Maria Fatima Bona & Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The National Food and Drug Control Agency, or BPOM, recently authorized the use of a booster dose of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, as Indonesia faces a fortyfold jump in coronavirus cases in just a month.
BPOM announced Wednesday that it had issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Sinopharm boosters.
Jakarta – There is nothing odd about the sudden rise in intensity of field trips made by the three popular governors who have consistently topped opinion polls of potential candidates for the 2024 presidential election. They need to broaden their mass base now, as their terms of office – and privileges – will end later this year, or next year.
Raka Ibrahim, Denpasar – In Indonesian society, it is highly unusual for children to cut off contact with their parents. But for some, it is an inevitable decision.
Denpasar, Bali – The holiday island of Bali will welcome its first direct flight carrying foreign tourists for nearly two years on Thursday, but just a handful of visitors will be on board to enter strict quarantine on arrival.
Matthew Scott – The association representing international students from the West Papuan provinces of Indonesia have clapped back, saying the move is an "assassination of human resources"
International students in New Zealand are appealing to the Indonesian government as support is pulled for the autonomous Melanesian provinces to send students abroad.
Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Indonesia's government is under mounting pressure to close schools temporarily as the number of Covid-19 infections rises significantly in the country, driven primarily by the highly transmissible but less severe Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Nicholas Kuipers and Saiful Mujani – As of early December 2021, nearly 70.4% of Indonesians had received one dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine. Particularly considering the arrival of the Omicron variant in Indonesia, this is certainly cause for celebration.
Yuliana Lantipo, Jayapura, Jubi – The judicial review upon Law No. 2/2021 on the Second Amendment to the Papua Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law at the Constitutional Court is still a top priority program for the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) in 2022. The MRP proposed the judicial review as the new Otsus Law was considered reducing the authority of the Papuan People's Assembly.
Theo Kelen, Jayapura, Jubi – Papuan students abroad have expressed their concerns regarding the fate of their education following the issuance of Law No. 21/2021 about the second amendment to Papua's Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law.
Antara, Jakarta – The Secretary-General of the House of Representatives (DPR) Indra Iskandar said nine members and 80 staff employees in the parliament have been confirmed positive for COVID-19. "We have conducted the tracing," said Indra on Wednesday, February 2.
He confirmed that the legislators were undergoing self-isolation at their respective residences.
Herman, Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency, or BPS, reported on Wednesday that the food, beverages, and tobacco expenditure group was the largest contributor to the 0.56 percent inflation in January 2022.
Chris Barrett, Singapore – The surge of new patients admitted to Dili's main hospital has been so great, many have had to share beds. The influx, though, has had little to do with COVID.
Maria Fatima Bona & Willy Masaharu, Jakarta – Indonesia's Omicron tally has reached 2,980 cases as of Wednesday, but 1,100 patients have recovered from the said Covid-19 variant, according to the Health Ministry.
Christopher Knaus – Newly released cabinet documents reveal Australia was preoccupied with the interests of major oil and gas corporations in the Timor Sea years before it bugged the Timor-Leste government during talks to carve up the crucial underwater resources.
Ronna Nirmala – Indonesian Muslim groups, including an influential scholars' body, are demanding the closure of a Holocaust museum that opened last week, with some saying it is part of Israel's attempts to normalize relations with Jakarta and its occupation of Palestinian lands.
Sella Panduarsa G, Suharto, Jakarta – More than 1.56 million foreign tourists had visited Indonesia last year, down 61.57 percent as compared to a year earlier, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
Konradus Epa, Jakarta – Rights groups have condemned Indonesia's top Islamic clerical body after it called for the demolition of a Jewish community's newly opened Holocaust museum.
The museum in Minahasa, North Sulawesi province, violates the constitution and is provocative, according to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).
Sri Krishnamurthi – A global Papuan student body International Alliance of Papuan Students Association Overseas (IAPSAO) is seeking a meeting with Indonesian president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to air their grievances over a new policy to cut 10 percent autonomous education funds allocated to the Melanesian provincial governments.
Jakarta – Indonesia has seen its highest inflation in more than two years in January, driven by increases in foods, beverages, tobacco products prices, and utility costs.
Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia will reclaim around 250,000 square kilometers of its airspace from Singapore after both countries agreed to realign the Flight Information Region or FIR above Riau Islands Province and Natuna last month.
Pribadi Wicaksono, Jakarta – The Special Region of Yogyakarta administration has decided to temporarily stop the 100 percent physical attendance schooling (PTM) following a massive Covid-19 spread that happened at the end of January.
Arrijal Rachman, Jakarta – Griffith University epidemiologist Dicky Budiman on Wednesday noted that Indonesia has entered its Covid-19 third wave that is mainly driven by the spread of the Omicron variant. He argues that determining this status does not need to wait for daily confirmed cases to be logged for two weeks.
Antara, Jakarta – The number of Covid-19 cases in Bogor City's schools has almost doubled in just a day. On January 31, the city's health office recorded 45 positive cases. The number rose to 85 on February 1.
