more open political participation for all citizens.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metro Police said the estimated losses suffered by the force due to a series of demonstrations in Jakarta stood at Rp180 billion. The public relations head at the Jakarta Metro Police, Grand Commissioner Ade Ary Syam Indradi, said the actual figure could exceed these estimated numbers.

Jakarta – The August 2025 public protests, marked by a palpable anti-elite sentiment and social class polarization, were not a spontaneous event. According to a new analysis from the Monash Data and Democracy Research Hub, this dynamic is the culmination of political and social frustrations that have been building since the 2024 election.

Pacific Greetings,

Nearly a year into the regime of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, mass resistance has erupted again.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Hundreds of students from Universitas Padjajaran (Unpad) gathered at the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Central Jakarta on Friday, September 5, 2025. Dressed in dark blue blazers, they walked from the TVRI building to the main gate of the DPR, arriving around 1:30 p.m. local time. They formed a letter "U" and sat cross-legged on the ground.

Jakarta – Student groups met two senior ministers late on Thursday to press their complaints after more than a week of sometimes violent protests over lawmakers' bonuses and police tactics used against demonstrators.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) has scrapped a controversial housing allowance of Rp 50 million ($3,000) per lawmaker per month following a week of widespread demonstrations across the country.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metro Police searched the personal residence of Lokataru Foundation Director Delpedro Marhaen, after the activist was named a suspect for allegedly inciting anarchic actions during protests.

Ian Wilson – The mass protests that erupted across Indonesia in late August – resulting in ten fatalities and extensive damage to government and public infrastructure – have prompted a familiar choreography of blame and securitised response.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Statistics Indonesia (BPS) noted that Indonesia imported weapons worth US$65.04 million, or around Rp1.06 trillion (at an exchange rate of Rp16,400 per U.S. dollar) from January to July 2025.

Hendro D Situmorang, Jakarta – Jakarta police said Friday that the release of detained protesters linked to recent demonstrations cannot be carried out immediately, stressing that legal procedures must be followed.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Hundreds of workers are staging a protest at Medan Merdeka Selatan street, Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

The workers, who are part of the "Workers with the People Movement," or Gebrak, embarked on a long march from the International Labor Organization (ILO) office on M.H. Thamrin street, Menteng, Central Jakarta.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Basudiwa Supraja, Jakarta – Indonesian police have charged seven social media activists with inciting violence during nationwide protests that have left at least 10 people dead and triggered widespread unrest.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian government will provide financial assistance of Rp15 million for the families of deceased victims and Rp5 million for seriously injured victims of recent demonstrations, according to Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf

The aid will be distributed through the adaptive social assistance (bansos) program.

Riana A Ibrahim in Jakarta and Tessa Wong in Singapore – Indonesia's protests which escalated following the killing of a delivery rider have sparked a drive among South East Asians to show their support through delivery apps.

Lidia Pratama Febrian, Faieq Hidayat, Jakarta – The 876th Kamisan (Thursday) Action was held in front of the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta on Thursday September 4. The action took up the theme "Remembering 21 Years of the Murder of Munir: Indonesia Emergency, Violence and Injustice".

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) has urged the Indonesian government to exercise caution in allocating the massive budget for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program.

In the 2026 Draft State Revenue and Expenditure Budget, the MBG allocation reaches Rp335 trillion, nearly 10 percent of total state expenditure.

This assessment of the situation and our position is published after carefully and cautiously after observing and understanding the developments in the political situation throughout the last week of August 2025, so that we do not fall into political adventurism, the worship of spontaneous movements and mass anger, underestimating or overestimating mass consciousness, its dynamics,

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Hundreds of students from Indonesian Student Executive Board Alliance (BEM SI) staged a protest in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan, Central Jakarta. They arrived after conducting a long march from Jalan Gerbang Pemuda.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – Siti Zuhro, a political researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), considered President Prabowo Subianto's statement on treason during the late August protests to be hasty. According to her, riots, despite resulting in casualties and damage, cannot automatically be categorized as an attempt to overthrow a legitimate government.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Indonesian coalition of civil society organizations and prominent influencers visited the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday afternoon, September 4, 2025. They held a symbolic event to formally submit the "17+8 People's Demands" to parliament.

Jakarta – "RESET SYSTEM" reads graffiti above an intersection in the Javanese city of Yogyakarta, painted hastily in vibrant green and pink after deadly protests swept Indonesia last week.

Susan Price – Indonesian security forces opened fire on a peaceful protest in Sorong, West Papua, on August 27, killing one person and injuring several others, according to eyewitness reports received by Green Left.

Indonesian security forces also made 20 arrests. They released 16 detainees two days later, but have arrested another four pro-democracy activists.

Agencies, Jakarta – Rescuers found the charred remains of a helicopter that went missing in South Kalimantan while carrying eight people on board and retrieved one body, a rescue official said.

The helicopter was carrying two crew members and six passengers when it lost contact shortly after takeoff on Monday.

Agencies, Beijing – President Prabowo Subianto met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing and both agreed to boost economic cooperation, Prabowo's office said on Wednesday.

Prabowo met with Putin on the sidelines of China's military parade.

Aristyo Darmawan – In August, Indonesia's largest maritime manufacturing company, the state-owned PT PAL, hosted a visit for US Congress Staffers from New York, California, South Carolina, West Virginia, Nevada, and Washington.

Tim Lindsey (The Conversation) – For many Indonesians, the violent riots recently wracking Jakarta and other cities across the archipelago are eerily reminiscent of the riots of 1998 that accompanied the fall of former dictator Soeharto and his New Order regime after three decades in power.

Associated Press, Lima, Peru – Peruvian authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of an Indonesian diplomat as a contract killing, highlighting growing concerns over violent crime in the country.

Maretha Uli, Jakarta – An ethics probe has recommended that the National Police pursue criminal charges against seven Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers on board a tactical vehicle that hit and killed a motorcycle taxi (ojol) driver in a violent protest last week.

Ridho Danu Prasetyo, Faieq Hidayat, Jakarta – The All Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM SI) held a protest action in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Thursday September 4.

The action, which was joined by students from various campuses, was titled "Save Indonesia" and took up 13 demands.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Jakarta – Indonesia's parliament leaders said they support student calls for an independent probe into alleged coup plots behind recent protests, but stressed only the government has the authority to form such a team.

Maudey Khalisha Setyakusuma, Jakarta – Recent violent protests in Jakarta have cost the city's retailers an estimated Rp 500 billion (US$30 million) in lost sales from Aug. 28-Sept. 1, according to Indonesian Retail and Tenants Association (Hippindo) chairman Budihardjo Iduansjah.