Dili – Timor-Leste and China agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various aspects during meetings held between Timorese leaders and a senior Chinese political advisor.

Wijayanti Putri, Solo – Thousands of former members and sympathizers of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) gathered in Solo, Central Java, on Saturday to declare their renouncement of radical views and pledge allegiance to Indonesia.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Galang Police Chief Inspector Alex Yasral explained the chronology of the clash between residents of Sembulang Hulu Village, Rempang-Galang Island, Riau Islands, and workers from PT Makmur Elok Graha (PT MEG) on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. The riot resulted in several residents being injured.

Jakarta – Civil society organizations have condemned the assault committed by an unidentified group on environmental activist Sulfianto Alias in Teluk Bintuni regency, West Papua, on Friday, with one of the perpetrators claiming to be a police officer.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The increase in value-added tax (VAT) from 11 percent to 12 percent, effective next month, was initiated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), a senior lawmaker said on Sunday. The statement appeared to counter the party's recent opposition to the hike.

Jakarta – The Jakarta administration will deploy around 4,200 officers to secure the city during the upcoming Christmas and New Year's holidays, some 1,500 will come from the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and the remaining 2,700 from the Transportation Agency.

Thomas Rizal, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's recent remarks about his plan to pardon corruption convicts were intended to shift the focus toward asset recovery as a central strategy in Indonesia's fight against corruption, a senior minister has said.

Salman Mardira, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Chief Legal Affairs Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra has confirmed that the government plans to pardon graft convicts and suspects who agree to return stolen assets to the state, signaling a shift in focus from punitive measures to asset recovery.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is urging the government to regulate social media use for children, following the example of neighboring countries like Australia.

Norma Susanti R.M., The Conversation – The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami remains etched in the memories of many, especially in Aceh, where the disaster claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Among the casualties, women were disproportionately affected in a ratio of four to one.

Jakarta – South Koreans are apparently some of the harshest people in the world when it comes to their presidents.

Last week, lawmakers moved to remove President Yoon Suk-yeol from office following his short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3.

Claire Jiao – Indonesia claimed victory after Apple Inc. offered to increase its investment in the country to $1 billion to get President Prabowo Subianto's government to lift a ban on the sale of iPhone 16s. The win may be short-lived.

Rizka Ardina Nugraheni, Antara, Solo – Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex), one of Indonesia's largest textile companies, has furloughed 3,000 employees following the Supreme Court's rejection of its bankruptcy appeal. The financially troubled company owes approximately Rp 14.42 trillion ($891.7 million) to 27 banks and Rp 220 billion to three financing firms.

Antara, Jakarta – The National Police's Internal Affairs (IA) Division has detained 18 officers accused of extorting foreign attendees at the 2024 Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) held at JIExpo Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, from December 13 to 15.

Jakarta – Past Indonesian leaders have rarely used the presidential prerogative of giving amnesty, one of many powers that come with the job, but not President Prabowo Subianto. Barely two months into office, he has surprised the nation with his plan to give pardon to 44,000 inmates nationwide.

Agung Dharma Putra, Jakarta – National Nutrition Agency (Bapanas) Head Dadan Hindayana announced that the government's Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) will begin on Jan. 6, 2025, a slight delay from the original start date of Jan. 2.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia plans to introduce an excise tax on sweet beverages (MBDK), projected to generate Rp 6.25 trillion ($385.24 million) in revenue, according to the Institute for Economic and Social Research (LPEM) at the University of Indonesia's Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB UI).

Jakarta – Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has called on all members and functionaries to increase vigilance against external efforts to sow friction ahead of next year's national congress, when the party is slated to hold its leadership election.

Jakarta – Operatives from the National Police's Counterterrorism Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88) and the Central Sulawesi Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) apprehended three terrorist suspects in Palu city and Tojo Una-Una regency, Central Sulawesi, on Thursday.

Usman Hamid and Ary Hermawan – If what transpired in 2024 is any indication of what to come, we can safely say that 2025 will not be a democratic spring for Indonesia.

Didik Fibrianto, Malang – The Indonesian government plans to halt imports of certain food commodities starting next year to bolster self-sufficiency programs, a senior minister announced on Thursday.

Jakarta – Investigators from the newly formed National Police Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortas) has questioned former communications and information minister Budi Arie Setiadi amid a ramped-up probe into illegal online gambling.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Russia is still waiting for Indonesia to revise the existing regulations before they can proceed with the plan to partner on nuclear power generation, according to a Russian diplomat.

Swastika Swasikananda, Jakarta – As of November 2024, 272,164 Indonesian migrant workers have been deployed abroad, nearly matching the 274,000 recorded in 2023, according to the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) report.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Deputy Chairman of the Gerindra Party, Habiburokhman, clarified President Prabowo Subianto's recent statement about forgiving corruptors if they return stolen state funds. According to Habiburokhman, Prabowo's remarks focus on maximizing asset recovery rather than pardoning corruptors from legal consequences.

Jakarta – The Chairman of the Indonesia Memanggil 57+ Institute (IM57+), Lakso Anindito, criticized President Prabowo Subianto's plan to pardon corrupt individuals who return the proceeds of their crimes. Lakso argued that such a move could actually lead to an increase in the rate of corruption cases.

