Jakarta – Indonesia allowed a resumption of palm oil exports from Monday after a three-week ban, but shipments were not expected to get underway until details emerge on new rules aimed at securing domestic supplies of the edible oil.

International Labour Day 2022 was commemorated by the Labour Party as a "May Day Fiesta" at the Bung Karno Sports Stadium (GBK) in Jakarta on May 14. An estimated 30-60 thousand workers attended the fiesta. Even if the lower estimate of 30,000 is used it shows an increase in mass mobilisations.

Antara, Jakarta – Over a dozen of houses, and kiosks located in the Dogiyai Regency in Papua went ablaze after being intentionally burned by unknown people on Sunday evening, May 22. This has forced 100 women and children to take refuge at the region's military-police post.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Health – citing a report from the Covid-19 task force – revealed that 44,099,737 people had received booster shots up until Sunday noon of May 22.

Faiz Zaki, Jakarta – A recent survey conducted by Indonesian pollster Lembaga Survey Indonesia (LSI) found that 40 percent of its respondents were dissatisfied with the country's anti-corruption stance.

Adhyasta Dirgantara, Jakarta – Leaders of the 1945 Indonesian Christian Party (Parkindo 1945) visited the Justice and Human Rights Ministry (Kemenkumham) today to protest the change of their party's name into the Indonesian Student Party.

Parkindo 1945 believes that the status of the Indonesian Student Party is unclear.

Jakarta – A rainbow flag was flown alongside the Union Jack at the British Embassy in Jakarta on May 17. A number of groups subsequently criticised the flying of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) flag.

Antara, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said that corona virus disease (COVID-19) would be treated as an ordinary disease once the government change its status from pandemic to endemic disease.

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Supporters of Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad Batubara staged protests in Jakarta and Medan, North Sumatra, on Friday (May 20) against Singapore's recent move to deny him entry over his history of extremist teachings.

Ryan Dagur – Timor-Leste's new president Jose Ramos-Horta has pledged to maintain democracy and peace in the Catholic-majority country stressing his commitment to defend all sections of society, including sexual minorities, regardless of ideology and religion.

Jakarta (Reuters) – Long lines of trucks trying to unload palm fruit formed outside Indonesian processing mills this week, illustrating the growing cost of a palm oil export ban by the world's biggest producer.

Fadhil Haidar Sulaeman, Jakarta – While tens of millions of Indonesians jumped at the opportunity to visit their family homes for Idul Fitri earlier this month after a two-year hiatus, the younger generation is open to parting with the tradition for the holiday break.

Jakarta – Protesters from the Labour Movement with the People (Gebrak) brought a giant effigy of a rat wearing a tie along with a large book, flags, posters and a banner containing their demands on the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin to a rally in Central Jakarta today.

Jakarta – The government finally decided on Thursday to revoke the total palm oil export ban which was imposed on April 28 apparently because the draconian measure caused more damages to the economy.

George Heagney (Stuff) – A group of students from West Papua, the Melanesian Pacific region in Indonesia, are fearful about their futures in New Zealand after their scholarships were cut off.

Dili (Reuters) – Timor-Leste's independence figure and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta was inaugurated as the country's fifth president on Friday (May 20), pledging to dedicate his time in office to strengthen national unity and forge closer relations with China.

Putu Indah S, Nabil Ihsan – "Every drop of blood shed in the Motherland will never be forgotten; it will be remembered under the red-and-white banner."

?Indonesia will reimpose a domestic sales requirement on palm oil, the government said on Friday, a day after the world's biggest producer of the key edible oil reversed a ban on its export.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – Journalists are caught in a maelstrom of proliferating false information on social media and threats to their own safety and their work, showing that freedom of the press remains precarious, especially in the region of Papua, observers say.

Lisa Palmer – Timor-Leste turns 20 on the 20th of May 2022. It has a freshly minted new (and former) president, Dr Jose Ramos Horta who will be sworn into power on the same day. Fresh parliamentary elections await a date to be fixed sometime over the next 12 months.

Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan respected figure, theologian and activist Benny Giay throws the question of why the Indonesian government has not wanted to engage in a dialogue with Papuans. Instead, the government always chooses a security approach by sending troops and police to the Land of Papua.

Jayapura, Jubi TV – The Papuan Customary Council of the IV Great Conference of Indigenous Papuans assessed that the government should impose restrictions on migration to the Papua land. Such restrictions can be stated in regional regulations, said Secretary-General of the Papuan Customary Council Leonard Imbiri on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

LGBT+ rights have seemingly taken a hit lately in Indonesia amid an unsettling wave of homophobia triggered by a controversial podcast. Yet one diplomatic mission remains steadfast in reflecting its home nation's support for the marginalized community.

Alex Soares with Luke Henriques-Gomes – This week, Timor-Leste celebrates 20 years of independence. On 20 May 2002, the United Nations formally handed power to the new Timorese government and, thus, to its people.

Jakarta – Papua Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) Director Emanuel Gobay says that demonstrations or protest actions are regulated under Law Number 9/1998 on the Freedom to Convey an Opinion. This includes also, he added, the recent demonstrations criticising plans to create new autonomous regions (DOB) in Papua.

