Ruth Dea Juwita, Jakarta – Indonesia has the opportunity to wrap up a long-delayed free trade deal with the European Union after the bloc officially placed Indonesia in its "standard-risk" deforestation law category, a step seen by businesses as a signal that could boost exports of palm oil, coffee, cacao and other commodities.

Every year from May 26 to 31, the international community commemorates Enforced Disappearance Week.

"During the second semester of 2024, BPK successfully saved state finances from actual losses, potential losses, and revenue shortfalls totaling Rp 43.43 trillion," BPK Chairperson Isma Yatun said on Tuesday.

Harumbi Prastya Hidayahningrum, Jakarta – The government is finalizing a new wage subsidy program that will provide Rp 150,000 ($9.23) per month to workers earning less than Rp 3.5 million, including non-permanent (honorary) teachers. The scheme is part of a broader economic stimulus package set for rollout in the second quarter of 2025.

Jakarta – For the majority of people in Indonesia, street hustlers, known as preman, are an integral part of their lives.

From directing traffic to looking for parking spots, these preman, derived from the Dutch word vrijeman, are all eager to lend a hand, in exchange for petty cash or loose change in your glove compartment.

M. Rizki Yusrial, Jakarta – Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has scheduled the examination of six witnesses in a graft case tied to the distribution of presidential social aid or bansos by the Ministry of Social Affairs during the 2020 budget year.

Daniel Ahmad Fajri, Jakarta – Head of the Information Center of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Major General Kristomei Sianturi, voiced full support for West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi's program to send troubled children to military barracks for character training.

Linda Lestari, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Director Usman Hamid said that 15 Trisakti University students were still being held by the police this morning, Friday, May 23, 2025. Usman said that the 15 Trisakti students were still being held even though on Thursday afternoon, May 22, 2025, there was news that the investigation would be completed.

Daniel Ahmad Fajri, Jakarta – According to the latest data from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), around 4,472 active-duty soldiers are currently serving in positions within President Prabowo Subianto's administration. The figures were disclosed by Major General Kristomei Sianturi, Head of the TNI Information Center.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Culture plans to conduct a public review of its revised history manuscript. Culture Minister Fadli Zon announced that this public consultation would take place in June or July.

Marcus Browning – The United Liberation Movement for West Papua provisional government interim president Benny Wenda warns that since Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto took office last October his coming marks the return of "the ghost of Suharto," the brutal dictator who ruled over the nation for three decades.

Jakarta – If one reads headlines over the past couple of weeks and months, it may sound like a full-blown economic crisis is upon us, not unlike that caused by the COVID-19 pandemic a few years ago.

Consumer spending is the biggest problem now, newspaper articles and TV broadcasts suggest, the common phrase being "waning purchasing power".

Anastasya Lavenia Y, Jakarta – Senior economist at Bright Institute, Awalil Rizky, said that Bank Indonesia's decision to cut the benchmark interest rate or BI rate to 5.50 percent is not very effective in boosting economic growth. He argued that BI's move to cut interest rates is more towards a strategy to maintain stability.

Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – Ayam Goreng Widuran, a legendary eatery in Solo, Central Java, is currently facing public scrutiny after declaring its non-halal status following 52 years of operation. Some particularly Muslim consumers feel deceived because the restaurant management did not previously warn Muslim consumers of its non-halal status.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Head of the Indonesian Presidential Communication Office (PCO), Hasan Nasbi, suggested that the opinion article on Detikcom that criticized the appointment of Djaka Budi Utama as head of the Directorate General of Customs and Excise at the Finance Ministry should be uploaded again.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – The Transportation Ministry is evaluating airline ticket prices amid mounting cost pressures, which could lead to increased airfares paid by passengers, despite the government's longstanding efforts to keep prices affordable.

Daniel Ahmad Fajri, Jakarta – The Head of the Information Center of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), Major General Kristomei Sianturi, said that the program of sending children to military barracks, initiated by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, has the potential to become a national policy.

Jakarta – Research by the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy has concluded that the state of freedom of religion and belief (KBB) in 2024 showed signs of regression or setbacks at the end of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo' administration and the beginning of President Prabowo Subianto's administration.

Jakarta – National Economic Council (DEN) chairman Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the Jakarta – Surabaya high-speed railway (HSR) project will move forward.

M. Rizki Yusrial, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) regrets the removal of an opinion titled "Jenderal di Jabatan Sipil: Di Mana Merit ASN?" (Military Generals in Civil Service: Where is the Merit of Civil Servants?) on Detikcom. The article was published on Thursday morning, May 22, 2025.

Jakarta – From Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad, alias Haji Isam, 48, we can learn how to become an oligarch. After a career in the business world, then influencing a number of government policies from behind the scenes, now he is trying his luck joining a political party.

Anastasya Lavenia Y, Jakarta – Bob Azam, head of labor affairs at the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), says the government must urgently strengthen public purchasing power to spur economic growth. Apindo estimates that 250,000 workers will be affected by layoffs this year.

Dika Mohammad – Reformasi – the political reform process that began in 1998 – was an important moment in Indonesian political history. It marked the end of the New Order authoritarian regime. After 27 years have passed however, it is increasingly clear that these reforms only managed to bring down the figure – former president Suharto – not the system.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) announced that the broad money supply (M2) in April 2025 increased by 5.2 percent annually. This figure decreased compared to M2 in March, which grew by 6.1 percent.

Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – The website of the Association for Elections and Democracy, Indonesia (Perludem) was hacked. The site was transformed into an advertisement for online gambling, and the organization's email communication activities were disrupted.

