Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ombudsman asked the government not to trade the Covid-19 vaccine before herd immunity is formed in the community. Buying and selling vaccines before the formation of mass immunity was considered unethical.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Contributor), Jakarta – Governor of Yogyakarta Special Region, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, on Wednesday presented a brief statistic of the city which has seen a slackened public activity restriction (PPKM) from the previous level 4 to the current level 3.

Daniel Hurst – Indonesian troops could join regular training exercises on Australian soil, as part of a deepening of defence ties with Australia.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia reached a new milestone in its Covid-19 response on Thursday when the total number of fully vaccinated citizens topped the 40 million mark, or 19.5 percent of target population.

The government aims to vaccinate 208 million citizens to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19.

Bayu Marhaenjati, Tangerang, Banten – At least 41 inmates still locked in their cells died after fire engulfed at the Tangerang Penitentiary in Banten, just south of Jakarta, early on Wednesday.

Hengky Yeimo, Jayapura – The chairman of the Lay Apostolic Commission for the Manokwari-Sorong Diocese, Isak Bame, has reported that residents from five districts in Maybrat Regency are fleeing their villages after the attack on the military post in Kisor Village, South Aifat District on September 2, 2021, which led to security forces sweeping villages searching for the culprit.

An online petition is picking up steam urging the government to scrap a rule requiring people to be vaccinated to be able to enter malls.

Shopping malls in Jakarta and around Indonesia have been reopening in recent weeks following Indonesia's deadliest COVID-19 wave in July and August.

Indonesian authorities have been accused of adopting a strategy of deploying military force to drive thousands of Papuans from their homes to make way for powerful business interests.

David Rising and Niniek Karmini (Associated Press), Jakarta – Overcrowding, mass escapes, protest riots, extremism and corruption: Indonesia's prisons have long been a hotbed of problems.

Grace Sihombing and Claire Jiao – Indonesian consumers were the most pessimistic in 16 years as the government imposed prolonged lockdown measures to curb the virus outbreak that crippled hospitals and led to thousands of deaths.

Jakarta – The non-government organisation (NGO) Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) says that police violated the law when they arrested a farmer who held up a poster during President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's visit to Blitar, East Java, on Tuesday September 7.

Budiarti Utami Putri, Jakarta – The sexual violence criminal bill was expected to complete by this year, said Willy Aditya as the Legislation Body (Baleg) deputy chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR). The bill was previously known as the sexual violence eradication bill or RUU PKS.

Chairul Fikri, Bayu Marhaenjati, Grace N. Chandra, Jakarta – On Wednesday, the fire in the Tangerang Class I Penitentiary in Banten had shed light on Indonesia's longstanding problem of overcrowded prisons that have been overwhelmed by the country's legal system's tendency to send drug users to jail instead of rehabilitation facilities in the past decade.

Haryanti Puspa Sari, Jakarta – The co-initiator of the community based volunteer group LaporCovid-19 (Report Covid-19), Ahmad Arif, says that they have received reports that third dose vaccinations or boosters have been given to the families of government officials in Jakarta.

The Jakarta Metro Police is set to enforce a crowd control measure in some of the capital's most popular nightlife hangout areas following what it calls instances of noncompliance for health protocols.

People with COVID-19 and those who have been in close contact with them have been wandering out and about, especially at malls, data from test and trace app PeduliLindungi shows.

Reports from West Papua indicate thousands of people have fled their homes to the jungle after the latest deadly violence in Maybrat regency.

Pro-independence fighters with the West Papua Liberation Army have been blamed for killing four Indonesian soldiers on an attack on a military post in Maybrat last week.

A major bloc of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries has written to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights about their concern over West Papua.

The letter from the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States requests "an urgent mission to West Papua to provide an evidence-based, informed report on the human rights situation" there.

Stanley Widianto, Jakarta – Indonesia's daily coronavirus positivity rate dropped below the World Health Organization's (WHO) benchmark standard of 5% this week for the first time, an indicator the country's devastating second wave could be easing.

Michael Taylor, Kuala Lumpur (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Indonesia's electric vehicle drive is likely to overtake its ambitious biodiesel programme within a decade, but will only achieve its aim of helping curb climate change if the country ramps up clean energy investment, environmental researchers say.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Tourist sites in Java will reopen gradually and diners can stay for an hour in a restaurant under the latest easing of COVID-19 mobility restrictions that take effect Tuesday across the densely populated Indonesian island.

Jakarta – The government is calling for parents to get their kids aged 12-17 years vaccinated against Covid-19 immediately as schools reopen their doors.

The government has given its green light for a number of schools to hold limited face-to-face classes following a slowdown in Covid-19 cases.

Jakarta – As many as 115 pro-democracy figures are urging President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to go after and prosecute the intellectual actors behind the 2004 assassination of renowned human rights defender Munir Said Thalib.

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has declared September 7 as Human Rights Defenders Protection Day. This date was taken from the day that renowned human rights defender Munir Said Thalib was assassinated 17 years ago in 2004.

Jakarta – The Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (KASUM) has listed a number of names of people who are strongly suspected to be involved in the assassination of renowned human rights defender Munir Said Thalib but have yet to be investigated.

Kadek Melda Luxiana, Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has formed a new monitoring and investigation team to follow up on the assignation of renewed human rights defender Munir Said Thalib. The team will work to determine whether nor not there was a gross human rights violation in the case.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Clearing of natural forests has been detected on land licensed to a subsidiary of South Korean paper company Moorim in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua, indicating an increase in deforestation.