Jakarta – On Friday May 20 President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo invited political figures from Papua and West Papua provinces to an audience at the Bogor Presidential Palace in Bogor city, West Java.

During the meeting, they discussed a number of issues including the creation of new autonomous regions (DOB) in Papua.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – Indonesia has acknowledged that Singapore was within its right to bar the entry of Muslim preacher Abdul Somad Batubara earlier this week, a government official has said, after news of the divisive figure being excluded prompted threats of retaliation.

Qadri Pratiwi, Uyu Liman, Jayapura, Papua – The Papuan People's Council (MRP) fully supports the central government's plans to establish new autonomous regions (DOB) of South Papua, Central Highlands Papua, and Central Papua to provide fair, equitable, and inclusive development.

Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara – Rescuers were battling to free a ferry with more than 800 passengers Wednesday after it ran aground in shallow waters off the coast of the country's southernmost province, a local official said.

Jakarta – The government has decided to lift the ban on cooking oil exports on May 23, as cooking oil supply in the domestic market improved, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced on Thursday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The topic of gender equality in Indonesia took the center stage of the recent Inspiring Women 2022 conference hosted by Berita Satu Media Holdings.

Anita Permata, Raka Adji, Jakarta – The number of Indonesian citizens who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has reached 166.49 million as of Thursday, according to the Ministry of Health.

Vitorio Mantalean, Jakarta – Resolving gross human rights violations through non-judicial channels or outside of the courts will perpetuate impunity and legal immunity for the perpetrators.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The alert level for North Sumatra's Mount Sinabung has been lowered from siaga (watch), or level three of the country's four-tiered alert system, to level two, waspada (advisory). The volcano had been on level three for three years.

M Zulfikar, Fadhli Ruhman, Jakarta – The resolution of cases involving gross human rights violations from the past relies on political will, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Ahmad Taufan Damanik has said.

"I believe that what is most crucial is the political will of a president," he noted here on Thursday.

Jakarta – The United Indonesia Coalition, which is made up of the Golkar Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP) claims that it will continue the development of the President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo era in the next period.

Perennial flooding in Jakarta caused by climate change, heavy rainfall and ongoing groundwater extraction uproots lives and disrupts communities – most recently in December when the city's rivers last swelled. Some areas in the sprawling metropolis of 10.5 million people are sinking at a rate of close to eight inches a year.

Dili – Former Timor-Leste independence fighter and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta was to be sworn in as the president of Asia's youngest country on Thursday night as it marks its 20th anniversary of independence.

Parker Novak – This week, Timor-Leste will celebrate its 20th anniversary as an independent nation and inaugurate Jose Ramos-Horta as its new president. Since re-gaining independence in 2002, the world's third-youngest nation has built a functioning state and vibrant democracy from near-scratch amid trials and tribulations that would challenge any nation.

Randy Mulyanto and Sophie Raynor, Jakarta, Indonesia – East Timor's president-elect won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his efforts to liberate his country, but Jose Ramos-Horta may find charting a sustainable path for one of the world's most oil-dependent nations to be his toughest challenge yet.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – A 100-year-old Portuguese Jesuit priest who has spent more than half his life working in Timor-Leste has been awarded the country's highest honor.

Father Joao Felgueiras, who turns 101 next month, was one of several people to be awarded the Order of Timor-Leste by President Francisco Guterres on May 18.

The former Portuguese colony, which became independent from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation, marked the occasion with a concert and fireworks for

Jakarta – In the past few weeks, health authorities have been puzzled by a mysterious strain of hepatitis popping up among children in several parts of the country since the first suspected cases were detected late last month in Jakarta.

Jakarta – The University of Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM UI) believes that the state has been acting repressively against indigenous Papuans protesting against the creation of new autonomous regions (DOB) in Papua.

Jakarta – Members of a cohort of suspected extremists arrested in Indonesia at the weekend had made pledges of loyalty to Islamic State via an instant messaging application, the national police said on Tuesday.

Rangga P A J, Fadhli Ruhman, Jakarta – Access to safe drinking water in Indonesia currently only reaches 11 percent, Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin stated during the Sanitation and Water for All's (SWA) 2022 Sector Ministers' Meeting (SMM) here on Wednesday.

Vitorio Mantalean, Jakarta – Institute for Public Research and Advocacy (Elsam) Advocacy Manager Busyrol Fuad suggests there is a paradox within the government over agrarian policies.

The statement was made in response to the arrest of 40 members of the Prosperous Earth Crusaders Farmers Association (PPPBS) in Malin Deman sub-district, Mukomuko regency, Bengkulu province.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – Tourism operators in Indonesia's tourism-dependent islands of Bali, Batam and Bintan said they welcome the government's decision to lift the COVID-19 test requirement for inbound travellers who have been fully vaccinated.

Muhammad Zulfikar, Suharto, Jakarta – A Home Affairs Ministry's official clarified that Indonesians holding a foreign passport did not mean that they automatically lose Indonesia's nationality.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – The Timor-Leste government and the bishops' conference have renewed a cooperation agreement that extends a concordat stipulation between the Catholic majority country and the Vatican, which provides millions of dollars in funds to assist the Church's services.