Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – With the victory of his CNRT Party in the May 20 elections, and his ability to form a strong coalition with a smaller party, Timor-Leste's independence hero Xanana Gusmao is moving closer to realizing his ambition to integrate the young nation into the globally influential ASEAN, with the strong backing of its former colonizer Indonesia.

Kate Lamb, Jakarta – Rebels in Indonesia's Papua region threatened to shoot a New Zealand pilot they took hostage in February if countries do not comply with their demand to start independence talks within two months, a new video released by the group on Friday showed.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Public Works Ministry has released a statement claiming that the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo built 1,500 kilometers more of "national roads" than his predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, or SBY, did in the previous administration.

Dewi Kurniawati, Jakarta – Indonesia's anti-monopoly agency (KPPU) ordered seven cooking oil companies on Friday to pay fines of up to over $2 million each for restricting sales amid scarce supplies last year.

Henry Jom – Timor Leste's independence fighter and first president Xanana Gusmao is set on pushing Australia for a gas pipeline to be built from the Greater Sunrise fields in the Timor Sea to his country's south coast if his party wins the country's parliamentary election.

Sacha Shaw – A parliamentary election and the climax of a month of celebrations marking the anniversary of independence came and went last weekend in Asia's youngest nation, Timor-Leste. By Tuesday, May 23, the results were in: Xanana Gusmao's National Congress of the Reconstruction of East Timor (CNRT) won from opposition, taking 31 out of a possible 65 seats in parliament.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) recorded that the number of cases of violence against women reached 457,895 in 2022.

Komnas Perempuan Chairperson Andy Yentriyani said the number of complaints decreased slightly from the previous year. In 2021, Komnas Perempuan recorded 459,094 cases of violence.

Tika Ayu and Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The process related to the 2024 General Elections (Pemilu) has officially kicked off as the General Elections Commission (KPU) has received applicants who plan to run as legislatures from numerous political parties, and is now being verified.

Jakarta – The latest Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas) survey predicts that as many as 12 out of the 18 political parties that will take part in the 2024 elections will not gain any seats in the House of Representatives (DPR).

These parties are expected to fail to garner enough votes to meet the 4 percent parliamentary threshold.

Jakarta – The newly signed defense and maritime cooperation agreement between Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the United States will not only exacerbate the ongoing great power rivalry in the Asia Pacific region but also give us a cause for concern because we share a border with PNG.

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – Health activists are unhappy with the proposed tobacco rules in the omnibus bill on health because it fails to provide stricter tobacco control for the country.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – Indonesia's delegation looks set to curb ambitions at an upcoming global forum on plastic pollution amid concern that some of the plans could harm local industries.

Whisnu Bagus Prasetyo, Jakarta – Indonesia is sending 229,000 pilgrims to perform the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca this year. This makes the largest Hajj quota Indonesia has ever received to date.

Moh Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – The Transportation Ministry's directorate general of land transport in a statement on Thursday has pushed for the use of electric vehicles in public transportation.

The director general, Suharto, believes the EV industry has grown exponentially due to the subsiding pandemic and support from the government through incentives.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The chairman of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's biggest group of supporters claimed on Thursday that the president is still making attempts to pair up Ganjar Pranowo with Prabowo Subianto for the 2024 presidential election.

Ima Dini Shafira and Tika Ayu, Jakarta – Kurnia Ramadhana – researcher for the antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) – on Thursday called out the General Elections Commission (KPU) chairperson Hasyim Asy'ari over spreading misleading information regarding the regulation overseeing the candidacy of former corruption convicts.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is pursuing tuna seed cultivation to improve national economic added value and boost fishermen's welfare.

Ima Dini Shafira and M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) head branch Said Abdullah on Wednesday believes the electability of future presidential candidate and current Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo will surpass Prabowo Subianto.

Church leaders and advocacy groups have opposed Indonesia's plan to set up military posts across all provinces in the Southeast nation, accusing the authorities of efforts to enhance the military's role in civilian life.

Former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has slammed the military's plans to set up regional commands, asking if it was preparing for a war.

The International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGT) is commemorated annually from 25-31 May.

The Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) will hold its 2023 Pacific Regional Seminar, in Bali, Indonesia, from 24 to 26 May.

Amilia Rosa and Chris Barrett, Denpasar – For more than two years Bali was starved of overseas tourists as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world. Now, with the global health crisis seemingly in the rear-view mirror, they are back in droves, with almost 1.5 million arriving on the island between January and April alone.

Gantry Meilana – Timor-Leste's opposition party won Sunday's parliamentary election, meaning independence fighter Xanana Gusmao is likely to return as prime minister in Asia's youngest democracy.

Bella Evangelista, Jakarta – Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Bukhori Yusuf has resigned from the party and his House of Representatives post amid domestic violence allegations brought by his second wife.

BTV, Jakarta – Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono has claimed that the construction of primary infrastructures like roads, water supplies, electricity lines, and main government buildings will be completed before Independence Day next year.

