Jakarta – The wave of protest actions opposing revisions to Law Number 34/2004 on the Indonesian Military (UU TNI) or the Draft Law on the TNI (RUU TNI) spread to a number of regions in Indonesia last week.

Jakarta – In a way, a country's stock market performance is like a report card for the national economy, and by extension for the government, and in Indonesia's case right now, the report is not pretty.

We might not have an "F" yet, but we probably have a "D" or "D minus."

Yanuar Nugroho and Made Supriatma – Indonesia's youth protests today call to mind past cases of student activism in the quarter century of post-reform democracy since the fall of Suharto. Will history repeat itself?

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – The government is inviting private sector involvement in funding the Sekolah Rakyat (SR) initiative. However, Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf emphasized that the State Budget (APBN) will remain the primary funding source.

Defara Dhanya, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia responded to the request of President Prabowo Subianto to Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) to form a national task force for accelerating the management of waste.

Yustinus Paat, Giffar Rivana, Jakarta – Hundreds of students from Trisakti University and the National University (Unas) staged a protest at Pancasila Gate on Thursday, opposing the newly passed Indonesian Military (TNI) Law.

Jakarta – Legal activists on Thursday condemned what they described as an attack on press freedom and an attempt to silence critical voices after a journalist received a package containing a severed pig's head.

Iim Halimatusa'diyah and Najwa Abdullah – Throughout Indonesia's modern history, music has been a powerful tool of resistance, raising awareness and mobilising society for social and political causes. With lyrics that highlight structural injustices, popular or grassroots songs can play an important role in amplifying the public's calls for change.

Damien Gayle – West Papua's Indigenous people have called for a boycott of KitKat, Smarties and Aero chocolate, Oreo biscuits and Ritz crackers, and the cosmetics brands Pantene and Herbal Essences, over alleged ecocide in their territory.

Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia documented 55 cases of unlawful killings in 2024, involving 55 victims. "The majority of perpetrators were from the police and military," said Usman Hamid, the organization's Executive Director, in a written statement on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.

Sapto Yunus, Jakarta – The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) has launched a new initiative to introduce a love-based curriculum for religious education in schools.

The curriculum, which aims to promote empathy, tolerance, and spirituality among students, is being developed under the leadership of Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Press Council stated that the terror act involving a severed pig's head sent to Tempo was likely carried out by parties feeling cornered and unwilling to take responsibility.

Jakarta – The upcoming Lebaran or Eid al-Fitr celebrations will be less than festive for Mr Sriyono, 52, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

He is one of the over 10,000 workers at textile manufacturer PT Sri Rejeki Isman, popularly known as Sritex, who lost their jobs on Feb 26, after the company lost its court appeal against bankruptcy.

Hellena Souisa with wires – Protesters have clashed with authorities outside Indonesia's parliament after it passed contentious revisions to the country's military law that critics say could take the country back to the draconian "New Order" era of former president Suharto.

Indonesia – On 20 March 2025, the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) officially adopted amendments to Law Number 34 of 2004 on the Indonesian National Army (TNI).

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Dozens of students blockaded the car carrying Justice Minister Supratman Andi Agtas at the entrance of the legislature compound on Wednesday, demanding he step out and join their protest against proposed amendments to the military law.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's slew of populist programmes that require massive funding, declining tax revenues and questions over new sovereign wealth fund Danantara taking the reins at state-owned entities (SOEs) all converged to dent investor sentiment on March 18, sparking a market sell-off as Indonesian stocks tumbled to levels not seen

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Deputy of Emergency Response at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Major General Lukmansyah, revealed that budget constraints have been a hindrance in regional disaster response.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – The cost of returning home for the 2025 Eid holiday, or mudik, is projected to increase by up to 30 percent due to rising fuel prices and soaring transportation fares. Meanwhile, economic uncertainty and a wave of layoffs continue to loom over many workers.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – The Chairperson of Real Estate Indonesia (REI), Joko Suranto, has expressed concerns regarding the lack of progress in the government's 3 million housing per year program during President Prabowo Subianto's initial five months in office. He opined that the President's enthusiasm for this campaign promise from the 2024 Presidential Election has waned.

Intan Setiawanty, Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has urged the House of Representatives (DPR) to halt the discussion of the revision of Law Number 34 of 2004 concerning the Indonesian National Military (TNI Bill) which is deemed closed and problematic.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Batam – The construction of houses to relocate the residents affected by the National Strategic Project (PSN) Rempang Eco City in Tanjung Banon Village is in jeopardy due to the Prabowo government's budget cut policy. Around 500 houses have yet to be built.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia is expected to see a weakening financial turnover this upcoming Eid holiday season as fewer people choose to travel, according to the country's chamber of commerce Kadin.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Nearly 200,000 people have signed a petition calling on U.K. multinational Jardine Matheson to cancel its plan to expand deeper into Indonesia's Batang Toru Forest, the only known habitat of the world's most threatened great ape, the Tapanuli orangutan.

