Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto addressed the weakening Indonesian Rupiah during the launch of the Red and White Village Cooperative in Nganjuk, East Java, on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The head of state urged the public to remain calm despite the currency sliding to Rp17,500 per US Dollar.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has described the murder of Marsinah as involving collusion between the state apparatus and capitalists. He voiced his opinion during the inauguration of the Ibu Marsinah Museum and Shelter in Nganjuk, East Java, on Saturday, May 16, 2026, nearly 33 years after the activist's death.

Antara, Salman Mardira, Jakarta – The screening of the documentary Pesta Babi: Colonialism in Our Time has sparked controversy, with the military warning that the film could create misleading perceptions about Papua, while the government insists it has never ordered a ban on public screenings.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is not worried about the weakening of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar. Prabowo believes that the decline in the rupiah's exchange rate does not directly affect rural communities.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Indonesia's business sector is facing mounting pressure from the weakening rupiah, with industry leaders warning of rising production costs, heavier dollar-denominated obligations, and growing uncertainty for investment decisions.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said the killing of labor activist Marsinah 33 years ago should never have happened. Prabowo voiced his opinion while inaugurating the Marsinah Museum and Resting House, dedicated to the woman who was killed and tortured in 1993.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Nganjuk, E – Java. President Prabowo Subianto said on Saturday that he was "deeply saddened" by reports of government officials allegedly abusing their authority and stealing public money, pledging that his administration would not protect anyone involved in corruption, including close allies and members of his own party.

Johnny Blades – A West Papuan church leader has warned that ongoing killings of young Papuans allegedly by Indonesian security forces have the hallmark of genocide.

Since the start of the year there's been no stop to violent incidents in Indonesian-ruled Papua region – known internationally as West Papua.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Indonesian rupiah exchange rate plummeted to 17,600 per US dollar during the long weekend on Friday, May 15, 2026. Based on Google data, the rupiah reached 17,602 on Saturday morning, May 16, 2026.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The rupiah could weaken beyond Rp18,000 per U.S. dollar by the end of May and potentially slide further to Rp22,000 if external pressures persist, according to Ibrahim Assuaibi, director of futures brokerage firm PT Traze Andalan Futures.

Simon Butt – Indonesia's old KUHAP was often criticised for making the state and law enforcement too powerful. Coordinating Minister for Law Yusril Ihza Mahendra has called the new Code of Criminal Procedure (Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Acara Pidana, or KUHAP) a new era of law enforcement that is more humane, modern and just.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – A member of the Indonesian Military (TNI) attended a student-organized screening and discussion of the Papua documentary Pesta Babi at Udayana University on Thursday evening, raising concerns among organizers over military presence at an academic event.

Padang – Searchers recovered nine bodies after a landslide hit near an illegal gold mine in Sijunjung regency, West Sumatra, police said Friday.

A cliff near the mine collapsed on Thursday, burying a group of miners working only three meters away, said West Sumatra police spokeswoman Susmelawati Rosya.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Despite being banned at several campuses, the University of Indonesia's Student Executive Board (BEM UI) is planning to hold a discussion and screening of the documentary film Pesta Babi: Kolonialisme di Zaman Kita (Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time). The event will take place at the Prof. Dr.

News Desk, Jayapura, Jubi – The Papua Regional Police has been urged to take over the investigation into a shooting allegedly involving officers from the Bokondini Police Sector in Tolikara Regency, Papua Highlands.

The shooting, which killed Elki Wunungga, occurred in Mairini Village, Bokondini District, Tolikara Regency, on April 14, 2026.

Macau Business – Timor-Leste's government approved a resolution on Wednesday at a cabinet meeting to boost police patrols nationwide following violence in several areas.

Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Bilal Ramadhan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) through the XVII/Cenderawasih Regional Military Command (Kodam) has stated that the tendentious narrative in the film "Pesta Babi" (Pig Feast) by director Dandhy Dwi Laksono and his colleagues has the potential to disrupt social harmony in the Papua region.

Martin Bagya Kertiyasa, Jakarta – Indonesian sellers are facing mounting pressure as rising marketplace fees collide with an influx of low-cost Chinese products, squeezing profit margins and intensifying competition across the country's e-commerce sector.

Disruptions and intimidation targeting screenings of a documentary on indigenous people in Papua are increasing across Indonesia, raising concern among rights groups and Church leaders over shrinking space for dissent and free expression.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – The Transportation Ministry has adjusted the fuel surcharge mechanism for domestic scheduled commercial flights after average aviation fuel prices climbed to Rp 29,116 ($1.66) per liter.

Prisma Ardianto, Jakarta – DBS Bank has lowered its forecast for Indonesia's economic growth in 2026 to 5.1% from 5.3%, citing risks of slower business activity and limited fiscal support in the coming quarters despite a strong start to the year.

The revised outlook was presented in a report titled "Indonesia Growth: Firm Start, Speed Bump Ahead" released on Thursday.

Kutai Kartanegara, Indonesia – Asniah recalls nights lying in darkness listening to cicadas and the passing hum of outboard motors after her family moved to Muara Enggelam in the 1990s, an over-the-water village in the interior of Indonesian Borneo, cut off from basic services.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) this week, May 11-13, plummeted by 3.53 percent to 6,723.32, amid the announcement of Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) rebalancing.

