Jakarta, Jubi – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) regrets the deployment of hundreds of personnel from the Police's Mobile Brigade and the Indonesian Military (TNI) following the burning of dozens of buildings in Dogiyai Regency, Papua. Komnas HAM assessed that the deployment of forces actually worsened the situation and added to tensions in Dogiyai.

Allegra Mendelson, Dili, East Timor – In the middle of his speech marking the 20th anniversary of East Timor's restoration of independence, newly inaugurated president Jose Ramos-Horta stopped for a moment to tell the audience – more than 100 guests from around the world – that he had invited his "friends" to join the celebrations.

Christopher Knaus – The president of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta, has accused former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer of "avoiding and distorting" the issues around the 2004 bugging scandal, saying recent comments ignored the fact that Australia had spied "on behalf of oil companies and using the cover of Australia's supposedly altruistic foreign aid program".

Stanley Widianto, Jakarta – Indonesia's plan to create new provinces in its impoverished eastern region of Papua has not been adequately discussed with the local population and is unviable, its governor said.

Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia has revealed that police officers forced a number of residents of Intan Jaya regency in Papua to cut their hair and beards because they were seen as the characteristics of armed group members.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – Indonesia's overwhelmingly large supply of chickens for domestic consumption meant that it would be difficult for its poultry industry to step up production to replace Malaysia's external supply of chickens.

Introduction

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, Julia Lau – Rising inflation in Indonesia, especially for cooking oil prices, has dented President Joko Widodo's popularity. If left unresolved, his party's showing in the next elections could well be adversely affected by this issue.

Gita Irawan, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has criticised the appointment of Central Sulawesi State Intelligence Agency (BIN) regional chief (Kabinda) Brigadier General Andi Chandra As'aduddin as the acting (Pj) regent of Seram Bagian Barat in Maluku province.

Jakarta – Active military and police officers can serve as acting governors or mayors while awaiting regional elections for new leaders across the country in 2024, according to the chief political and security minister.

George Heagney – Students from West Papua desperate to stay in New Zealand after having their scholarships cut are pinning their hopes on finding an employer to sponsor new working visas.

About 40 students from the Indonesia province have been studying at different tertiary institutions in New Zealand.

Elizabeth Byrne – Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery will face trial in the ACT Supreme Court in October, four years after he was first charged with conspiring to release classified information about an alleged spying operation in East Timor.

By UCA News reporter, Jakarta – An Indonesian student arrested by anti-terrorism forces has admitted being radicalized by the Islamic State group and wanting to carry out a suicide attack on a public target that could have included a church, according to police.

Jakarta – Indonesia has raised $3.25 billion by selling U.S. dollar-denominated Islamic bonds with 5-year and 10-year tenures, the country's biggest global sukuk issuance, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – New York-based publisher The New Press is set to launch a new book titled "We Have Tired of Violence" by Matt Easton, geared to shedding light on the death of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, which occurred close to 18 years ago.

Kuala Lumpur – Leading edible oil analyst Dorab Ministry on Thursday urged Indonesia to immediately resume exports of palm oil, warning that a halt in shipments pending details of a domestic sales rule could spell economic "doom" for farmers.

Susan Price – The United Nations International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories runs from May 25-31.

Palembang (Antara) – Former South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin was recommended a sentence of 20 years' imprisonment for corruption allegations during a hearing in the provincial capital Palembang on Wednesday, eight months after he was arrested by prosecutors.

Jakarta – Indonesia and Qatar have committed to strengthen the countries' economic ties, with the latter agreeing to invest more than US$500 million in Indonesia's "10 New Balis" tourism project.

Trade between Indonesia and Qatar has increased in the past few years to reach $687 million in 2020.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The Bukit Barisan Military Command (Kodam) 1 has detained five Army personnel after they were named as suspects in the case involving the illegal and fatal caging of people at the residence of the inactive regent of Langkat, North Sumatra.

A total of 10 Army personnel have been named suspects in the case.

Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud Md clarified the recent controversy related to the appointment of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police personnel as acting regional heads. He ensured that no regulation restricts it.

Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo highlighted Indonesia's achievement in fighting forest fires in the 7th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022 on Wednesday, May 25. He reported that the largest forest fires experienced by the archipelago occurred in 1997-1998 which scorched 10 million hectares of land.

Dewi Nurita, Riani Sanusi, Jakarta – The decision that was taken by President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, in appointing the Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Pandjaitan to specifically handle the cooking oil fiasco garnered criticism from a member of the House of Representatives (DPR) Deddy Yevri Sitorus.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Melonguane, North Sulawesi – Two Cabinet ministers recently visited Indonesia's northernmost regency in a show of the government's commitment to maintaining territorial integrity and developing the economies of outlying regions, but experts say its commitment in the long term remains to be seen.

UCA News reporter, Jakarta – Church activists in Indonesia are calling for a transparent investigation into a series of arson attacks targeting homes and other buildings in Papua province.

Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – Human rights group Setara Institute criticized the House of Representatives (DPR) for ratifying Revised Law No. 12 of 2011 concerning the drafting of laws and regulations (RUU PPP).

