Jakarta – Indonesia has made the right decision to join 140 other United Nations member states in condemning Russia for invading Ukraine and in demanding that Moscow withdraw its military forces from its sovereign neighbor's territory.

Arrijal Rachman, Jakarta – Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff (KASAU) Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo at the Air Force headquarters on Friday assured that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has not disrupted the spare parts availability for Indonesia's Sukhoi fleet.

Arrijal Rachman, Jakarta – Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff (KASAU) Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo on Friday announced that the new capital of Nusantara will have its own air defense command unit, which has been formed at the Air Force headquarters in Jakarta.

Rr. Ariyani Yakti Widyastuti, Jakarta – The oil refinery belonging to state-owned oil firm PT Pertamina (Persero) in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, caught fire Friday, March 4.

Antara, Jakarta – The Bukit Barisan Military Command (Kodam TNI) I said it is waiting for the results of the police investigation regarding the alleged involvement of military personnel in the case of the human cage at the house of the inactive Langkat Regent, Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin, in North Sumatra.

CIVICUS, a global civil society alliance, and Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) are gravely concerned by the ongoing prosecution of human rights defender Victor Yeimo. He has been arbitrarily detained for speaking up against the serious human rights violations perpetrated by the Indonesian security forces against Papuans and must be released immediately.

Agung Sandy Lesmana – The Milk Tea Alliance Indonesia has held a protest action against the war between Russia and the Ukraine which they say has resulted in civilian casualties, humanitarian violations and war crimes.

The protest took place in front of the Russian Embassy building on Jalan Rasuna Said in the Kuningan area of South Jakarta on Friday March 4, 2022.

Denpasar – The Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet), a regional organisation which defends digital rights, says that digital attacks against critical groups in Indonesia have taken on an increasingly political nuance.

Benny Wenda, who is the Interim President of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) says even as the world looks on in horror at Russia's invasion, West Papuans feel a special affinity to the Ukranian people.

Moh Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – West Papua Liberation Army-Free Papua Movement (TPNPB-OPM) claimed responsibility for the shooting in Kago Village, Ilaga District, at 13:00 Western Indonesian Time (WIB) Wednesday, March 2. The shooting killed 8 employees of telecommunication firm PT Palapa Timur Telematika (PTT).

AWPA has written to our foreign minister concerning the statement by the UN on West Papua. (Letter below).

In the statement, 3 UN Special Rapporteurs expressed serious concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in West Papua.

Joe Collins of AWPA said,

Alexander Loen, Jayapura, Jubi – The Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network or SAFEnet conveyed the condition of internet access in Papua in an online discussion on the launch of the 2021 Digital Rights Situation Report on Wednesday, March 2, 2022.

A West Papuan advocacy group in Australia has appealed to Foreign Minister Marise Payne to take the cue from a new United Nations Rapporteurs statement this week condemning the "ongoing human rights abuses" in the Indonesian-ruled West Papuan region.

Prianka Srinivasan (ABC Pacific Beat) – International media has been facing scrutiny from indigenous groups in the Pacific for the way it has been covering the Russia-Ukraine war.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Pulpwood and palm oil companies were among the biggest contributors to the loss of a Manhattan-size area of forest in Indonesia's Papua region in 2021, a new report says.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Catholic officials have urged candidates for Timor-Leste's forthcoming presidential elections to avoid politicizing the Church and using religious symbols or attributes during the campaign.

The eyes of the world are watching in horror the invasion of Ukraine. We feel their terror, we feel their pain and our solidarity is with these men, women and children. We see their suffering and we weep at the loss of innocent lives, the killing of children, the bombing of their homes, and for the trauma of refugees who are forced to flee their communities.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Pope Francis' planned visit to Catholic-majority Timor-Leste has been confirmed for this year, according to a senior official in the Catholic-majority nation's apostolic nunciature.

Sebastian Strangio – Earlier this week, United Nations human rights experts issued a statement decrying the Indonesian state's abuses against indigenous residents of the country's Papua region, where the security situation has deteriorated markedly over the past year.

Alfian Kartono, Jayapura, Indonesia – Attackers believed to be West Papua separatist rebels killed eight technicians repairing a remote telecommunications tower in Indonesia's restive Papua province, authorities said Thursday.

Joniansyah (Contributor), Jakarta – Floods hit 12 sub-districts and 22 villages of Banten Province following extreme rainfall on Monday night, Feb. 28, until Tuesday afternoon, March 1. As a result, 3,960 houses were inundated and 700 residents were forced to be evacuated.

Kiki Siregar, Jakarta – Imam Safii was still asleep at his home in Jember regency, East Java, when he received an urgent call in the wee hours of Feb 13.

The caller informed him that tidal waves had swept away a group of people at nearby Payangan beach. Therefore, his assistance as a volunteer with the local search and rescue organisation was quickly needed.

Anna Nordseth – On the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo, fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos are all that's left of this critically endangered species. Tremendous conservation efforts are striving to keep these charismatic mammals from being lost forever.

In the long weekend that just passed, Puncak, the popular mountainous destination in West Java, saw massive traffic congestion that reportedly lasted up to dozens of hours. With another public holiday coming in the form of Nyepi (Day of Silence) tomorrow, local traffic authorities said that they will enforce tightened rules for incoming holiday makers.

Yanuar Nugroho – There are substantial and valid concerns about the government's decision to move Indonesia's capital to East Kalimantan. It should have taken these concerns into account.