A fishing community in Indonesia's Aceh region is demanding protection from prosecution after three fishermen were sentenced to prison last year on immigration offenses linked to helping bring Rohingya ashore.
Jakarta – Indonesia's manufacturing sector expanded at a solid rate at the start of 2022, as demand was strong, with foreign sales increasing and putting more than a single ripple in the sector, the latest data from IHS Markit's Manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index showed on Wednesday.
Antara, Jakarta – The peak of COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant could be up to six times higher than that recorded during the Delta outbreak, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said.
Hengky Yeimo, Jayapura, Jubi – Director of the Democratic Alliance for Papua Latifah Anum Siregar said the desire for independence has always existed among the children of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) combatants and Free Papua Organization (OPM) figures. TPNPB combatants often carry their children to guerrilla warfare.
A global Papuan students abroad umbrella organisation has appealed for a meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to air their grievances over changes to the scholarship system which they say are unfairly impacting on their studies.
Konradus Epa, Jakarta – Indonesian police have arrested a Muslim politician on hate speech charges for allegedly insulting members of the mostly Christian Dayak ethnic group in Borneo.
Edy Mulyadi, 55, from Jakarta, found himself in hot water after calling Kalimantan – where many Dayaks live – "a place of evil spirits [genies] that throw away children."
Eko Listiyorini – The Indonesian government has lifted a ban on coal exports, ending uncertainty that sent the price of the fuel to this year's highest level.
Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia has recorded mixed progress in its dual programs of restoring tropical peatlands and mangroves, acknowledging that achieving the latter goal will be far more challenging than for the higher-profile peatlands.
Hundreds of people from various cultural backgrounds on Monday crowded a market at Glodok, the largest Chinatown in Indonesia's capital city Jakarta, to buy cakes, clothes, decorations for the celebration of the Chinese New Year festival, locally known as Imlek.
Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) has called for a more comprehensive policy involving various aspects for mitigation and adaptation to address the impacts of climate change.
Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia must enhance national capability in the nuclear power sector to bolster nuclear energy research and development, stated member of the National Research and Innovation Agency's (BRIN) steering committee, Emil Salim.
Ones Suhuniap – The West Papua National Committee's (KNPB) position with regard to the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) at the moment is one of obedience to organisational decisions.
Jakarta – A number of national figures have criticised the project to move the state capital (IKN) to East Kalimantan as envisaged by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo Among the figures who have loudly criticised the project are economist Faisal Basri and former Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
Konradus Epa, Jakarta – A top Indonesian general says controversial comments he made about God that enraged Muslim groups were aimed at upholding diversity and defending religious minorities such as Christians from intolerance.
Ryan DagurRyan Dagur, Jakarta – Stories from Jayapura street vendors who didn't have time to tend to their children's education inspired Agustinus Kadepa and his colleagues to think about taking concrete steps to help those children in the capital of Indonesia's Papua province.
Fully-vaccinated travelers can now quarantine for just five days in Indonesia, while the country's COVID-19 caseload continues to climb amid an Omicron wave.
The Indonesian government is keen to uphold the reputation of the country's ailing tourism industry, with a minister paying special attention to a case involving alleged manipulation of PCR test results for tourists in hotel quarantine.
UCA News reporter, Phnom Penh – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked Timor-Leste to buy Cambodian rice and invest in local rice mills and warehousing after backing Dili's bid to join the Association of South East Nations (ASEAN).
Jakarta (Agencies) – The holiday island of Bali will gradually open for all international travellers starting from Feb. 4, a senior minister said on Monday.
Jakarta – Multiple people have died while being illegally detained at a prison cell run by disgraced Langkat District Head Terbit Rencana Perangin Angin in North Sumatra, the National Commission for Human Rights or Komnas HAM said on Sunday.
Hengky Yeimo, Jayapura, Jubi – "From east to east", a phrase that pretty much describes the struggle of the children of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) and the Free Papua Organization (OPM) members who choose to continue their parents' battle. For them, the wish to liberate Papua has always been there.
Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat – China's faith diplomacy towards Muslims organisations in Indonesia appears to have silenced critics of its policy towards the Uighurs in Xinjiang.
Nathan Diller – Indonesian officials announced Monday that Bali will reopen to all foreign visitors this week, hoping to court them back to an island destination that saw virtually no tourism in 2021 amid strict travel restrictions.
The Indonesian government has denied claims by an umbrella group representing Papuan students on scholarships abroad that it is "assassinating" the provincial programme supporting studies in New Zealand and several other countries.
Maria Fatima Bona, Jakarta – The government will retain a damaged mosque belonging to Ahmadiyya followers in Sintang, West Kalimantan as a worship place for Muslims although its dome has been removed by protesters.
Jakarta – A consortium led by state-controlled toll operator Jasa Marga has signed Monday a 40-year concession agreement to construct and operate the Gedebage-Tasikmalaya-Cilacap toll road, which would span over 207 kilometers to connect cities in the southern part of Java and cost north of $3.9 billion.
Yance Agapa, Nabire – The Papua Peace Network (JDP) is asking the Indonesian government to end the armed conflict by pursuing a path of dialogue.