Melanie Reid and Bonnie Sumne – Documents tabled in a New Zealand court case show how a Kiwi developer and a company which has cut down Papuan rainforest intend to make around $110 million from the timber to make floors and decks – in stark contrast to statements made in a recent Newsroom investigation.

Jakarta – This time will be a good opportunity for the nation to look back at what happened 25 years ago when the severe Asian financial crisis started to devastate Indonesia's economy and one year later in May 1998, it spelled the end of then-president Soeharto's 32-year rule.

According to the UN there are 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories.

In the Pacific region there are 6. French Polynesia and New Caledonia/Kanaky. (France). American Samoa and Guam (US). Pitcairn (UK) and Tokelau (NZ).

Another territory which is not on the list of self governing terrorites but should be is West Papua.

Windraty Ariane Siallagan, Jakarta – The government has ended the 2021 fiscal year on a high note with Rp 2.74 quadrillion (US$195.7 billion) in disbursements, or 99.7 percent of the budget, achieving a tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of 9.11 percent, compared to 8.33 percent in 2020.

Katharina Reny Lestari – Ten Indonesian soldiers have been named as suspects in a human trafficking case in North Sumatra province.

Anita Permata D, Fadhli Ruhman, Jakarta – Data has shown that, on average, women are only attending school for eight years or more, meaning that a large percentage of women are only finishing primary education, an Indonesian minister said.

Jakarta (Reuters) – Indonesia's central bank announced on Tuesday more aggressive hikes in the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for banks, expecting inflation to rise slightly above its target band this year, but kept interest rates unchanged at a record low.

Konradus Epa – Indonesia's national human rights watchdog has called on people in predominantly Catholic East Nusa Tenggara province not to be afraid to report abuses, including those by state forces, after opening a complaints center there.

Jakarta – Indonesia, the world's biggest palm oil exporter, will next month remove a subsidy on bulk cooking oil and replace it with a price cap on the raw materials sold to local refiners, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Yanuar Fajari and Siwage Dharma Negara – While total investments into Indonesia have increased over the years, much of these were driven by a rapid increase in domestic direct investment while foreign direct investment remained relatively stagnant.

INTRODUCTION

Allegra Mendelson, Dili, East Timor – Jose Ramos-Horta, who came out of political retirement to run for president of Southeast Asia's youngest nation a second time, has a raft of challenges as he embarks on his first full week in office.

Tim Mann – On 23 May, Anthony Albanese was sworn in as Australia's new prime minister, after the Labor Party secured enough seats to form government and defeat the conservative Liberal-National Party coalition that has led the country for the past nine years.

Jamal A. Nashr, Jakarta – The Semarang City Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) on Tuesday announced that the coastal flooding that hit the region on Monday had affected 1,255 households.

The area was inundated under ocean water after the region's coastal embankment failed to withhold rushing seawater caused by high tides.

M Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – Plaintiffs that consist of two retired Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) employees, Sudarta and Dedi Sunaryadi, along with one entrepreneur Achmad Nawawi, have filed a lawsuit against President Joko Widodo or Jokowi at the Supreme Court over Indonesia's national energy policy, specifically the Article 11 government regulation No. 79/2014.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Crisis Response Mechanism (CRM) staff Riska Carolina on Monday said she was startled by the statement from the coordinating minister of politics, law, and human rights Mahfud MD who said behaviors related to LGBT could be legally punished under the draft criminal code (RKUHP).

Laili – The People Movement Alliance (ARB) held a protest action to commemorate May Day, National Education Day and 24 years since reformasi in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on May 22.

Jakarta – House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III member Arsul Sani from the Islamic based United Development Party (PPP) has confirmed that the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) will not criminalise Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) groups.

Jayapura, Jubi TV – The Humanitarian Coalition for Papua urges the government to involve actual, meaningful participation of indigenous Papuans regarding the amendment of Special Autonomy Law and the government's plan to establish three New Autonomous Region (DOB) Bills in Papua.

Lenny Tristia Tambun, Jakarta – Parents should consider placing at least two words when giving names to their children to avoid administrative issues when they grow up, a Home Affairs Ministry official said on Monday.

Indonesians may soon be a step closer to post-pandemic life, as the government says it plans to end a COVID-19 restrictions protocol the country has had to live with for over a year.

Chris Barrett, Singapore – New East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta wants Australia to back a major infrastructure drive in south-east Asia's newest nation, saying it's in the new government's strategic interest to retain a "pro-Australia, pro-Western values" near neighbour.

Yanuar Nugroho – Although President Jokowi has officially announced the date of the next Indonesian presidential election, there are important strategic and personal considerations that could tempt him to seek to remain in power.

Indonesia summoned Britain's ambassador on Monday to explain the raising of an LGBT flag at its embassy and urged foreign missions to respect local "sensitivities" following a backlash among conservatives.

Jakarta (AFP) – Indonesia summoned Britain's ambassador on Monday (May 23) over an LGBT flag displayed at the British embassy, with Jakarta calling on foreign envoys to respect local sensitivities in a country where same-sex relationships remain taboo.