Adam Prireza, Jakarta – Jakarta Health Agency's Head of the Disease Prevention and Control Division, Dwi Oktavia, said on Monday, September 6, that 217 new Covid-19 cases were found in the capital. This figure was obtained from the results of PCR tests on 10,083 people.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Experts have panned Indonesia's vision for achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions, which consists of continuing to burn coal while hoping that untested carbon capture technology will stop the greenhouse gas from reaching the atmosphere.

Tatang Guritno, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that the government often sees human rights defenders as enemies of the state. Yet, according to Kontras Coordinator Fatia Maulidiyanti, human rights defenders work to defend society and ensure that the country improves.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Police arrested at least ten people accused of vandalizing an Ahmadiyya mosque in the district of Sintang, West Kalimantan Province, according to a police spokesman.

Pockets of domestic travel appear to have improved in Indonesia, at least where traffic is concerned, as COVID-19 tests drop in prices. This is true in Bali, where the number of passengers passing through Ngurah Rai International Airport has doubled recently.

Katharina R. Lestari, Jakarta – Catholics joined more than 200 groups and individuals in Indonesia in demanding justice for an alleged victim of sexual assault and bullying by employees of a state body.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Timor-Leste will compensate people in the rare event they may be badly affected by adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccinations, the government says.

The move is aimed at encouraging more people to get inoculated as the number of new cases and deaths continues to rise.

Popular hangout spot Holywings Tavern in Kemang, South Jakarta has been ordered to shut for three days for breaching COVID-19 protocols.

On Saturday evening, officers from the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and the military raided the establishment, which looked to be packed to its absolute limit even with patrons streaming out of the venue as the raid began.

Authorities in Gowa, South Sulawesi have rescued a 6-year-old girl from the clutches of her family in a highly disturbing case that allegedly involves elements of black magic and cannibalism.

Hengky Yeimo, Jayapura – Rights defender and lawyer Yan Christian Warinussy, the director of the Institute for Research, Assessment, and Development of Legal Aid (LP3BH) Manokwari, has urged the commander of XVIII/Kasuari Military Command to release Maikel Yaam (17) and Simon Waymbewer (26) who were detained by soldiers of the Battalion 726/VYS and Kodim 1809 Maybrat in Kisor Villag

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The framework of the local currency settlement, or LCS, between Indonesia and China officially came into effect, thus increasing the use of rupiah or yuan in their bilateral transactions while lessening both nations' dependence on the dollar.

Jayapura – West Papua National Committee (KNPB) spokesperson Ones Suhuniap is asking the Papua regional police to retract a statement that the KNPB are planning to disrupt the 20th National Gamers (PON XX) in Papua next month. According to the KNPB, this is a public lie and intended to shape public opinion.

Kiki Siregar, Jakarta – Indonesian Hatimene Hura, 24, has yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19, seven months after Indonesia's inoculation programme kicked off.

The farmer living in Sisobahili Iranohura village on Nias island in North Sumatra knew how dangerous COVID-19 can be and he wanted to get vaccinated.

Jakarta – Indonesians expressed concerns over the security of their personal medical data Saturday after the president's coronavirus vaccine certificate was leaked and a large test app also appeared compromised.Indonesia has a weak cyber security record, with poor online literacy and frequent leaks previously.

In the early hours of the 2nd September, The TPNPB-OPM raided the Kisor military post in the Maybrat regency, West Papua Province. Four soldiers were killed and two wounded.

The provincial military commander Maj. Gen. I Nyoman Cantiasa said."I have ordered my personnel to hunt down the group," adding that two platoons had been deployed for the task.

Igman Ibrahim, Jakarta – The Indonesian police have mapped out the main potential threats against the 20th National Games (PON XX) which will be held in Papua next October.

Reiner Brabar, Sorong – The Maybrat branch of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) has denied involvement in a September 2 attack on a sub-district military post (Posramil) in Kisor, South Aifat district, Maybrat regency, West Papua Province. They say that the two people arrested by the South Sorong district people are not KNPB members.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia recorded 392 coronavirus-related deaths on Sunday, the lowest daily death toll since June 27, as the surge in newly cases also slowed down, government figures show.

The country has recorded a total of 135,861 Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began.

Rahel Narda Chaterine, Jakarta – Buzzers and influencers are seen as having become the principle voice of the government in the current era.

Jakarta State University (UNJ) lecturer Robertus Robet says that buzzers and influences represent a phenomena of the new media or new media industry which began to emerge in the context of Indonesian politics around 2014.

Rini Kustiani, Jakarta – Data from the National Development Planning Ministry or Bappenas showed that the amount of food lost and food waste in Indonesia reached 23-48 tons per year in period of 2000-2019.

The figures, obtained from the collaborative analysis with UK Foreign Commonwealth Office, equal to 115-184 kilogram of food per capita per year.

Andi Firdaus, Fardah, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has reported that a total of 1,805 natural disasters struck Indonesia during the January-August 2021 period.

"During this period, wet hydrometeorological disasters remained dominated," BNPB spokesman Abdul Muhari noted a statement here, Saturday.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has deployed five ferries to be used as makeshift isolation facilities for Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms in several cities with a combined capacity of more than 3,000 beds.

All of Bali's tourism workers have been vaccinated as of this week, the province's health agency chief has confirmed, as officials continue to gear up for the possibility of restarting full-scale tourism on the island.