London – Peaceful demonstrators, student activists, West Papuan and Indonesian political activist groups, human rights lawyers and defenders and individual civilians experienced extreme repression for their involvement in peaceful demonstrations and meetings which occurred in 2020 in West Papua and outside West Papua.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesian citizens returning from overseas trips are required to show their vaccination status using government application called Peduli Lindungi (to care and protect), the National Covid-19 Task Force said on Thursday.

Jakarta – Indonesia welcomed another shipment of Covid-19 vaccines on Wednesday while also seeking to boost the lagging vaccination rate for elderly and teens aged between 12-17.

The new shipment includes 274,950 finished doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine.

Francisca Christy Rosana, Jakarta – The Bali Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin) deputy of accommodation and tourism development I Made Ramia Adnyana said the slackened public activity restriction (PPKM) from level 4 to level 3 saw an increase in tourist visits, said to be 10-times more than the previous PPKM period.

A crass and overtly sexual music video with an apparent intent to demean the LGBT community found its way as an ad for kids' content on YouTube, a viral video in Indonesia has shown, triggering huge outrage in the country.

Herlambang P Wiratraman – Saiful Mahdi, a lecturer from Syiah Kuala University (Unsyiah) in Banda Aceh, is the latest casualty of the Law on Electronic Information and Transactions (the so-called ITE Law).

Quinton Temby – The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has been welcomed in Indonesia's militant Islamist circles and even among some mainstream figures.

The rapid return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the collapsing scenery of the U.S. withdrawal have energised militant Islamists in Indonesia, like a deus ex machina breaking through the pandemic.

Jakarta – Indonesia's exports hit a record high of US$21.42 billion in August, boosted by surging commodity shipments, helping Southeast Asia's biggest economy post its largest ever monthly trade surplus, official data showed.

Aisyah Llewellyn, Medan, Indonesia – The plaintiffs in a landmark air pollution case brought against the authorities in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta hope they may finally hear a decision in their case, after months of delays, when the court sits again on Thursday.

Dewi Nurita, Rosseno Aji, Jakarta – Spokesman of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Fadjroel Rachman, said all matters related to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), including the appointment and dismissal of employees, are under the authority of the anti-graft agency.

Moh Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – Tjandra Yoga Aditama, a professor from the University of Indonesia's School of Medicine (FKUI), opined that the declining trend in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia was due to strict social restrictions. He made the statement in response to the saying that the downward trend was attributable to public immunity against the virus.

Friski Riana, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has summoned the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) and the Central Jakarta police related to the bullying and sexual harassment case against a KPI employee.

"The KPI is currently being requested for statements," Komnas HAM commissioner Beka Ulung Hapsara told Tempo.

Aqshal Raihan, Intern, Jakarta – Indonesia Jentera School of Law lecturer Bivitri Susanti in an online discussion on Tuesday said the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is a different entity compared to what it was known to be in the past, which she noted is reflected in the abundance issues related to the anti graft watchdog.

Grace N. Chandra, Novy Lumanauw, Karawang – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has broken the construction ground of the first electric vehicle battery factory in Southeast Asia, marking an important milestone in the country's drive to establish itself as a key global battery supplier.

Jakarta – The winners of the Gagged Mural Contest, which was organised by the Gejayan Calling (Gejayan Memanggil) movement, have been announced with as many as 85 out of hundreds of works and murals selected as champions.

Gejayan Calling public relations officer Mimin Muralis (not his real name) said that there were dozens of winners divided among 14 different categories.

Jakarta – The Ministry of Health has announced on Monday that foreign vaccine cardholders can now register on the PeduliLindung application, the government's official app for tracking Covid-19 within the country.

Andita Rahma, Jakarta – Days after reports emerged about a suspected breach by Chinese hackers into government internal networks, the Indonesian State Intelligence Agency (BIN) – which the report suspects is one of the compromised – denies that its server had been hacked.

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Tuesday officially ratified the Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 82/2021 which oversees the funding for Islamic boarding school (pesantren) management. The regulation was made effective on September 2.

Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) assessed that the government of Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is still restricting people's freedom of speech and expression. The state seems to no longer be loyal to democracy, but shows symptoms of authoritarianism.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The total number of active Covid-19 cases has dropped further to fewer than 100,000 for the first time in the last three months, according to government figures released on Monday, in another sign that Indonesia is past the peak of the Delta variant outbreak.

Ernes BK, Rahmad Nasution, Manokwari, W Papua – Home Minister Tito Karnavian highlighted "a specialty" pertaining to the public's aspirations in the Merauke, Boven Digoel, Mappi, and Asmat districts in Papua Province regarding a regional division to create South Papua Province.

The suspected leader of an al-Qaeda-linked group blamed for a string of bombings has been arrested in Indonesia.

Indonesia's elite counter-terrorism squad has arrested a convicted militant and suspected leader of an al-Qaeda-linked group that has been blamed for a string of past bombings in the country, Indonesia police said.

Nick Toscano – Australian energy giant Santos has signed a deal with Timor-Leste authorities to advance a project designed to bury carbon dioxide beneath ageing gas fields in the Timor Sea.

Not all rejection of the mainstream lifestyle is a form of radicalization, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said, as it defends a group of students who were filmed covering their ears to block out the sound of music.

Antara, Jakarta – The Ministry of Industry in a statement on Sunday announced that its health protocol monitoring in the industry sector and mass Covid-19 vaccination enrolled for workers reduces transmission significantly up to 80 percent.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Indonesian government announced on Monday that not a single province is now under the highest risk level of the Covid-19 alert system amid a steady decline in new cases and deaths.

