Antara, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan shared optimism that Indonesia will become one of the top three producers of electric vehicle (EV) battery in the world by 2027.

Antara, Jakarta – The Papua Province Statistics Indonesia (BPS) on Monday announced that the percentage of Papuans living in poverty as of September 2022 amounted to 26.80 percent, which is a 0.24 percent increase compared to March of the same year but a 0.58 percent drop compared to the same month of 2021.

Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Tuesday bemoaned the ban against the establishment of houses of worship that still persists to this day in the form of local government regulations or instructions.

Moh Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – Indonesia's poverty rate as of September 2022 was recorded at 9.57 percent or equivalent to 26.36 million people who are below the poverty line.

During the same year, this number is a slight increase compared to March which logged 9.54 percent but is lower than September 2021 with 9.71 percent.

Antara, Jakarta – Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Bintang Puspayoga has emphasized the importance of developing an anti-violence education strategy for early childhood.

The strategy is needed since children are a group that is vulnerable to violence and exploitation, she explained.

Zainal Abidin Bagir – Indonesia's new Criminal Code (KUHP) has been decried as a major step backwards for Indonesian democracy. While provisions on sex outside marriage and cohabitation have grabbed global headlines, another set of articles that have ignited controversy are those relating to religion.

Billy Adison Aditijanto, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has asked the banking sector to support the country's downstream industries, which the government hopes will boost the country's export value, as well as supporting economic growth.

Jakarta – The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy has reminded President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo that there is still widespread opposition to minority groups performing worship and the establishment of houses of workers in several parts of Indonesia.

Vitorio Mantalean, Jakarta – A group of demonstrators calling themselves the National Democrat Student League (LMND) held a protest action in front of the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Jalan Jalan Imam Bonjol in Jakarta on Tuesday January 17.

Sebastian Strangio – Thousands of people took to the streets in the Indonesian capital Jakarta this weekend, urging parliament to reject a presidential decree that critics say would erode employees' rights and weaken environmental protections.

Prasto Wardoyo, Surabaya, Indonesia – An Indonesian court on Monday began a trial of a handful of police officers and soccer match organisers on charges of criminal negligence for their role in one of the world's deadliest soccer stadium stampedes in Java last October.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Batam, Indonesia – "There's no more fish," says Abdul Ganip, holding up a mostly empty flask containing a few prawns. "It's a quiet catch."

For decades, the 57-year-old has lived and worked as a fisherman on the Indonesian island of Batam, better known as an industrial hub and special economic zone off the eastern coast of Sumatra.

Caroline Bulolo – Between 2000 and 2019, Indonesia lost more forest to mining than any other tropical country, with coal extraction the main driver, the first ever biome-wide assessment has found.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is expected to tour some regions in the country to hold a meeting with survivors and families of human rights abuses as part of an effort to bring closure to past atrocities.

Gilang Galiartha, Nabil Ihsan, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD commended the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) statement that welcomes the Indonesian government's acknowledgement of past grave human rights violations.

Chris Barrett, Singapore – East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta has called on the Australian government to finally release secret documents relating to the Indonesian invasion and occupation of the south-east-Asian nation as he led tributes to Balibo Five widow Shirley Shackleton.

The foolish and deadly social media trend involving teenagers daring each other to jump in front of moving trucks has claimed another life in Bogor Regency, West Java.

One video that has been making the rounds online depicts the final moments of a male teenager, who is identified by his initial I, when he performed the dare while his friends filmed from afar.

There seems to be no derailing some people's entrepreneurial spirit.

Jayapura, Jubi – As many as 107 non-Papuan citizens who live in Oksibil City, Bintang Mountains Regency, Mountainous Papua Province, evacuated to Jayapura.

The evacuation of hundreds of residents on Friday and Saturday, January 13-14, 2023, used three aircraft, namely CN-235 and A-2307 owned by the Air Force, and the Caravan Smart Aviation PK-SNI.

Jayapura, Jubi – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) asked the Papua Police to arrest the perpetrators of the shooting of civilians in the events following the arrest of the Papua Governor Lukas Enembe due to alleged graft case on January 10, 2023.

Gresik, East Java – Gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) expects that its US$3 billion copper smelter project in Gresik, East Java, could start operating early next year right when the demand for copper for electric vehicle (EV) production is expected to pick up.

Jakarta – Two people were killed when workers clashed at a nickel smelting facility operated by a unit of China's Jiangsu Delong Nickel Industry in Central Sulawesi at the weekend, police said on Monday.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) may have come out at the top in the last two general elections, but whether it can score a hat-trick in 2024 depends on whether it is fielding a strong presidential candidate who can help it win the votes.

Jakarta – As Indonesia and Malaysia account for almost 90 percent combined of the world's palm oil production and this commodity plays a very important role in their economies, supplying almost 50 percent of the global vegetable oil, the two countries should have been able to come together to become a leader in the edible oil market.

Stevani Wijaya, Jakarta – Prosecutors on Monday recommended a sentence of eight years in prison for the personal assistant of former police general Ferdy Sambo, who is accused of ordering the murder of a subordinate.

