Victoria Gill – Stark images, captured from a drone by environmental campaigners and shared with the BBC, appear to show how nickel mining has stripped forests and polluted waters in one of the most biodiverse marine habitats on Earth.

Jakarta – The government has many reasons to make it difficult, but not impossible, for foreigners to work in the country. One of these is to protect employment and limit foreign workers to jobs that Indonesians cannot fill. It is what most other countries do too. But this is no reason for the government to extort expatriates intending to work in Indonesia.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The Central Board of Women of the Nation, an organization under the National Awakening Party or PKB, criticized the statement made by the Minister of Culture Fadli Zon who claimed that the mass rape cases during the May 1998 riots did not have enough evidence to be included in Indonesia's official history.

Duncan Graham – P&I readers don't need to be told that Defence Minister Richard Marles is floundering when trying to make security links with Indonesia seem as though they've "never been in better shape".

Elisa Valenta, Jakarta – The World Bank has approved two major investment packages worth a combined US$2.1 billion to support job creation, economic growth, and the expansion of clean energy access across Indonesia.

Julianus Palermo, Surabaya, E – Java. Police in Surabaya in East Java, have arrested two men connected to a private Facebook group called "Gay Surabaya," accusing them of facilitating same-sex meetups through the platform. The admin, identified as MFK, 24, and a group member, GR, 36, were taken into custody by the Tanjung Perak Port Police.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – The government defended its plan to introduce smaller subsidized housing units in urban areas, following public backlash over proposals for homes as small as 14 square meters, smaller than a typical hotel room. Officials say the concept is still in its early stages and aimed at addressing the specific needs of young, low-income urban dwellers.

Shinta Maharani, Yogyakarta – Ita Fatia Nadia, an advocate for the victims of mass rape against Chinese women during the May 1998 riots, began receiving a series of threats shortly after criticizing a statement made by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon, who claimed there was no evidence of the 1998 mass rape.

Surabaya – Police have again arrested two people suspected of being involved in a gay network on social media. They are being charged under the anti-pornography law.

Ananda Ridho Sulistya, Jakarta – Structural poverty is one of the forms of poverty that exists in Indonesia. Structural poverty is the poverty caused by the imbalance of access of a society to opportunities for a more decent life.

Ayu Cipta, Jakarta – The Directorate General of Corrections of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights sent 100 high-risk drug convicts to the Super Maximum Security Penitentiary on Nusakambangan Island, Cilacap, Central Java, Indonesia.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Mining activities in the regency of Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua, have garnered attention due to environmental damage. Out of five mining companies, the government has revoked the mining business permit, or IUP, for four of them. PT Gag Nikel, located on Gag Island, is the only company still holding their operating permit.

Anastasya Lavenia Y, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia's (BI) Consumer Survey for May 2025 shows that the Job Availability Index has fallen into the pessimistic zone, reaching a level of 95.7. This marks a drop from April 2025's figure of 101.6, which was still in the optimistic territory (above 100).

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia has officially removed import quotas on live cattle in a bid to secure long-term supplies of beef and dairy, the government announced over the weekend.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung reaffirmed on Sunday his administration's commitment to continue the construction of a giant seawall along the northern coast of Java, a long-delayed project aimed at protecting the capital from coastal erosion, tidal flooding, and land subsidence.

Intan Setiawanty, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's recent statement, which opened the possibility of reducing the budgets of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) to raise judges' salaries, is being interpreted as a pointed critique of the Polri's performance.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has reminded the public that the state has officially acknowledged the mass rapes that occurred during the May 1998 Tragedy.

This reminder came in response to a recent statement by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon, who denied that sexual violence took place during the unrest.

Taufiq Syarifudin, Jakarta – A group of people held a Defend Palestine solidarity action on Car Free Day (CFD) in Central Jakarta on Sunday June 15 in which they called for Palestinian independence.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The Indonesian Women's Alliance has urged Minister of Culture Fadli Zon to apologize for his brisk dismissal of the legitimacy of the 1998 mass rape tragedy in Indonesia. The alliance slammed Fadli's remark as a denial of the grim truth that leaves longstanding trauma for the deceased victims of sexual violence and their families.

Iil Askar Mondza, Banda Aceh – Former Chairperson of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), Otto Nur Abdullah, asserted that Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian's decision to include four islands near Singkil Regency, Aceh, into the territory of North Sumatra has the potential to ignite a new conflict in Tanah Rencong (Aceh).

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is investigating allegations of corruption linked to nickel mining activities in Raja Ampat Regency, Southwest Papua. KPK Chair Setyo Budiyanto said that the KPK's Deputy for Coordination and Supervision (Korsup) is conducting a thorough study into the matter.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon has once again drawn sharp criticism for his statement dismissing the 1998 mass rapes as mere rumors. Fadli made these comments during an interview with senior IDN Times journalist, Uni Zulfiani Lubis, concerning the rewriting of Indonesian history.

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – The Indonesian House Speaker Puan Maharani speaks up about the recent wave of layoffs in Bali, urging the central government to take anticipatory measures in the face of a larger wave of worker terminations.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Barzan Holdings, the strategic investment arm of Qatar's Defense Ministry, considers Indonesia as a big market for arms producers.

