Jakarta – The Indonesian government responded slowly and insufficiently to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, focusing instead on a jobs law that will harm labor rights and the environment, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2021.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Merauke Archdiocese in Indonesia's Papua province is set to receive billions of rupiah through a collaboration with an environmentally controversial palm oil company, sparking strong protests from local Catholics.

Carlos Ky Paath, Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has nominated Criminal Investigation Agency Head Comr. Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo as the new National Police chief, his office confirmed on Wednesday.

If approved by the House of Representatives, Listyo will replace Idham Azis who reaches retirement age on January 30.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The coronavirus daily death toll reached a new high in Indonesia on Tuesday with 302 deaths, 17 percent higher than the previous record, to take the country's total number of fatalities to 24,645, government figures show.

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has detained Ferdy Yuman, the driver of former Supreme Court secretary Nurhadi, for obstruction of justice for allegedly hiding graft suspects.

Imam Hamdi, Jakarta – The extreme surge in patients treated for Covid-19 is starting to take its toll on doctors tasked in hospitals run by the Jakarta administration. One of the doctors, AR (26), said that this started to be evident in November last year.

The Indonesian government has restored flight occupancy rate to full capacity until at least Jan. 25, despite soaring COVID-19 cases and amid new restrictions throughout Java and Bali.

Ben Bland – Like many world leaders, Indonesian President Joko Widodo is hoping that 2021 will be a bounce-back year after a terrible 2020. This week he is scheduled to become the first Indonesian vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, kicking off an ambitious plan to vaccinate more than 180 million people in just 15 months.

Jamie Freed and Agustinus Beo Da Costa, Sydney/Jakarta – Starting with just one plane in 2003, Indonesia's Sriwijaya Air has become the country's No. 3 airline group, aided by its strategy of acquiring old planes at cheap prices and serving routes neglected by competitors.

Shotaro Tani, Jakarta – As rescue workers continue to look for the black box of Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 in the Java sea on Tuesday, fresh concerns are emerging about the state of Indonesia's airlines.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – Indonesia added 258 kilometers of toll roads in 2020, short of the government's target, as the country strove to continue infrastructure development in the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak, Indonesia Toll Road Authority (BPJT) announced.

Dina Manafe, Jakarta – The Indonesian government on Tuesday received 15 million doses of half-finished coronavirus vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech for final production and distribution by state-run pharmaceutical company Bio Farma.

[Special Report: By Victor Mambor in Jayapura – final article of a three-part investigation into the Pastor Yeremia Zanambani assassination.]

Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is seeking a four-year prison sentence and a fine of Rp 500 million (US$35,254) for suspended prosecutor Pinangki Sirna Malasari for her alleged acceptance of bribes from graft convict Djoko Tjandra.

Maria Baru, Kota Sorong – The Papuan people in greater Sorong reject all attempts by the Papuan political elite to extend Special Autonomy (Otsus) in Papua. This opposition was expressed during a march on the Sorong City Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on Monday January 11.

Lenny Tristia Tambun & Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has called on hospitals to increase their bed allocation for coronavirus patients amid a dramatic surge in the number of confirmed cases following the holiday season.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia will extend the entry ban on foreign visitors for another 14 days. The announcement comes a few days ahead of its deadline.

Indonesia's chequered air safety record is again in the spotlight after a Sriwijaya Air jet carrying 62 people crashed into the Java Sea minutes after take-off on Saturday, marking the country's third major airline crash in just over six years.

Gilang Al Ghifari Lukman – Recent reports of potential normalisation between Indonesia and Israel have received varied reactions in the respective countries. In his three-month marathon toward normalization, U.S. President Donald Trump has persuaded four Arab countries to open diplomatic relations with Israel.

[Special Report: By Victor Mambor in Jayapura – second of a three-part investigation into the Pastor Yeremia Zanambani assassination.]

The atmosphere on Saturday morning, 19 September 2020, in the courtyard of the Elementary School for the Education and Schooling Foundation of Evangelical Churches in Tanah Papua or YPPGI Hitadipa was tense.

Firebrand cleric Rizieq Shihab, leader of the now-outlawed Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), has been named a criminal suspect once again, further complicating his troubles with the law since his return to Indonesia in November.

Authorities have temporarily closed Waterboom Lippo Cikarang, a waterpark in Bekasi regency, West Java after discounted tickets attracted a huge crowd yesterday, as seen in a video that has widely circulated online.

Officials in Bali are putting their foot down to deal with foreigners who are refusing to follow COVID-19 health protocols in the province, with Governor Wayan Koster saying that those without masks will be denied entry from tourist sites and restaurants.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Food and Drug Supervisory Agency, or BPOM, approved Sinovac vaccine for emergency use on Monday, making it the first coronavirus vaccine to be administered in the country.

Antara, Jakarta – Floods submerged 2,470 homes in six villages, Lengayang Sub-district, South Pesisir District, West Sumatra, as Batang Kambang River spilled over its bank.

"Flooding also damaged three houses and one bridge," Hendrajoni, South Pesisir District Head, said here on Saturday.

Anwar Siswadi, Jakarta – University of Padjadjaran statistician Yuyun Hidayat on Monday said COVID-19 cases would predictably continue to climb throughout the week as the total number of confirmed cases neared the one million mark.

"The surge in weekly cases in Indonesia ranks the country third in Asia and has overtaken Iran," said Hidayat on Monday, January 11.

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – Heavy rainfall and unstable soil caused a series of landslides in Sumedang, West Java, on Saturday, claiming the lives of at least 19 people and injuring 18 others.