Jakarta – Questions should be asked about the ambition of Prabowo Subianto's administration to start building a nuclear power plant (PLTN) next year.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – In recent United Nations biodiversity conferences, global leaders have championed Indigenous peoples as critical partners in achieving conservation goals. Indonesia, as a signatory to an international treaty on biodiversity protection, pledged to uphold these principles.

Novianti Setuningsih, Jakarta – Gajah Mada University (UGM) Anti-Corruption Study Centre (Pukat) researcher Zaenur Rohman says that efforts to eradicate corruption require strengthening law enforcement rather than providing an opportunity for perpetrators of corruption (tipikor) to repent by returning financial losses incurred by the state.

Iwan Kurniawan, Jakarta – The National Gallery of Indonesia called off a solo exhibition of senior artist Yos Suprapto minutes before opening on Thursday evening, December 19, 2024.

Agung Sandy Lesmana, Fakhri Fuadi Muflih – A solo painting exhibition by artist Yos Suprapto at the National Gallery (Galnas) in Jakarta has been cancelled. The exhibition titled "Revival: Land for Food Sovereignty" was supposed to open on Thursday December 19, but was banned by the gallery.

Lies Marcoes, Jakarta – The world is working hard to halt femicide, or the murder of women based on prejudice against their bodies, sexuality or social/gender roles that are seen as not in line with men's desires. This practice is in principle the same as genocide, killing of a certain (minority) ethnic group based on ethnic prejudice against them.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – A ransomware scare has, once again, rung alarm bells surrounding the state of Indonesia's digital security, which analysts warn has seen little improvement despite the enactment of a privacy law two years ago.

Hans Arnold Kapisa (Contributor), Jakarta – Environmental activist Sulfianto Alias, the director of the non-government organisation (NGO) Panah Papua, suffered serious injuries after being brutally beaten on the morning of Friday December 20 in Bintuni Bay regency, West Papua.

Oyuk Ivani S, Erwin Prima, Jakarta – Chairman of the Indonesian Fiber and Filament Yarn Producers Association (Apsyfi) Redma Gita Wirawasta, said over the past two years, as many as 60 textile companies in the country have collapsed.

Indonesia, West Papua – A shooting incident involving the Indonesian military (TNI) occurred in Dogiyai Regency, Central Papua (Papua tengah) Province, on 16 December 2024, leaving three civilians injured. The incident began around 10:00 AM following a traffic accident and subsequent confrontation.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) has reported rapid growth in payments using the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS), while transactions made with debit cards have declined. QRIS usage has surged by 186 percent year-on-year, reaching 689.07 million transactions.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – Flash floods sweep South Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra, on Wednesday afternoon, December 18, 2024, injuring ten people. The floods were caused by a torrential downpour that struck two districts, Batang Angkola and Tano Tombangan.

Cairo, Egypt – President Prabowo Subianto has said he might pardon people who engaged in graft if they return what they stole, underlining his commitment to tackle corruption.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – The coconut processing industry is facing a crisis due to a surge in coconut exports, which has led to a shortage of domestic raw materials. The lack of control over export policies has exacerbated the situation, affecting the production of coconut-based products, despite high demand.

Putra Muskita, Jakarta – When reports started to come out about Indonesia's shrinking middle class, I read them with great interest. Because this is about me. It's about my family, friends and colleagues.

Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo has inaugurated a new directorate responsible for handling crimes against women and children as well as human trafficking.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Police have deployed at least 820 combined personnel to secure a protest against the 12-percent VAT hike at the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta. They will be stationed at several points around the Horse Statue Roundabout near Monas and in front of the Presidential Palace.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Imam Hamdi, Jakarta – Thousands of residents were reported to be affected by the tidal flooding disaster in Indramayu Regency, West Java. The National Disaster Management Agency or BNPB records this disaster inundating the areas of Kandanghaur and Cantigi Subdistricts.

Jakarta – A total of 99,098 people have signed a petition addressed to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to cancel the 12 percent increase in Value-Added Tax (VAT) on the change.org page.

As seen by Tempo on Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 10:11 WIB (Western Indonesian Time), a total of 43,652 people have signed the petition today.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia has welcomed the Indonesian government's decision to repatriate Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, a Filipina woman who had been sentenced to death for drug-related offenses. However, the organization emphasizes that this repatriation should serve as a crucial step towards the abolition of the death penalty in Indonesia.

Alfida Rizki Febrianna, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has criticized Indonesia's imposition of value-added tax (VAT) on oil and gas exploration activities, arguing that the policy is a major obstacle to the country's push for energy independence.

Irfandi, Muhammad Asyharuddin Arbab, Gowa, South Sulawesi – South Sulawesi Police have uncovered a counterfeit money syndicate operating within the campus of Alauddin State Islamic University, located in the Somba Opu district of Gowa Regency.

Alfida Rizki Febrianna, Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has firmly rejected mining giant Freeport Indonesia's request to export copper concentrates, citing "national interests."

Jakarta – The Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that Foreign Minister Sugiono would not attend the informal ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Bangkok on Friday, as he would be accompanying President Prabowo Subianto at the Developing Eight (D8) Summit in Cairo.