Antara, Jakarta – The Rupiah exchange rate transacted between banks in Jakarta surged on Monday morning which is in line with market expectations for Indonesia's trade balance surplus in December last year.

Rupiah strengthened 123 points or 0.81 percent to Rp15,026/US Dollar compared to Friday's closing on January 13 at Rp15,149/US Dollar.

Antara, Jakarta – PT PLN (Persero) subsidiary, PT Energi Primer Indonesia, strengthens the supply chain of biomass as a substitute for coal in Steam Power Plants (PLTU).

Fika Nurul Ulya, Jakarta – Late last year, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo issued Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 2/2022 to replace Law Number 11/2020 on the Job Creation Law, after the law was declared conditionally unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in November 2021.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Nickel mining company Gunbuster Nickel Industry will resume operations at its smelter in Central Sulawesi on Tuesday, three days after hundreds of local workers staged a rally and burned heavy machinery and vehicles which triggered clashes and killed at least two workers, National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said on Monday.

Antara, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has given his blessing to State-Owned Enterprise Minister Erick Thohir to join the race for the chairman of the Indonesian Football Association, or PSSI, a close aide of the president said on Monday.

Jakarta – Environmentalists have criticised Indonesia and Malaysia's pledge to fight "discrimination" against palm oil, saying it puts the countries' commitment to halting deforestation into question.

Antara, Jakarta – Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Bintang Puspayoga affirmed that the government will tighten the dispensation for marriage applications to reduce the number of child marriages.

Jakarta – Holding company Astra Group controlled 55 percent of Indonesia's overall car wholesales in 2022 which topped 1 million and returned to the pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels.

According to the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association, or Gaikindo, national car sales jumped by 18 percent to 1.05 million last year compared to the figures a year earlier.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The South Jakarta Police have adopted community policing to increase interactive relations with community members by assigning one officer to every neighborhood, according to the police chief on Friday.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – Anti-graft czar Firli Bahuri on Saturday slammed disgraced Papua Governor Lukas Enembe as the bad apple in the government who must be brought to justice for his corrupt behavior and financial extravagance at the expense of people in the province.

Jakarta – The government's plan to discontinue commuter line (KRL) subsidies for middle-high income earners is flawed for a number of reasons.

Nabiyla Risfa Izzati – Just weeks ago, Indonesia's government changed its controversial Job Creation Law – better known as the Omnibus Law – into a "Government Regulation in Lieu of Law" as it was considered an emergency to issue the regulation.

Jakarta – Indonesia has deployed a warship to its North Natuna Sea to monitor a Chinese coast guard vessel that has been active in a resource-rich maritime area, the country's naval chief said on Saturday of an area that both countries claim as their own.

Jakarta – Thousands of workers held rallies in Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Saturday, urging parliament to reject a presidential decree that critics say would erode employees' rights and environmental protections.

Len Garae – The Executive Committee of the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association (VFWPA) has approached the Vanuatu Association of Non-Government Organisations (VANGO) this week, urging it to network with Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (PIANGO) to send a clear message in the form of a "petition" to all relevant authorities in the Pacific and the Melanesi

Jakarta – The government has finally admitted that many of the nation's past tragedies amounted to gross human rights violations, and President Jokowi "Jokowi" Widodo has expressed regret on behalf of the state.Rights activists, however, say this is not enough.

Rebecca Root, Bangkok – Ita Nadia is an Indonesian activist who lost her uncle, aunt and a nephew in the mass killings of 1965-66. Her husband, Hersri Setiawan, an 86-year-old writer, was imprisoned without trial for more than a decade. Hearing loss and damaged lungs are the consequences of the hard labour and torture he was forced to endure.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has said the ministry will adjust the country's foreign tourism strategy in response to a heightened risk of recession in developed economies this year.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Archipelagic Indonesia should upgrade thousands of its old vessels, and also open up new shipping routes for export, according to the country's board of trade.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) recently said that there is still much room for improvement in the country's maritime transport.

More than half of councilors who had seats in the Jambi Province Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD Jambi) during the 2014-2019 term have been arrested on suspicion of receiving bribes, following dozens more who were previously convicted in the same case.

Yamin Kogoya – Following months of legal limbo and a health crisis, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe was arrested this week by the country's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in a dramatic move condemned by critics as a "kidnapping".

L Imaji Lasahido, Jakarta – Car sales in Indonesia have increased as the economic condition improved after the Covid-19 outbreak subsided.

Ihsan Reliubun, Jakarta – The East Jakarta Government evicted 52 residents living in the proposed land for the sodetan or water canal project of the Ciliwung River. There are at least 59 illegal buildings in the area.

Iwan Kurniawan, Jakarta – Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) head Dwikorita Karnawati forecasted that January 2023 will be the peak of rainy season and then followed by a prolonged period of dry season. This is because La Nina is weakening so the country's temperature is going to heat up this year.

[The following is an abridged translation of a statement by the United Socialists (Perserikatan Sosialis, PS) in response to Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's January 11 public statement in which he officially acknowledged that gross human rights violations have taken place in Indonesia and expressed his regret over these incidents.]