Hengky Yeimo, Jayapura, Jubi – Novita Opki, a member of the Women's and Children's Team of the Civil and Political Division of the Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua), said that throughout 2021, her party received 57 allegations of violence against women and children. Of the 57 cases, 20 cases were online gender-based violence.

Starting tomorrow, domestic air travelers in Indonesia will be required to present a valid e-HAC (electronic Health Alert Card) at the departure airport instead of at the destination. The Ministry of Health confirmed updated rules for the travel requirement yesterday.

Jakarta – Indonesia has dismissed a call by United Nations human rights experts for independent investigations into reports of "shocking abuses" against indigenous Papuans, saying that the Southeast Asian nation has already tackled the accusations.

Muhammad Hendartyo, Jakarta – Indonesia's State-owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir has tested positive for Covid-19. The minister is currently self-isolating at home.

"Thank God, despite testing positive with Covid-19, I can still work from home," Erick said in a video reel posted to his Instagram account, March 2.

Antara, Jakarta – The Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency of Pamekasan, East Java, confirmed that 6,329 families were evacuated after floods hit the regency on Tuesday morning, March 1.

"As many as 6,329 families affected by the flood are spread across six sub-districts and four villages," said the agency's spokesperson Zaini in Pamekasan, Tuesday night.

Antara, Jakarta – A total of 160 street vendors in Petak Sembilan, Taman Sari, will be relocated to Glodok market, West Jakarta. The city government planned to restore the road function in the Chinatown area for pedestrians.

Rr. Ari Yani Yakti Widyastuti, Jakarta – Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo asserted that state civil apparatus or ASN could not object to the order of transfer to the new capital Nusantara. He made the statement in response to issues that many civil servants are reluctant to move to East Kalimantan.

Maria Fransisca Lahur, Jakarta – Head of the Indonesian Society of Allergy and Immunology (ISAI) Iris Rengganis in a talk show on Wednesday argued that the 70 percent herd immunity required by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a threshold to end the pandemic could possibly be not enough.

M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Indonesia logged 40,920 new cases of Covid-19 in a day as of Wednesday noon, March 2. According to the Health Ministry's data, West Java Province recorded the most cases with 8,569, followed by East Java with 4,911.

Jakarta recorded the third-highest daily log with 4,196 cases.

Hans Nicholas Jong, jakarta – A plan to clear forests in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua for food crops will release as much greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as Australia emits in an entire year, according to a new analysis.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) says that postponing the 2024 legislative and presidential elections is an insult to the Constitution and will perpetuate the authoritarian practices of the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin.

Rivana Pratiwi, Jakarta – Four key National Awakening Party (PAN) officials visited the official residence of party General Chairperson Zulkifli Hasan at the Widya Chandra complex in Jakarta on February 13. At the direction of a coordinating minister in the Indonesia Onward Cabinet, they had been invited to discuss a very serious topic – the postponement of the 2024 elections.

Dian Erika N, Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is furious with TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (Indonesian police) personnel who have been discussing their dislike of the government's policy of moving the national capital (IKN) to East Kalimantan on a WhatsApp group (WAG).

Jakarta – National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Commissioner Choirul Anam has revealed that the TNI (Indonesian military) and the Polri (Indonesian police) were involved in the case of a human cage found last month at the home of non-active Langkat Regent Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin.

Francisca Christy Rosana, Jakarta – The government decided to extend the enforcement of public activity restrictions (PPKM) protocol in all provinces including Bali and Yogyakarta for the next two weeks or until March 14. At present, the number of regions under the PPKM Level 4, which is the strictest level, increased from four to seven.

Geneva – UN human rights experts today expressed serious concerns about the deteriorating human rights situation in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua, citing shocking abuses against indigenous Papuans, including child killings, disappearances, torture and mass displacement of people.

Victor Mambor and Arie Firdaus, Jayapura, Indonesia and Jakarta – The military is investigating the death of a boy in Indonesia's rebellious Papua region after he allegedly was tortured by soldiers who had accused him and his friends of stealing a firearm, an army spokesman in the area said Tuesday.

It's official: the general public in Indonesia can now get their COVID-19 booster shot just three months after completing their first two jabs.

Police in South Sulawesi are investigating allegations that an officer employed and raped a 13-year-old girl on multiple occasions.

Dede Oetomo – When Dorce Gamalama – a prominent transgender entertainer, singer, talk show host, comedienne and celebrity for the greater part of the last four decades – passed away on 16 February 2022, Indonesians' ubiquitous WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms exploded with expressions of condolence.

David Engel – No one who has observed Indonesian foreign and strategic policy probably needs reminding of how differently Jakarta sees and engages with the world to the way Australia does.

But in responding to Russian President Vladimir Putin's brutal and indefensible assault on Ukraine, Indonesia's foreign ministry has reminded us anyway.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Candidates in Timor-Leste's upcoming presidential election have signed a national unity pact, part of a commitment to ensuring a free, fair and peaceful electoral process and not one tarnished by mudslinging and violence.

Konradus Epa, Jakarta – The governor of Indonesia's Papua province has established a specialized legal team to better protect and represent indigenous Papuans subjected to human rights abuses and facing other legal cases.

The West Papua Action Aotearoa is calling on the New Zealand Government to condemn the charges of treason brought against West Papuan activist Victor Yeimo.

Mr Yeimo was charged with treason last week for participating in an anti racism protest in August 2019.

Rina Chandran and Leo Galuh (Reuters), Jakarta – Maesaroh has sold chicken satay with rice from her stall on a busy Jakarta street close to government offices for about 13 years, serving more than 50 customers a day until the coronavirus pandemic slowed business to a trickle.