The confirmation came after the risk level in Bali, East Kalimantan and North Kalimantan was lowered from four to three.

Budiarti Utami Putri, Jakarta – Three Golkar Party politicians are allegedly competing over the position of fellow Party member and House Deputy Speaker Azis Syamsuddin who is currently targeted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in their latest suspected graft investigation.

Syamsuddin is not only the House Deputy but also the Deputy of the Golkar Party.

Jakarta – The government has reminded the Indonesian public to support efforts to curb the Covid-19 pandemic by complying with the health protocols and getting vaccinated despite the falling number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's visit to the Eleven March University (UNS) in the Central Java city of Solo on Monday September 13 was marred by the arrest of several students. They were taken away by police after putting up critical posters on the side of a road that Widodo was to pass by.

Graeme MacRae and I Nyoman Darma Putra – The arrival of the Delta variant in Indonesia has plunged Bali, one of the country's richest provinces, into an economic crisis and a conflict between beliefs and public health measures.

Indonesia appears to be gearing up (again) to reopen the country to foreign tourism, but it seems not everyone would be welcome after one senior minister hinted that backpackers should take their wanderlust elsewhere.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – An international advocacy group has condemned what they say is a blatant attempt by a government minister to silence and persecute two human rights activists for talking about military affairs in Papua.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – About 20 percent of the target population have been fully vaccinated as of Sunday while the surge in newly coronavirus cases and deaths are slowing, Indonesian government figures show.

Jakarta – Indonesia has ended a deal with Norway on cooperation to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation, due to lack of payment, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Last year, Norway announced a $56 million contribution to Indonesia, based on its 2016-2017 results on curbing deforestation under a United Nations-backed forest-conservation scheme known as REDD+.

Katharina R. Lestari, Jakarta – Catholics were among thousands who signed an online petition calling on the Indonesian government to protect religious freedom after last week's attack on an Ahmadi mosque in West Kalimantan province.

Jayapura – The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) says that based on their analysis the September 2 killing of four soldiers during an attack on the Kisor sub-district military post in Maybrat regency, West Papua province, the attack is being used as means to force the KNPB into a corner and to criminalise them.

Jakarta – Indonesia has received a delivery of 500,000 doses of Janssen vaccine from the Netherlands on Saturday, following a batch of AstraZeneca vaccine from France a day earlier, as part of the European countries' vaccine sharing program to boost vaccination rate across the globe.

Yogyakarta – A mural on the eastern side of the Wirobrajan intersection in Central Java city of Yogyakarta was covered over with black paint on the morning of Friday September 10.

It is known that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo would be passing through this stretch of road during a working visit to Yogyakarta today.

Ronny Kareni, Canberra – For the last 20 years the 2001 Papua Special Autonomy Law has provided a cover for the expansion of a form of "guided democracy". With the House of Representatives' unanimous decision to pass the revision of the law on July 15, the last vestige of "local autonomy" has now been removed.

Yudha Baskoro, Jakarta – Environmental activists from the Gerakan Pawai Bebas Plastik held a peaceful protest outside the Tokopedia Building at Karet Semanggi in South Jakarta on September 9, 2021. Dressed in all black and carrying posters, the protesters state nine messages for Indonesia's nine e-commerce and marketplace companies.

Basten Gokkon, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has unveiled the country's first national priority plan to recover the ecosystems of 15 major lakes in "critical" condition by 2024.

Sebastian Strangio – Indonesia and Australia have taken an important step toward the deepening of their bilateral security relations, signing new agreements on counterterrorism, defense, and cybersecurity.

In what appears to be an attempt to save face, the Indonesian Broadcast Commission (KPI) has once again distanced itself from involvement in the blurring of bikinis worn by female cartoon characters, this time going as far as discouraging TV channels to stop the ridiculous practice.

Maggie Leung, Jakarta – Indonesia and Australia have agreed to strengthen defense cooperation against terrorism and violent extremism and mulled joint military exercises in the future.

Andita Rahma, Jakarta – Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko on Friday officially filed a police report against two Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researchers, Egi Primayogha and Miftah, over slander allegations.

His lawyer, Otto Hasibuan, accompanied him as he filed the report at the National Police Criminal Investigation Division (Bareskrim) headquarters.

Egha Mahdavickia, Td, Jakarta – The Animal Defenders Indonesia (ADI) on Friday filed a subpoena against Jakarta-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya over dog meat trade at one of its markets, Pasar Senen (Senen Market). ADI Chairperson Doni Herdaru Tona insisted that the Consumers Protection Law, Food Law, and Agriculture Law prohibits this activity.

M. Rizqi Akbar, Jakarta – Social media have a very important role in today's life. Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) on May 13, 2017, had issued an edict or fatwa concerning laws and guidelines to use social networking sites responsibly following rampant hoaxes, defamation, blasphemy, and hate of speech related to SARA (ethnicity, religion, and race).

Dewi Nurita, Jakarta – Chairman of the Democrat Party, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), stated that his party would continue to stay out of the ruling coalition and consistently deliver constructive criticism.

Adam Prireza, Jakarta – Trisakti University public policy expert Trubus Rahardiansyah on Friday commented on the controversy regarding state officials and their relatives who allegedly received COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, which he deemed counterproductive, as they should be exclusively given to healthcare workers.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has suspended the introduction of a regulation deemed by critics to discriminate against small private schools after a flood of protests from private school administrators including Catholics.