Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Chairul Fikri, Jakarta – Indonesian officials and activists have pushed back against recent remarks by Culture Minister Fadli Zon suggesting the mass rapes during the May 1998 riots were merely "rumors," saying such comments risk erasing painful historical truths and marginalizing victims.
Indonesia & East Timor Digest
Displaying 601-650 of 102914 Documents
June 16, 2025
Catholic-majority Timor-Leste has reversed its initial decision to abstain in a vote on a United Nations resolution concerning the protection of civilians in Gaza and voted in favor of it a day after the vote.
June 15, 2025
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
June 14, 2025
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.
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.
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).
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.
Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Barzan Holdings, the strategic investment arm of Qatar's Defense Ministry, considers Indonesia as a big market for arms producers.
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.
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.
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.
June 13, 2025
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
June 12, 2025
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.
Budi Irawanto – With more than 10 million viewers in just nine weeks, Ryan Adriandhy's Jumbo (2025) is Indonesia's most commercially successful animation ever – and not just in Indonesia but also across Southeast Asia.
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.
Agnes Valentina Christa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto announced a salary hike for Indonesian judges on Thursday, pledging increases of up to 280 percent for entry-level positions, a move aimed at fortifying the judiciary's integrity as a massive bribery scandal unfolds involving a former Supreme Court official.
Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court will summon President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) this month to provide explanations in relation to the formal review of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Law (TNI Law) and the State-Owned Enterprises Law (BUMN Law).
Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesian Forum for the Environment or Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi) urges the government to revoke the mining permit of PT Gag Nikel in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua. The Head of Walhi's Campaign Division, Fanny Tri Jambore, believes that allowing PT Gag to operate will endanger the marine ecosystem in the region.
Jakarta – Indonesian state energy company Pertamina reported a net profit of $3.13 billion (Rp 49.54 trillion) for the year 2024, supported by strong operational performance across its upstream, downstream, and renewable energy businesses.
Joniansyah, Tangerang – The Criminal Investigation Unit of the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Police thwarted an attempt to smuggle 171,880 lobster seed through the international airport to Batam. The lobster seed was intended to be sent to Vietnam.
Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto announced on Thursday that construction of a long-delayed $80 billion seawall project along the northern coast of Java will begin soon, marking a major step in protecting densely populated areas from worsening coastal erosion and tidal flooding.