Antara, Bali – The Ngurah Rai Airport Immigration Office in Bali's Badung Regency has established a cyber unit to enhance surveillance of foreign nationals (WNA) potentially violating immigration regulations.

Imam Hamdi Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia considers the speech of the Coordinating Minister for Legal, Political, and Security Affairs and Minister of Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Affairs, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, on Human Rights Day on December 10, 2024, merely empty rhetoric.

Jane Ho and Naazneen Karmali – Despite concerns over the weak purchasing power of its middle class, resource-rich Indonesia is targeting 8% economic growth, up from the estimated 5.1% expected this year, under its new president Prabowo Subianto, who took office in October.

Muhibar Sobary Ardan and Dandy Koswaraputra, Nusantara, Indonesia and Jakarta – For nearly two decades, Kamarudin tended to his 2.8-hectare (7-acre) plantation in East Kalimantan province, nurturing rows of rubber trees, oil palms, and fruit crops.

Andrie Yunus and Dimas Bagus Arya – Indonesians have recently been shocked by a number of shootings involving police personnel. A police officer has been named a suspect for shooting and killing a 17-year-old high school student in Semarang, Central Java, in the early hours on Nov. 24.

Imam Hamdi, Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission representative of Papua noted that violence and injustice are still felt by the people of Papua in 2024.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The state budget recorded a deficit of Rp 401.8 trillion ($25.2 billion) as of November, but Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Wednesday that the figure remains within safe limits.

Iqbal Muhtarom, Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) released surveillance data on femicide cases from October 2023 to October 2024. As a result, in the past year, there have been 290 cases of femicide in Indonesia. Femicide is the murder of women based on their gender or gender identity.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Commissioner of Komnas HAM Anis Hidayah stated that the investigation process of the murder case of activist Munir Said Thalib was hindered because witnesses to be examined frequently absent. The investigation of the Munir case is conducted by an ad hoc team formed by Komnas HAM. This team has been established since 2022.

Surabaya – Senior navy officers from across the Asia-Pacific region gathered in Surabaya on Wednesday for a three-day Asia Pacific Naval Warfare Symposium, co-hosted by the Indonesian Navy and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Yogyakarta – Workers in the Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY), represented by the Indonesian Workers Working Council (MPBI), are demanding a significant increase in the Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) for 2024, specifically Rp4 million.

Jakarta – Prabowo continued Jokowi's methods of bringing about victory for favored candidates. This damages state institutions.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has revealed that alleged human rights violations are widespread across Indonesia and the highest number of reported cases originate from Jakarta.

Yovanda Noni, Jakarta – The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) launched the White Paper on Mapping Human Resources Needs (Areas of Expertise) and Centers of Excellence for Indonesia's Golden Years 2045.

Novie Fauziah, Jakarta – Transgender celebrity Lucinta Luna stated that she will embrace her male identity when performing the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca, acknowledging her biological sex as male despite her legal recognition as a woman.

Monique Handa Shafira, Jakarta – Indonesia is aiming for Rp 1,906 trillion ($119.72 billion) in investment for 2025, marking a 15.45 percent increase from the 2024 target.

Jakarta – The gubernatorial election in Jakarta has always been one of the most-watched polls in the country. The city is after all, at least for the time being, still the fully functioning capital of Indonesia.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto said on Tuesday that large spending on education would be the hallmark of his administration, even eclipsing the amount for defense, saying that good quality education would help the country deal with the poverty problem.

Jakarta – Amid criticism of a toothless Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and poor graft-fighting efforts in the country, the government has said it is considering making the agency the sole institution in the country with the authority to investigate and prosecute graft cases.

Jakarta – Indonesian fruit seller Budi was seeking better prospects when he signed up for an IT job in Cambodia. But he found himself detained in a heavily guarded compound where he was forced to carry out online scams.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – Chief Legal Affairs Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra acknowledged that Indonesia's anticorruption efforts have not been sufficient, despite earlier regulatory updates aimed at combating corruption.

Gamaliel Kaliele, Sorong – Papua Independent Indigenous Communities (MAI) General Chairperson Johanes Tsenawatme has condemned the attitude of the government which continues to ignore threats against human rights activists in the land of Papua.

Vitorio Mantalean, Bagus Santosa, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid says that the International Human Rights Day speech delivered by the Coordinating Minister for Legal Affairs, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Institutions, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, was "empty rhetoric" which does not reflect the real situation on the ground.

Antara, Jakarta – Acting Jakarta Governor Teguh Setyabudi has announced that Jakarta's provincial minimum wage (UMP) for 2025 will rise to Rp 5.4 million ($339.6) per month, reflecting a 6.5 percent increase from the previous year's Rp 5.07 million.

Vitorio Mantalean, Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) says that the thousands of troops sent to the land of Papua throughout 2024 were illegal.

Imparsial Director Ardi Manto Adiputra stressed that the status of the Papua Military Operations Area (DOM) was officially revoked after reformasi – the political reform process that began in 1998.