Jayapura, Jubi – On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, the Jayapura District Court continued the trial of three students accused of treason for taking part in a free speech which displayed the Morning Star flag, held at the Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) campus on November 10 last year.

Neo Chai Chin and Janice Wu, Bandung, Indonesia – In Asia, a region that could see more heatwaves like the one last month, there is a low-cost, sustainable way to make temperatures more bearable for people in cities.

"Cool" roofs have a special coating applied to reflect sunlight and reduce the amount of heat absorbed by a building. The result is lower indoor temperatures.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Poland wants to reduce its trade deficit with Indonesia, and the European country is seeking to promote its agrifood exports, according to its deputy foreign minister Wojciech Gerwel.

Moh. Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – Indonesian Labor Party President Said Iqbal announced that hundreds of thousands of workers are set to hold demonstrations against Law No. 6 of 2023 concerning Job Creation or the omnibus law. The protests will be held alternately in 38 provinces throughout the country.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko on Wednesday urges calm in the wake of news that the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Law will be revised. The former TNI commander claims that the revision will clearly define the professionalism of the country's military force.

Antara, Jakarta – The Governments of Indonesia and Malaysia signed two memoranda of understanding (MoU) in the defense industry sector on the sidelines of the 16th International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) 2023 in Langkawi, Malaysia on May 23.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko on Wednesday gave his response to a criticism that compared the national roadway constructions during the double terms of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or SBY.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – Markus Alim, the chief executive officer of leading home appliance producer Maspion, underwent questioning at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building in Jakarta on Wednesday as a key witness in the bribery case against former Sidoarjo Regent Saiful Ilah.

Randy Mulyanto and Charlenne Kayla Roeslie, Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia's strongman Soeharto stepped down 25 years ago this week after protests and unrest across the archipelago, some of which targeted the country's ethnic Chinese minority.

An Australian advocacy group has called for West Papua to be reinscribed on the United Nations list of "non self-governing territories", citing the "sham" vote in 1969 and the worsening human rights violations in the Indonesian-ruled Melanesian region.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – Ahead of the regional elections next year, a local branch of the Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI) in Depok, West Java, joined a recent bandwagon looking to support an idea to nominate President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's son Kaesang Pangarep as mayor of the city.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga dismissed the issue of increasing egg prices. He claimed he had visited a number of markets in various regions and that the price of the commodity is indeed varying but still reasonable.

Amelia Rahima Sari, Jakarta – The Finance Minister's special staffer for strategic communications, Yustinus Prastowo, stated that the government debt principal and interest rates differ each year.

M Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) launched a search into the office of the Social Affairs Ministry on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, as part of the investigation of the corruption case in the distribution of social assistance in the form of rice.

"Yes there is such an activity (a search)," said KPK spokesperson Ali Fikri on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

Jakarta – Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) is urging that the discourse on a plan to add additional military commands so that all 38 provinces in Indonesia have regional military commands (Kodam) be brought to an end.

BTV, Jakarta – The central government's takeover of roadworks from the regional authorities is in line with the decentralization principle, according to Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono.

Jayapura, Jubi – Rev. Benny Giay, the Moderator of the Papua Council of Churches, paid a visit to the Papua High Prosecutor's Office in Jayapura City on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. His purpose was to request that the Papua High Prosecutor's Office refrain from appealing the verdict of the Jayapura District Court in the treason case against Viktor Yeimo.

Jakarta – Indonesia recorded a surplus of $6.5 billion in its balance of payments in the first quarter of the year, up by $1.8 billion from the fourth quarter of last year, the central bank announced on Tuesday.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Suryani grew up in a family of farmers on the island of Java in Indonesia. Her parents are members of a farmer's union called SPP. The land they live and farm on isn't titled, so Suryani knows very well the importance of having farmers' land rights recognized and protected.

Does the LGBT community now have an ally in Mahfud MD, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs?

The senior minister recently gave a statement about how the rule of law applies to the marginalized community – and it's a statement that may bring a minuscule sliver of hope for LGBT rights in Indonesia.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Iran promised to help Indonesia modernize its healthcare with surgical robots during a meeting between the leaders of the two countries in Bogor on Tuesday.

Pandawara Group has seen it all. The group of environmentally-conscious youngsters has made a name for themselves cleaning up some of the filthiest rivers in Indonesia, which they have regularly documented through viral videos on TikTok.

But the West Java-based group faced a new challenge recently: a beach they dubbed the "dirtiest" in Indonesia.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Nusantara – Indonesia's new capital project in East Kalimantan – is popular among investors, but it will take time for the investment to actually take shape, according to Bambang Susantono, the head of the city's authority body.

Bambang said Nusantara had amassed more than hundreds of letters of intent from investors both home and abroad.

Antara, Jakarta – A group of people joined under the Advokat Merdeka Pembela Rakyat (Freedom Advocate, Defender of the People) or Ampera, on Monday reported the Youtube channel touted the 'Menara Istana' to the Metro Jaya Police over allegedly spreading false information related to the 2024 presidential election.

M Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has named a new suspect from a private party in the BTS project corruption case at the Communication and Information Ministry.