Jakarta – Rights groups from Amnesty International Indonesia to the Bandung Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) have criticised the National Police (Polri) Criminal Investigations Directorate's (Bareskrim) move to arrest a Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) student who allegedly made a meme of former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and the current President Prabowo Subianto.

Mila Novita, Jakarta – The United States (U.S.) has issued a travel warning for Indonesia on April 30, 2025, particularly the Papuan region, citing safety concerns. At the end of April, the U.S.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – A female participant in the May Day rally was reportedly harassed by police officers attempting to apprehend her during the commemoration of International Labor Day in front of the Parliament Building on May 1, 2025.

Linda Yanti Sulistiawati – SLAPP cases are not unfamiliar in Indonesia, where we have witnessed a surge in recent incidents.

Michael Neilson, Tropodo – Plastic waste from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, the US and Britain is being used to fuel tofu production in Indonesia, the Guardian has learned.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO), Hasan Nasbi, responded to the arrest of a Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) student for posting a meme depicting President Prabowo and former President Joko Widodo kissing.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Indonesia's anti-graft agency defended its slow pace in handling the alleged corruption case involving Bank Indonesia's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, citing "the complexity" of the investigation and the need for further evidence gathering.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO), Hasan Nasbi, said President Prabowo Subianto's years-old warning about war is imminent.

Prabowo, during his 2019 presidential campaign, warned that Indonesia must be ready and stay vigilant against war, something experts at that time dismissed as being as far as 20 years into the future.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – A senior investigator with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) told a Jakarta court on Friday that former KPK chairman Firli Bahuri leaked information about an anti-graft sting to the public in January 2020, leading to the failed arrest of senior PDIP politician Hasto Kristiyanto and fugitive legislative candidate Harun Masiku.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia is preparing to reduce its reliance on fuel imports from Singapore, citing high prices and geopolitical concerns, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said Friday.

Anisa Fauziah, Chairul Fikri, Jakarta – Indonesia's media industry is facing a wave of layoffs and closures, driven by a combination of digital disruption, shrinking ad revenues, and shifting consumer behavior that favors fast, bite-sized content over in-depth journalism.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesian teenage students who skip class or play too many video games could land themselves in military bootcamp if a disciplinary pilot project rolled out in one province this month proves successful, a government minister told Agence France-Presse on Friday.

Wahyu Sahala Tua, Jakarta – VinFast and its charging unit, V-Green, plan to invest $300 million to deploy 63,000 electric vehicle charging stations across Indonesia by the end of 2025, marking a significant push into Southeast Asia's growing EV market.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Trade Ministry says it will carefully "monitor" Malaysia's antidumping duty imposed on Indonesian plastic goods and may bring the matter to the World Trade Organization (WTO) "if necessary", while experts urge swift action to protect domestic industries.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Judge of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia Saldi Isra said the lawsuit against the Indonesian National Military Law (TNI Law), Law Number 3 of 2025, made history as it marked the first time numerous identical requests for formal and material review were tried at once.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has extended his congratulations to Pope Leo XIV on his election as the new leader of the Catholic community. Minister of State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi stated that President Prabowo plans to personally convey his congratulations to the Pope, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost.

Han Revanda, Jakarta – Dadan Hindayana, Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), acknowledged that the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal program remains uneven.

He explained that this disparity has led to President Prabowo Subianto feeling upset during his visits to various regions.

Indonesia, West Papua – The Sumuri Indigenous community, comprising 19 clans in the Teluk Bintuni Regency, has issued a resolute rejection of the proposed expansion of palm oil plantations by PT. Borneo Subur Prima and PT. Farita Maju Utama.

Indonesia, West Papua – This 9-page document lists cases and developments, including human rights violations and their patterns; escalation of armed conflict and its impact on civilians; significant political shifts in Indonesia affecting West Papua; and international responses and initiatives. It covers the period from 1 January to 31 March 2025.

Human rights

Xinhua, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is developing several schemes for the construction of a giant sea wall project to attract foreign investors, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono said on Friday.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – A Member of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission II, Muhammad Khozin, disclosed that the parliament will begin discussing the Election Bill next year. House Commission II is tasked with discussing the bill.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the phase 3 clinical trial of the tuberculosis (TB) vaccine developed by the Gates Foundation, owned by Bill Gates, in Indonesia is not intended to turn the public into guinea pigs. Budi stated that the narrative claiming the program is dangerous is baseless.

Han Revanda, Jakarta – Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita denied that Indonesia has entered the deindustrialization phase. He claimed that Indonesia's manufacturing industry is still the main driver of national economic growth.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – The Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Indonesian National Police has detained a woman identified by the initials SSS for allegedly posting a meme showing Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and former president Joko Widodo kissing.

Gilang Kembara (The Conversation) – For much of April and into May, a team of Indonesian negotiators has been in Washington to discuss trading relations between the world's largest economy and another forecast to be in the top-five within a generation.

Jakarta – The past week has seen a series of events that, taken together, indicate a power struggle between political elites just six months into the administration of President Prabowo Subianto.