Jakarta – The number of people that did not use their right to vote or golput in the 2024 election of regional heads (Pilkada) was fairly high. In a number of regions, the number of votes for those that won elections was far less than the golput figure.

Alfi Dinilhaq, Jakarta – Indonesia will ban import of sugar starting next year, according to Chief Food Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan.

Aida Ulim, Jayapura – The Papuan People's Front (FRP) and Papuan students hope that with the momentum International Human Rights Day the Indonesian state will open its eyes to and be aware that the state is the biggest sinner in the form of human rights violations against the Papuan people.

Nazarudin Latif and Pizaro Gozali Idrus, Jakarta – The Indonesian armed forces may resist a landmark court ruling last month that gave the national anti-graft agency a greenlight to investigate corruption in the military, analysts are warning.

Yudha Almerio, Balikpapan, Indonesia – Abdul Kadir looked out to sea as a gathering of storm clouds darkened the outlook for the day's fishing in Balikpapan Bay.

"We're often faced with this situation," Kadir told Mongabay Indonesia. "But we survive as best we can."

Te Aniwaniwa Paterson – The indigenous West Timorese, who live in an Indonesian province, East Nusa Tenggara, share Maori concerns that government announcements will eventuate in the extraction of natural resources without consultation from indigenous custodians.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Head of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority, Bambang Hadimuljono, announced that civil servants will commence relocation to Nusantara, East Kalimantan, in April 2025.

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Bima Arya revealed that 28 ad hoc election officials passed away as of December 8, 2024. He disclosed this information during a working meeting with Commission I of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.

The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) commemorated International Human Rights Day in Jakarta on Thursday December 10 by holding a People's Voice Festival titled the Human Rights Carnaval (Karnaval HAM).

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has pushed the Health Ministry to include ketamine in the list of psychotropic drugs that would effectively make improper use of the hard drug a criminal offense resulting in jail time.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – There have been at least 116 recorded cases of police brutality in the country this year, including 29 extrajudicial killings, a study by Amnesty International Indonesia has found, citing a lack of evaluation, normalized violence and a permissive government attitude toward police misconduct as the primary contributing factors to the "worrying" pattern.

Jakarta – Indonesia stands at a crossroads as the online gambling epidemic reveals the devastating consequences of unchecked digital platforms.

With over 13 percent of the nation's 4 million online gamblers under 20 years old, according to the state's online gambling task force, the urgency to regulate social media platforms cannot be overstated.

Jakarta – Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) vice chairman Arif Maulana urged the House of Representatives' Commission III to seriously evaluate the use of firearms by the National Police, saying that the officers are increasingly misusing the firearms.

Jakarta – A presidential spokesperson said on Monday that the status of state mosque held by Central Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque would soon be transferred to a new place of worship being built in Nusantara, East Kalimantan.

Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) reported a net foreign capital outflow in the domestic financial market amounting to Rp 5.13 trillion (US$323.4 million), based on transaction data from Dec. 2-5.

Riandy Laksono – Prabowo has appointed 112 members to his Red and White Cabinet, comprising 48 ministers, 5 ministerial-level officials, and 59 vice ministers. His "bloated" cabinet reflects a strategy of rewarding loyalists, retaining trusted Jokowi aides, and placating political opponents.

As Interim President of the ULMWP, I welcome the release of the judgment of the Permanent People's Tribunal (PPT) on West Papua.

After testimonies from West Papuans on the ground and legal and academic experts, the PPT found Indonesia guilty on all four counts:

Tria Dianti, Jakarta – The appointments to key government positions of figures linked to past human rights abuses in Indonesia have alarmed rights advocates, who warn the country may face a deepening culture of impunity under new President Prabowo Subianto.

Ami Afriatni, Jakarta – On the streets of Jakarta and other major Indonesian cities, Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming a familiar sight – a sign of their growing appeal in Southeast Asia's largest auto market.

Chontida Auikool – 20 years have passed since the Aceh tsunami, which left deep scars on Indonesia, especially for those directly affected. Aceh was also recovering from a three-decade armed conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and the national government

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto and his administration owe the public an explanation regarding the push and pull of his plan to consolidate the tax office and the customs and excise office into the revenue agency.

Jakarta – Authorities plan to launch a cloud seeding operation to mitigate flooding in the disaster-hit Sukabumi regency in West Java following a series of hydrometeorological hazards striking the area over the last few days.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – Indonesian volunteers who were providing medical assistance in a humanitarian mission in a hospital in northern Gaza Strip have been taken to safety following a recent assault by the Israeli military in and around the medical facility, the Foreign Ministry reports.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – The wedding industry is feeling the pinch of demographic change as the number of marriages in Indonesia has plummeted in recent years.

Last year, the archipelago only saw 1.57 million couples tying the knot, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), a fall from over 2 million in 2018.

Widy Wicaksono, Semarang – Semarang police officer Robig Zaenudin has been fired and his status upgraded to that of a criminal suspect for shooting a student from SMK Negeri 4 Semarang.