Rizky Pradita Ananda, Jakarta – The Health Ministry has announced that natural-based medicines, including Indonesia's traditional Jamu, will become a strategic priority in the country's ongoing healthcare transformation.

By Max Lane

Executive summary

• After months of speculation about what a Prabowo government would be like following the ten years of the Widodo presidency, speculation is starting to subside, and policies are becoming clearer.

Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI), or the Indonesian Environmental Forum, noted that approximately 9.1 million hectares out of a total of 15.4 million hectares of land in Central Kalimantan is controlled by large-scale corporations.

Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – Thousands of imitation skulls were scattered around a hotel in Jakarta on Saturday May 24 as a symbol of how dark and terrifying the New Order era of former president Suharto was. The imitation skulls were arranged by the committee organising a discussion by hundreds of '98 activists who overthrew the New Order in 1998.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Jakarta – Indonesia and China on Sunday agreed to promote the use of their respective national currencies in bilateral trade, marking a significant step toward reducing dependency on the US dollar.

Jan Hennop, Kuala Lumpur – Timor-Leste is a step closer to fulfilling its longstanding wish to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc and could become its 11th member state by October, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Sunday.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Education, Elementary, and Secondary (Kemendikdasmen) has eliminated the reading, writing, and arithmetic or literacy test from the selection process for new students at the elementary school (SD) level. This decision is stipulated in Ministerial Regulation No.

Antara, Jakarta – An 18-year-old high school student with the initials Mu or Am was arrested by Densus 88 Antiterror Squad and the South Sulawesi Regional Police in Gowa Regency on Saturday, May 24, 2025, on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. The arrest took place on SD Daeng Emba Street, Samata Village, Somba Opu District.

Arlina Arshad, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has hailed Indonesia's deepening ties with China as a pillar of peace and prosperity in the South-east Asia region, as he welcomed Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Jakarta for a three-day working visit.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia condemns the intimidation experienced by a Detikcom columnist for criticizing the placement of the military in civilian positions. AJI Indonesia urges the Chief of the Indonesian National Police to investigate the case.

Kuala Lumpur – ASEAN Foreign Ministers today reaffirmed their strong support for Timor-Leste's full membership in the regional bloc, acknowledging the country's significant progress in implementing the ASEAN Roadmap.

Mutia Yuantisya, Jakarta – The Indonesian Caucus for Academic Freedom (KIKA) has condemned the alleged intimidation against students critical of militarism. KIKA urges law enforcement to thoroughly investigate and find the perpetrators.

Jayapura – The struggle of the Papuan people to determine their own future as an independent and sovereign nation has been going on for a long time, since the Indonesian government unilaterally claimed the territory of West Papua through the manipulation of the UN sponsored Pepera referendum in 1969 which was full of intimidation and was legally and morally flawed.

The Labour Movement with the People (GEBRAK) strongly condemns the repressive actions by police in handling a peaceful demonstration to commemorate the 27th anniversary of reformasi held by Trisakti University students on Tuesday May 21 in front of the Jakarta City Hall.

Kate Abnett, Charlotte Van Campenhout and Bart H. Meijer, Brussels – Commodities from just four countries will face the strictest checks under the European Union's anti-deforestation law, with major forest nations including Brazil and Indonesia spared the toughest rules.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – An active military general previously convicted of kidnapping pro-democracy activists was appointed on Friday (May 23) to a key role in Indonesia's Finance Ministry, sparking what observers say is the fiercest criticism yet of President Prabowo Subianto's moves to place senior uniformed personnel in top civilian roles.

Jakarta – Despite only being unveiled to the public in March, President Prabowo Subianto's ambitious initiative to expand educational access for underprivileged children through hundreds of free boarding schools, called Sekolah Rakyat (community schools), is already set to launch in the upcoming school year.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Papua Peace Network urges President Prabowo Subianto to appoint a special envoy to establish a communication channel with the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and all conflicting parties in Papua.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Former Minister of Communication and Informatics, Rudiantara, spoke about 5G network needs among internet users in Indonesia. He stated that currently the 5G market mostly targets corporations, while the general public have shown less interest due to the relatively high service cost.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – The government is set to reintroduce electricity bill discounts for low-power households starting June 5, as part of a broader stimulus package aimed at boosting purchasing power

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Semarang – Flooding from the sea submerged areas of Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang, Central Java, after a section of the seawall collapsed on Friday afternoon, May 23, 2025, around 2:00 PM. Workers were subsequently evacuated from the affected port area.

Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Robertus Belarminus, Jakarta – Hundreds of people from a number of 1998 activist groups gathered at a hotel in South Jakarta on Saturday May 24 to discuss and express their position of rejecting the proposal that the second President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto, be made a national hero.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – The Association of Indonesian Energy, Mineral, and Coal Suppliers (Aspebindo) is confident that the demand for Indonesian coal will improve despite facing global market fluctuations and geopolitical dynamics.

Lia Hutasoit, Jakarta – A columnist on the detik.com news site with the initials YF was allegedly intimidated after writing an article titled "Generals in Civilian Positions: Where is the Merit of Civil Servants?". The article was published on Thursday morning, May 22, before being taken down for reasons of the author's safety.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – YF, a columnist for the news site detik.com, reportedly faced intimidation following the publication of his article, "Jenderal di Jabatan Sipil: Di Mana Merit ASN?" (General in Civilian Positions: Where is the ASN Merit?), which addressed the issue of military generals holding civilian posts.