Ananda Teresia, Jakarta – Rights groups in Indonesia on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, urged parliament to reject contentious revisions of military laws, saying they would take the archipelago back to an era of military domination and create legal uncertainty.

Aditya Hadi, Jakarta – The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) Composite index tumbled 3.84 percent to 6,223 points on Tuesday, recovering only slightly from a plunge of more than 5 percent in the morning trading session that triggered a 30-minute trading halt.

The activists were arrested because they were handing out leaflets about the upcoming launch of a boycott Indonesian products campaign.

As the activists walked towards the Sentani old market they were stopped by the police and taken to the Jayapura district police station in Doyo Sentani.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Vice Chairperson of Commission I of the House of Representatives Dave Akbarshah Fikarno Laksono stated that the revision of the TNI Law or TNI bill is set to be discussed in the level II plenary meeting on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Agencies, Jakarta – A politician from President Prabowo Subianto's party said on Wednesday that no active military personnel would be placed in state-owned companies, as the parliament is set to pass contentious revisions to a military law.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metro Jaya Police will deploy 4,000 security personnel to ensure smooth traffic flow during the 2025 Eid homecoming, which will take place over 14 days from March 23 to April 8.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) plunged by 6.12 percent at the close of the first trading session on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

Deni Ghifari, Jakarta – Two coconut processing companies based in Riau have laid off a total of 3,500 workers as they struggle to maintain production in the face of a shortage of the fruit as a key raw material.

A West Papuan liberation advocacy group has condemned the arrest of 12 activists by Indonesian police and demanded their immediate release.

The West Papuan activists from the West Papua People's Liberation Movement (GR-PWP) were arrested for handing out pamphlets supporting the new "Boycott Indonesia" campaign.

New York – Indonesia's parliament should drop proposed amendments to the 2004 armed forces law that will significantly expand the military's role in civilian governance and weaken legal checks on abusive officials, Human Rights Watch and six Indonesian human rights organizations said today.

Rizki Dewi Ayu, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I held a first-level working meeting on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, to discuss revisions to the TNI Law with the government. During the meeting, all factions agreed that the amendment to Law Number 34 of 2004 could proceed to a plenary session.

Beritasatu Team, Jakarta – Ramadan and Eid have traditionally served as strategic periods for boosting Indonesia's national economy, as consumer spending typically surges. However, this year's festive season is expected to see a weaker-than-usual rise in consumption due to ongoing economic uncertainty.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Stock trading on the Indonesia Stock Exchange on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 experienced a temporary suspension or trading halt due to a drastic point decline.

Harry Suhartono and Ameya Karve – An Indonesian state-owned lender scrapped a planned sale of dollar bonds after a stock market rout in the country quickly spread to other asset classes.

Jakarta – Coordinating Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono said on Wednesday that he had received orders from President Prabowo Subianto to kick off the construction of a giant sea wall along the northern coast of Java.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia kept its benchmark interest rate at 5.75 percent on Wednesday in a bid to keep inflation in check – a move that analysts had expected.

Jakarta – Law and Human Rights Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said on Tuesday that the initiative to amend the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law, which will allow the military to play a larger role in politics, did not come from President Prabowo Subianto or the executive branch of the government.

Fuad Iqbal Abdullah, Nusantara – The Nusantara Capital Authority signed a cooperation agreement with five private investors on Tuesday, securing a total investment of Rp 2.42 trillion ($146.5 million).

Agencies, Jakarta – Human rights groups on Wednesday urged the House of Representatives to reject contentious revisions of military laws, saying they would take the country to an era of military domination and create legal uncertainty.

Rizki Dewi Ayu, Jakarta – Indonesian Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas stated that active Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) soldiers could take office in approved 14 ministries/agencies according to the TNI Bill revision. He said that 16 ministries/agencies were initially proposed in the drafting of the bill to amend Law No. 34 of 2004 on the TNI.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's State Intelligence Agency (BIN) has launched official social media accounts across multiple platforms. BIN Deputy for Communication and Information Idham Malik stated that these accounts were created to foster closer engagement with the public.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The discussion on the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Law revision continues to attract attention from civil society groups and students. Demonstrations were held to express opposition to the draft TNI Law that was approved by the House of Representatives Defense and Security Commission.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – More than 23,000 people have signed a petition rejecting the return of military dual function in the revision of Law Number 34 of 2004 on the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) or TNI bill. Launched by a civil society coalition on March 16, 2025, the petition on Change.org is nearing its 25,000-signature target.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I, Tubagus Hasanuddin, said that the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) could be involved in non-war military operations according to the revision of the TNI Law. One of them is in counter-terrorism.

Yustinus Paat, Putu Ayu Pratama Sugiyo, Jakarta – A viral aerial video allegedly showing a marijuana plantation on the slopes of Mount Semeru in East Java has sparked public concern, but the government clarified on Tuesday that the footage is not recent and that authorities had already dismantled the illegal crops.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) tumbled over 4 percent on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 11:11 AM WIB, before plunging 5 percent, prompting the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) to impose a temporary trading halt.