Akmalal Hamdhi, Jakarta – The rupiah's depreciation beyond Rp 17,500 against the US dollar has triggered a rise in foreign-exchange transactions at money changers across Jakarta, as people seek to convert funds for investment, savings, and overseas travel.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Indonesia has shut down 1,004 piracy websites since January 2025, according to the Directorate General of Intellectual Property at the Ministry of Law.

The establishment of the National Park Management Financing Innovation Task Force has sparked serious concerns about the direction of environmental governance. Behind the buzzword "financing innovation" lie risks of conflicts of interest, as well as a push for the commercialization of conservation areas, which could potentially undermine the protection mandate.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, claimed that the government has never instructed a ban on the screening of the documentary film Pesta Babi: Kolonialisme di Zaman Kita (which literally translates into the Party of Pigs: Colonialism in Our Era).

News Desk, Jayapura, Jubi – The National Commission on Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia (Komnas HAM RI) stated that the government is obligated to protect freedom of expression, artistic freedom, and cultural rights.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Four people were killed and 19 others injured after a bus collided with a pickup truck on the Kualanamu – Tebing Tinggi Toll Road in Serdang Bedagai regency, North Sumatra, on Monday morning.

Susanne Seong-eun Bergsten – Two female domestic workers, ages 15 and 18, jumped from the fourth floor of a Jakarta boarding house on April 22 in a desperate attempt to escape their employer. One died; the other was severely injured.

Imam Suhartadi, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court on Wednesday rejected a judicial review of the 2022 law governing the country's planned capital relocation, affirming that Jakarta remains the nation's capital until a presidential decree formally transfers the status to Nusantara.

Fadli, Batam – Police in the Riau Islands are clamping down on illicit fuel flows in border areas following an instruction from National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo in response to geopolitical oil price shocks.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – Crackdowns by the Indonesian Military (TNI) on public screenings of a documentary exploring land conflicts and the TNI presence in Papua have intensified concerns over shrinking space for free expression and the military's expanding role beyond defense under President Prabowo Subianto.

Antara, Jakarta – Jakarta air quality fell into the unhealthy category, ranking third among cities with the worst air quality in the world on Wednesday morning, May 13, 2026.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia's nickel policies have worried Chinese investors, as businessmen penned a letter to President Prabowo Subianto to improve the investment climate.

In that five-page letter, the China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia has waved a flag of concern for Jakarta's drastic trims to nickel ore output.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – Presidential Chief of Staff Dudung Abdurachman stated that the Indonesian government is targeting the revitalization of up to 71,000 schools by 2026.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – A defendant in the case involving Indonesia's Strategic Intelligence Agency of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), Sergeant Edi Sudarko, told a military court that activist Andrie Yunus was "overreacting" during a past protest, which he said contributed to the decision to carry out an acid attack against him.

Larius Kogoya, Jayapura, Jubi – A teenager killed during a police operation in Dogiyai and later identified by security forces as a member of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) was in fact a high school student, according to a local civil society representative.

Aida Ulim, Jayapura, Jubi – Students from Dogiyai Regency, Central Papua, currently studying in Jayapura have issued a public statement regarding the series of incidents that took place in Dogiyai between March 31 and April 2, 2026.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – Indonesia's Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) activist Andrie Yunus again failed to appear at a follow-up hearing in the acid attack case at Military Court II-08 Jakarta on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, as he remains hospitalized at Central Jakarta's Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM).

Indah Ayu Pujiastuti, Jakarta – More than half of Indonesia's national steel demand is still being met through imports, raising concerns over the competitiveness of domestic producers as cheaper foreign steel floods the market, according to the Indonesian Iron and Steel Industry Association.

Vidya Pinandhita, Jakarta – Around 663,000 schoolchildren screened this year in the government's free health check program were found to have high blood pressure, raising concern over underlying conditions such as kidney damage linked to unhealthy lifestyles and increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods.

Aida Ulim, Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan women attending a free speech forum organized by the Dogiyai Student Association in Jayapura voiced opposition to what they described as ongoing violence against women and children in Papua.

The gathering took place in the Lingkaran Abepura area, Abepura District, Jayapura, on Monday (May 11, 2026).

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Economists at Institute for Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI) questioned the credibility of Indonesia's reported 5.61% economic growth in the first quarter of 2026, arguing that the figure was likely inflated by temporary factors and inconsistencies in official production data.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka is recorded to have a wealth of Rp27,915,654,176. This figure is stated in the State Official Wealth Report (LHKPN) dated March 23, 2026, for the 2025 period.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – The air quality in Indonesia has deteriorated based on air monitoring data from the US AQI website, which indicates that throughout May 2026, five major cities in Indonesia have been in a worrying condition.

Monitoring data shows that Jakarta and Bandung consistently fall into the "unhealthy" category.

Tri Listiyarini, Jakarta – Indonesia faces a growing dilemma over soybeans, as the country remains heavily dependent on imports while domestic production costs are too high to make local farming economically attractive, according to an agricultural expert.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – Indonesian billionaire Prajogo Pangestu saw his fortune shrink by $1.8 billion (Rp 31.5 trillion) in a single day on his 82nd birthday after global index provider MSCI removed three of his flagship companies from its Global Standard Indexes.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Timor-Leste wants to lead ASEAN in 2029, according to the group's secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn, as the bloc makes major changes to its charter to accept Dili.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's taxpayers must repatriate their offshore wealth within 6 months or miss a chance to invest that money in the country, as Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa maintains his no-tax-amnesty stance.