Among the deceased were search and rescue and local administration officials who had been working to evacuate survivors of the disaster.

Jakarta – Two deadly landslides in a 3.5-hour interval killed at least 11 people, including a local military leader and a disaster mitigation official who were at the scene to respond to the first one, in the West Java district of Sumedang on Saturday evening.

The crash of a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 about four minutes after it took off from Jakarta Saturday is the latest in a series of air accidents to rock Indonesia.

This Southeast Asian archipelago relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands but has suffered a string of deadly plane crashes in recent years.

Ivan Watson – Search and rescue teams are scouring the stormy waters of the Java Sea, hunting for the wreckage of Sriwijaya Air Flight 182.

At this early stage, Indonesian officials still don't know why the Boeing 737 suddenly plunged from the sky within minutes of take-off.

Victoria Milko and Edna Tarigan, Jakarta – Indonesian divers on Sunday located parts of the wreckage of a Boeing 737-500 at a depth of 23 metres in the Java Sea, a day after the aircraft with 62 people onboard crashed shortly after takeoff from Jakarta.

Ardila Syakriah, Jakarta – Indonesia is on track to roll out its COVID-19 vaccination campaign next week, just as the country extends its record-breaking streak of highest new daily confirmed cases for a third consecutive day.

Max Walden – Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo recently signed off on chemically castrating and naming perpetrators of sexual violence against children.

West Papuans are facing the start of 2021 with sorrowful news about the death of Mispo Gwijangge, a victim of accusations and torture over alleged crimes he did not commit.

Some human rights advocates and lawyers, including Amnesty International Indonesia, have expressed their condolences for his death in Wamena on January 6, reports Tabloid Jubi.

President-elect of the self-styled Republic of West Papua Benny Wenda called for continued support for the cause of the freedom of his people, warning that the new year has begun with renewed Indonesian repression.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo inaugurated a newly improved Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta earlier this week, after it had undergone large-scale renovations since May 2019.

The largest mosque in Southeast Asia, Istiqlal's renovation cost Rp 511 billion (US$36.7 million), paid for by the state budget of a country with the world's largest Muslim population.

Jakarta – Moderate figures now comprise the leadership of the Indonesian Ulema Council. It is time to show a more friendly face of Islam.

The inclusion of moderate figures in the new leadership of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) gives hope for the future and the diversity of Indonesia.

Jessi Lewis – A Central Jawa Court rejected a legal bid by a 31-year-old former Indonesian police officer for reinstatement following dismissal over his sexuality in 2018. His dismissal had come after Pujianto had served for 10 years in his position as police officer for the Central Jawa Police.

An Indonesian official who was fired by the president after she became a national laughing stock may get her job back after a court ruled that her termination was unlawful.

Anthony Galloway – Phil Britten knew the day was coming when the alleged mastermind behind the Bali bombings would walk free.

Mr Britten, who was badly burnt across 40 per cent of his body and lost seven of his Kingsley Football Club mates in the blast, now fears firebrand Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir will radicalise others to follow in his footsteps.

Agustinus Beo Da Costa, Jakarta – Indonesia has released from prison Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the suspected mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings and among the most notorious extremists in the Muslim-majority country.

Bashir was picked up by his family and was driving to his home in central Java, Detik.com reported.

Nava Nuraniyah and Jordan Newton – Today, Indonesian firebrand cleric Abu Bakar Bashir will walk free from prison. The 82-year-old, who earned infamy in Australia for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, has served as a bellwether for the Indonesian extremist community: never far from centre frame of its terrifying successes or its abject failures.

Andi Cipta Asmawaty – The COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating gender inequality in global supply chains. Because COVID-19 has hit low-paid manufacturing sectors where women work in large proportions, these consequences are not gender-neutral. The ILO reports, for example, that 2 out of 5 workers in the Asia-Pacific garment industry have not returned to work after factory closures.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves reached its second-highest annual record in December 2020, rising to US$135.9 billion, driven by tax collection and the government's foreign borrowing, Bank Indonesia (BI) announced on Friday.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – Publicly listed renewables developer PT Terregra Asia Energy has struck an agreement with state-owned construction firm PT Waskita Karya, with the latter set to build mega projects comprising seven hydro power plants worth Rp 12.5 trillion (US$897.74 million) on Sumatra Island.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Three Indonesian badminton players and an executive from a sports equipment company have been banned for life for match-fixing, the Badminton World Federation said on Friday.

Another five Indonesian players were suspended for between six and 12 years and fined up to $12,000 each, the BWF said in a statement.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Fana Suparman, Jakarta – Terrorist convict Abu Bakar Baasyir was freed from the Gunung Sindur Penitentiary in Bogor, West Java; on Friday morning, without a single sympathizer in sight.

The radical Muslim cleric had already completed his 15-year sentence with a reduction of 55 months.

Budiarti Utami Putri, Jakarta – The Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) on Friday officially requested President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to appoint a National Police Chief (Kapolri) candidate with a serious commitment to improving the institution, mainly the anti-corruption enforcement.

Francisca Christy Rosana, Jakarta – The COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery Committee Chairman, Airlangga Hartarto, asserted that the COVID-19 vaccine was mandatory under applicable laws. The vaccination in the time of a pandemic is stipulated in Law No. 4/1984 on infectious disease outbreak.

Shotaro Tani, Jakarta – Indonesian Ulema Council, the country's top Islamic body, has deemed China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines permissible under Islamic law, giving a boost to the government as it prepares to start a mass vaccination program next week.