Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Economist Roby Rushandie of The Prakarsa assesses that the recent protests, culminating in riots, reflect the fragile foundation of Indonesia's economic development. He mentions that although the government often boasts about poverty reduction data or economic growth, the reality on the ground shows a different situation.

Adinda Jasmine, Jakarta – A wave of solidarity from the Indonesian diaspora has emerged in cities around the world, as hundreds of citizens abroad rallied in support of the ongoing demonstrations back home. From New York to Melbourne and Berlin, Indonesians overseas echoed the calls for justice and reform.

Long march in New York

Jakarta – The death of Affan Kurniawan on August 28, 2025, was a tragedy. The 21-year-old online motorbike taxi driver was run over by a Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) tactical vehicle while he was in a crowd using their right of expression in a demonstration demanding the dissolution of the House of Representatives (DPR).

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesian House of Commission I (DPR) held a working meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. The meeting was scheduled to discuss the Ministry's work plan and budget for the year 2026.

Aep Sopandi, Bandung – A total of 48 tear gas canisters were found around the campuses of Pasundan University (Unpas) and Bandung Islamic University (Unisba) on Jalan Tamansari, Bandung, following clashes on Monday night. The canisters were discovered by cleaning and security staff while clearing the campus area on Tuesday morning.

Sukarjito, Jakarta – Certain groups have been exploiting recent public demonstrations and hijacking their agenda once situations turned anarchistic, an analyst said.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Beijing – China expressed understanding over Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's decision to postpone his planned visit to the country, saying it trusts his government to restore stability after violent unrest erupted across Indonesia.

Agencies, New York, United States – The United Nations on Monday called for investigations into alleged use of disproportionate force after six people were killed in protests across Indonesia sparked by anger over lawmakers' lavish perks.

Jakarta – The National Police have fired tear gas into crowds of protesters near two universities in a major regional city, student bodies and authorities said on Tuesday, adding new tensions to deadly protests that have rocked the country since last week.

Antara, Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Violent protests across Indonesia over the past week have left a trail of destruction, with damages to state buildings and public infrastructure estimated at nearly Rp 900 billion ($55 million), Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said on Tuesday.

Andrian Supendi, Indramayu, West Java – Police in Indramayu have arrested 58 people, including 25 middle and high school students, and confiscated Molotov cocktails and sharp weapons from them amid ongoing nationwide unrest.

Ahmad Baihaqi, Heru Andriyanto, South Tangerang – Police have arrested two young men accused of looting Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati's home during the recent unrest in Greater Jakarta.

Helen Livingstone – At least seven people have died, hundreds have been injured and public buildings have been burnt and looted after thousands of people took to the streets in anti-government protests across Indonesia over the past week.

Akanit Horatanakun – The wave of protests that swept through Indonesian cities and towns last week bore more than a few resemblances to those that brought down the Suharto regime in 1998.

Bangkok – Clashes in Indonesia between protesters and security forces have killed at least seven people and injured dozens more in 42 regions across the country since August 25, 2025. The Indonesian government's announcement of new allowances and other benefits to members of parliament resulted in peaceful protests.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Health authorities in Jakarta accelerate childhood vaccination following a surge in measles cases in its poor, crowded neighborhoods.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto lavished civilian honors upon more than 140 figures last week, some of them posthumously, an act that hardly fulfills the intended purpose of the state awards for at least two reasons.

Ni Made Tasyarani, Jakarta – Indonesia's consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.31 percent year-on-year (yoy) in August, easing slightly from 2.37 percent in July, even as food and beverage prices continued to climb.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's plan to promote police officers injured during recent protests has sparked criticism from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH). The LBH argues that these promotions are inappropriate while many protesters are still injured or have died.

Jakarta – The wave of demonstrations in Jakarta and several other regions over the past week has formulated a number of demands to the government regarding improvements in bureaucratic governance and law enforcement.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Deni Friawan, has cautioned that Indonesia risks sliding into an economic crisis if the government fails to address the root causes of the ongoing demonstrations.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Human Rights, Natalius Pigai, has responded to a request from the United Nations Human Rights Office to investigate alleged human rights violations by security forces during recent mass protests.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) believes that the Indonesian government has not yet responded to the root causes of the recent protests occurring in various regions.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – The West Java Regional Police have denied allegations that their officers fired tear gas directly at Bandung Islamic University (Unisba). According to the police, the smoke entered the campus area after being carried by the wind from the street.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – The youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama, Gerakan Pemuda Ansor (GP Ansor), has begun deploying its security unit, Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser), to support security efforts during the wave of demonstrations sweeping across Indonesia.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, or LBH Jakarta, criticizes President Prabowo Subianto's remarks on permission for people who wish to protest. According to LBH Jakarta's Director, Muhammad Fadhil Alfathan, citizens who wish to stage a demonstration are only required to submit a notice, not obtain permission.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati announced that the government will not impose new taxes or raise tax rates in 2026. Despite this, the state revenue target in the 2026 State Budget (RAPBN) is set to increase by 9.8%, reaching Rp3,147.7 trillion.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – A student from Tangerang, Andika Lutfi Falah, has died after allegedly being beaten by police during a protest. The 11th-grade student passed away at AL Mintohardjo Hospital on Monday, September 1, 2025, after being in a coma for three days.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka visited the family home of Andika Lutfi Falah, a student who died after joining a mass demonstration, in Puri Bidara Permai, Tigaraksa, Tangerang Regency, Banten, on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.