Jakarta – The project to rewrite Indonesian history initiated by the Ministry of Culture has attracted the attention of a number of historians. It is hoped that the rewrite will not to ignore the dark chapters of Indonesian history, especially related to gross human rights violations that have been committed by the state.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Jakarta has urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint after fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors on early Wednesday broke out in response to an attack by Islamist militants that killed dozens in Indian Kashmir last month.

Heru Andriyanto, Tokyo – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has invited members of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) to deepen their involvement in Indonesia's strategic national projects, particularly in sectors like manufacturing, renewable energy, and sustainable infrastructure.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – After three straight months of decline, Indonesia's consumer confidence finally grew in April, the country's central bank announced Friday.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – Civil servants within the Jakarta Provincial Government are required to use public transportation every Wednesday. Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said strict sanctions will be imposed on employees who fail to comply with this policy.

The sanction includes a halt in the promotion process during his leadership term.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Batam – President Prabowo Subianto has given special authority to the Head of the Batam Investment Coordinating Board or BP Batam to submit requests for the release of forest areas. This authority was granted through Presidential Regulation No. 21 of 2025 on the management of land provision in Free Trade and Free Port (KPBPB) areas.

Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia has criticized the arrest of a Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) student who created and uploaded a meme depicting President Prabowo Subianto and former President Jokowi kissing, asserting that the meme falls under the umbrella of freedom of expression.

Maria Gabrielle Putrinda, Jakarta – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo submitted his university diploma to the National Police on Friday morning as part of a defamation case he filed against five individuals who falsely accused him of forging the document.

Leonard AL Cahyoputra, Jakarta – Indonesia has one of the lowest counts of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and non-tariff measures (NTMs) in the world – a reality the Industry Ministry sees as a key obstacle to boosting the competitiveness of local industries.

Zhulfakar, Jakarta – An analyst recently blamed the government for the waves of layoffs currently hitting the journalism industry, which led many media outlets and news stations to launch mass layoffs.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri openly acknowledged on Thursday that her party suffered significant setbacks in the 2024 elections, blaming what she called "low-spirited cadres" for the disappointing performance.

Gayuh Satria Wicaksono, Ponorogo, East Java – A quiet market in Ngrupit Village, Ponorogo, East Java, hides a dark secret behind its unassuming food stalls. For decades, Njanti Market has served as a hub for street vendors, but beneath the surface, it has become a hotspot for transactional sex.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 14 and 15 April 2025, ethnic horizontal violence reportedly erupted in the Dogiyai Regency, Papua Tengah Province, leading to the death of one non-Papuan close to the Moanemani Terminal. The incidents sparked widespread unrest, prompting the security forces to deploy additional personnel to the region.

Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates has been offered a seat on the advisory board of Danantara, the country's recently established sovereign wealth fund, as he visited President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Andika Pratama, Jakarta – A riot broke out at the Muara Beliti Narcotics Correctional Facility in Musi Rawas, South Sumatra Province, on Thursday around 9:00 a.m.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – The coconut processing industry is urging the government to impose at least a six-month moratorium on raw coconut exports or else local producers will have to lay off workers because of a supply crunch of the commodity as their main input.

Jakarta – The National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) has uncovered a money-laundering scheme involving Rp 530 billion (US$32 million) allegedly obtained from online gambling.

Investigators named two suspects in the case, identified only as OHW and H, the commissioner and director of PT A2Z Solusindo Teknologi (AST), respectively.

Anastasya Lavenia Y, Jakarta – The Director General of Indonesia's BPJS Employment, Anggoro Eko Cahyo, stated that although there are approximately 2 million registered online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers, only 250 thousand are currently enrolled in the BPJS program. This leaves 1.7 million drivers without protection.

Riandy Laksono – Trump's tariffs and the uncertainty around them have put the world economy in great turmoil. Raising a prohibitive tariff barrier around the world's largest consumer will surely make global economic projections bleak. But tariff escalation by trading partners, a pause, and then rounds of exemptions have made global investors even more anxious.

Ary Hermawan – It is not clear if Indonesia's president has thought through all the implications of his offer of humanitarian shelter for injured Palestinians. Any mishandling of the issue could potentially hurt his position, domestically and geopolitically.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves fell to $152.5 billion at the end of April 2025, down $4.6 billion from $157.1 billion in March, Bank Indonesia (BI) announced on Thursday.

Andreas Harsono – In an important step towards protecting online speech, Indonesia's Constitutional Court on April 29 issued two rulings that provide important clarifications to the country's Electronic Information and Transaction Law, used to regulate the internet.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Experts have lambasted Indonesia's heavy push toward natural gas, saying it risks locking the country into fossil fuel dependency under the guise of clean energy, dealing immense damage to the economy, public health and the environment.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 11 April 2025, farmers in Biha Village, Makimi District, Nabire Regency, Papua Tengah Province, raised urgent complaints concerning severe environmental degradation caused by gold mining activities operated by PT Kristalin.