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – Indonesia Clearing House (ICH) has been officially registered by Bank Indonesia (BI) as a Clearing House for Foreign Exchange and Money Market Derivatives (PUVA). This designation is formalized under BI Letter Number 27/301/DPPK/Str/B.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The Jakarta Provincial Government has announced a waiver of late payment penalties for Motor Vehicle Tax (PKB) and Motor Vehicle Ownership Transfer Fees (BBNKB). This tax exemption policy is effective from Saturday, June 14, until Sunday, August 31, 2025.

In the midst of abundant natural resources and enchanting cultural diversity, the situation in Papua is not as good and beautiful as the natural beauty it has. In recent times, news reports about Papua have grabbed quite a lot of public attention.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Batam – Silica sand mining continues to operate in Natuna Regency, Riau Islands, exporting up to 1 million tons of silica sand to China.

Jonathan Tehusijarana – The Prabowo Subianto government's plan to make wholesale changes to Indonesia's national historiography feels like it was inevitable. This is an administration that has shown itself willing to play fast and loose with history, using it as a tool for political gain.

Jakarta – Both mining and tourism are vital for Indonesia's economic development as each brings a lot of foreign exchange to the country.

The government will continue to court investment to both of those industries, and that is fine, as long as they stay out of each other's way, because mining and tourism do not mix.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Talks between Indonesia and the United States remain in limbo just days ahead of a deadline both parties set for reaching a trade deal to avert punishing US import tariffs that would effectively shut off the world's largest consumer market for many Indonesian products.

Rabul Sawal, Central Halmahera – Stesya Tania dashes back and forth between the shop she attends and her bedroom where she checks on her perpetually ill daughter, Putri. Since they moved to Gemaf village in Central Halmahera regency, North Maluku, in 2021, her daughter has suffered from constant fever, wet cough and shortness of breath.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – Indonesia has officially agreed to export clean electricity to Singapore, primarily sourced from solar power, marking a significant step forward in regional renewable energy cooperation.

Erfan Maruf, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is preparing a new method for calculating the national poverty line in response to recent adjustments made by the World Bank in its June 2025 Update to the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP).

Antara, Jakarta – The air quality in Jakarta fell into the "unhealthy" category on Friday. The IQAir website ranked Jakarta as the second most polluted city in the world at around 5:42 a.m.

Jakarta's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 164, while the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was measured at 74.3 micrograms per cubic meter.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto received a phone call from United States President Donald Trump on Thursday night, June 12, 2025.

According to the Presidential Secretariat, both leaders inquired about each other's well-being and the latest developments in America and Indonesia.

Anastasya Lavenia Y, Jakarta – The Indonesian government isn't expected to blindly adopt the World Bank's updated poverty threshold, said Aviliani, Deputy Chair for Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Policy at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's desire to build a giant sea wall on the north coast of Java could end in disaster. Without a proper study, the megaproject, which will stretch from Banten to Gresik in East Java, could damage the environment, disrupt economic activity, and waste state funds.

Firda Janati, Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid says that the statement by Minister of Culture Fadli Zon that there were no rapes during the May 1998 riots in Jakarta is a fatal error.

Surabaya – The East Java Regional Police (Polda) Cyber Directorate has arrested four people suspected of being involved in a same sex network or gay group on social media. The four are MI (21) a resident of Jalan Gubeng in Surabaya, Z (24) from Jalan Tambaksari in Surabaya, FS (44) from Dukuh Pakis in Surabaya and S (66) from Jombang.

Indonesia, West Papua – In recent months, Indonesia has witnessed an alarming resurgence of military influence in civilian affairs, raising serious concerns about democratic regression and the erosion of civilian supremacy.

Indonesia, West Papua – The humanitarian crisis in West Papua has reached a critical stage. As of June 2025, more than 97,648 people in West Papua [1] remain internally displaced as a result of armed conflict between Indonesian security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – A stormy saga over nickel mining in one of the most biodiverse marine regions in the world appears to be far from over, even after the Indonesian government revoked the permits of most of the companies involved.

Fuad Iqbal Abdullah, Sepaku, East Kalimantan – Indonesia is introducing artificial intelligence (AI) and coding as elective subjects in 59,000 elementary, junior high, and senior high schools across the country starting in the 2025-2026 academic year.

Anisa Fauziah, Jakarta – Indonesia's free health screening (CKG) program has revealed that dental problems are the most prevalent health issue among participants, surpassing chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

Andrian Supendi, Jakarta – Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq is calling on state-owned energy giant Pertamina to immediately adopt European-grade fuel standards as Jakarta reels from a surge in air pollution that has placed it among the most polluted cities globally.

In a joint statement the Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity, which is made up of a number of civil society organisations and individuals, strongly condemned a statement made by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, regarding the May 1998 affair.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia considers Minister of Culture Fadli Zon's dismissal of the mass rape tragedy during the May 1998 riots as a mere rumor to be part of the government's effort to defend itself from its dark past.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The Chairperson of the National Economic Council (DEN), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, expressed optimism that Indonesia's economic growth could still reach 8 to 9 percent.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is inviting global investors to participate in national infrastructure projects worth approximately Rp 200 trillion ($12.3 billion), with opportunities spanning sectors such as roads, housing, food, and renewable energy.