Basten Gokkon – Researchers have developed the first model to map how supply and demand interact in Indonesia's highly lucrative songbird trade, revealing patterns that could help curb poaching pressure on rare and threatened species.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has seized 15 vehicles belonging to lawmaker Satori of the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) as part of a probe into alleged misuse of social funds from Bank Indonesia and the Financial Services Authority (OJK).

Responding to the Indonesian government's announcement that at least eight people have been killed since nationwide protests against low wages, tax hikes and lawmakers' pay started on 25 August, Amnesty International's Regional Research Director, Montse Ferrer, said:

Rebecca Ratcliffe – At least 20 people are missing following violent protests that have gripped cities across Indonesia over the past week, a human rights group has warned.

Duncan Graham – Cashiered former general Prabowo Subianto was elected president of Indonesia last year on a contradictory campaign image.

One side showed a soft, caring grandpa, friend of the wong kecil (wee folk). The flip side promoted an urbane statesman who'd lift his country's international status as the world's third-largest democracy.

Rafiqa Qurrata A'yun, Ary Hermawan and Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir – A wave of protests across Indonesia triggered by the genuine grievances of many Indonesians deprived of their right to a decent livelihood has recently devolved into violent riots that have cost the lives of at least seven innocent civilians.

Jakarta – Lawmakers at the House of Representatives returned to work on Monday with members of key commissions kicking off fresh rounds of deliberations on crucial legislation.

Members of Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs on Monday resumed their session to discuss details of the 2026 state budget with the leadership of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Agencies, Jakarta – Students and civil society groups called off protests on Monday after a week of escalating anger over lawmakers' pay and the police response, citing fears of heightened security measures after deadly riots over the weekend.

Basten Gokkon – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has set up a new authority to build a massive seawall along the north coast of Java, a project aimed at shielding millions of residents from flooding and sinking land, but observers reject it as a true solution while highlighting risks, elite bias and lack of consultation.

Michael H. Hadylaya, Jakarta – In The Hunger Games, the Capitol glitters while the districts starve. The elites feast, dress extravagantly and stage parades as if hunger were a distant rumor. That was fiction, but in Indonesia today, the parallels feel striking.

Jakarta – Indonesia is living through one of its most volatile moments since the democratic transition of 1998. What began as scattered unrest has now spilled across cities, fueled by deep economic frustration, perceived elite impunity and a rising sense that the political class has grown deaf to the people's plight.

Rebecca Ratcliffe – Indonesian political parties have agreed to cut some lawmakers' perks, including a controversial $3,000 housing allowance, the president said, as security measures were stepped up in an attempt to halt protests that have gripped the country for a week.

Miriam Bahagijo, New York – The seats were almost full as the lights dimmed and an audio speaker transmitted the decades-old announcement of voice actress Marie Oentoe Tinangon, familiar to most Indonesian moviegoers: "The door to Theater 1 is open."

Yovanda Noni, Antara, Samarinda – Twenty-two students from Mulawarman University, East Kalimantan, were caught making dozens of Molotov cocktails that were allegedly intended for use in a protest scheduled for Monday.

Rama Sukarta, Muhammad Ghafur Fadillah, Jakarta – Indonesia's economy remains fundamentally strong despite a week of nationwide protests and violent unrest, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said on Monday.

Sukarjito, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia has suspended five lawmakers whose controversial remarks about parliamentary perks and displays of privilege inflamed public anger, triggering violent protests that swept across the country.

Antara, Jakarta – Two leaders of prominent Indonesian universities have urged the public to remain calm and exercise restraint in responding to the current political situation marked by demonstrations.

The Rector of the University of Indonesia (UI), Heri Hermansyah, said that the public should express their aspirations while preventing anarchic acts.

Mohammad Muajijin, Kediri, East Java – The Regent of Kediri, Hanindhito Himawan Pramana, has called on looters to return cultural artifacts stolen during violent demonstrations on Saturday that left government offices burned and the Bagawanta Bhari Museum ransacked.

Mita Amalia Hapsari, Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – Police in the Indonesian capital have arrested more than 1,200 people following a week of violent protests marked by looting and vandalism, Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Asep Edi Suheri said on Monday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia announced Monday that it had extended its surplus streak for the 63rd month following a $4.17 billion positive trade balance in July.

Jakarta – Indonesia has made digital declarations mandatory for all international travelers beginning September 1, 2025, through the government's new All Indonesia app.