Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – Indonesia's central bank, Bank Indonesia, has kept its benchmark rate at 4.75 percent. "Bank Indonesia's Board of Governors' Meeting on January 20 and 21, 2026, decided to maintain the [interest rate] at 4.75 percent," said BI Governor Perry Warjiyo on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The Indonesian Economists Alliance has once again issued seven economic demands in a meeting on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesia, through the Ministry of Forestry, has joined The Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets. The move aims to bolster global climate financing while representing Indonesia's forestry sector and nature-based solutions.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – Permata Bank Chief Economist Josua Pardede urged that the Indonesian government immediately restore market confidence through certainty of policy direction and strengthening foreign exchange sources. According to him, such mitigation would effectively encourage the strengthening of the rupiah exchange rate.

Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Jakarta – The nomination of Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Djiwandono as Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) has the potential to undermine the central bank's independence, assessed economist Teuku Riefky from the Institute for Economic and Social Research at the University of Indonesia (LPEM UI).

Indonesia, West Papua – The Indonesian government's militarised approach to conflict resolution and economic development in West Papua has reached alarming levels, triggering widespread internal displacement, human rights violations, and growing civil society resistance.

On 16 January 2026, Mr Kataw Kulua, 27, Mr Yaikunus Murib, 26, and Mr Lois Murib, 29, were arbitrarily arrested by personnel of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) near the BNPB Logistics Warehouse, Agandugume District, Puncak Regency, Central Papua Province.

Jakarta – Terrorism is a criminal act. Therefore, the response to it falls under the authority of the police, the law enforcement agency tasked with matters of public safety.

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – Hendardi, Chairperson of the National Council of the SETARA Institute, criticized the discourse on involving the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in counterterrorism. He cited several reasons why the government's move to involve the TNI in counterterrorism could undermine the justice system and civil supremacy in Indonesia.

Jakarta – National Strategic Projects may well become one of the worst economic development legacies from the administrations of Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto. As well as creating social and environmental problems, these projects ignore the principles of good governance and are rife with conflicts of interest.

Andi Adam Faturahman, Jakarta – Indonesia's Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, said reported cases of food poisoning linked to the government's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program have declined in recent months, citing improvements in food safety procedures.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Chairperson of the Press Council, Komaruddin Hidayat, has expressed his appreciation for the Constitutional Court's decision regarding legal protection for journalists, as stipulated in Article 8 of Law No. 40/1999 on the Press. Komaruddin emphasized that the ruling serves as a vital safeguard for national press freedom.

Jakarta – Rupiah hit a record low against the dollar on Tuesday as investors fretted about the country's central bank independence after President Prabowo Subianto nominated his nephew to join Bank Indonesia's Board of Governors.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Trade revealed that no garlic imports realization has been recorded thus far.

Antara, Jakarta – The Forestry Ministry is auditing 24 forest utilization permits across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra following deadly flash floods and landslides that struck the regions late last year, Deputy Forestry Minister Rohmat Marzuki said on Monday.

Antara, Jakarta – The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has set a Rp 134 trillion ($8 billion) non-tax revenue target for Indonesia's mining sector in 2026, lower than last year's Rp 138 trillion intake, as the government moves to curb production of coal and nickel.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said record-breaking rainfall was the main cause of flooding that hit parts of the capital over the weekend, describing the downpour as the heaviest recorded during his nearly one year in office.

Grace el Dora, Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund has raised its economic growth forecast for Indonesia in 2026, signaling growing confidence in the country's resilience even as global trade and policy uncertainty continues to cloud the outlook.

Budiarti Putri – It's been seven months since the Indonesian government announced the revocation of four active mining licences in Raja Ampat, West Papua, following widespread public criticism catalysed by the #SaveRajaAmpat campaign.

Jakarta/Singapore – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa pledged on Tuesday to uphold the independence of the central bank, after lingering fears about government interference in monetary policy drove the rupiah currency to a record intraday low.

Agencies, Jakarta – The government could potentially seize mining activities across 190,000 hectares (733.59 square miles) of illegally cleared forest, the deputy forestry minister told a House of Representatives hearing on Monday, as authorities tackle what they say is unlawful extraction in the country.

Siti Syafania Kose – When I visited Roshan Learning Center in South Jakarta, lunchtime was almost over.

A group of eighth graders approached me with awkwardness and curiosity familiar to 14-year-olds everywhere. They asked about my work, laughed at each other's jokes and debated everything from their last exam to math homework.

Adi Warsidi, Jakarta – A total of 91,962 people, or 24,426 families, across Aceh remain in evacuation centers following the devastating floods and landslides that struck at the end of November 2025. They are scattered across 988 refugee points in various regencies and cities throughout the province.

Joao Boavida Milena Pires – Despite a stable constitutional framework, sustained international assistance, and substantial public expenditure, Timor-Leste continues to experience political stagnation.

Herawati Nurlia – Amnesty International Indonesia has highlighted the series of incidents of terror and threats that have befallen activists from the University of Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM UI).

Jakarta – The results of a Median survey show that the majority of respondents stated that human factors were the cause of the flash floods that hit a number of areas in Sumatra late last year.

This survey was a poll of social media users. The data was collected on January 9-13 with a target sample of one thousand respondents.

Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jakarta – Former Deputy Minister of Manpower Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan, widely known as Noel, has confessed to his involvement in a corruption scandal.

Jacobus E. Lato – Church leaders in Indonesia's Christian-majority Papua have criticized the 'excessive military' presence in the region, calling it a flawed state policy to counter insurgency in the conflict-scarred easternmost territory.

Jakarta – The revocation of 28 company permits in Sumatra is the first step towards restoring the rights of the people and the environment in Sumatra.

Alfida Rizky Febrianna, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the revocation of business licenses held by 28 forestry, mining, and plantation companies found to have violated regulations and caused environmental damage, a senior aide said on Tuesday.

Handewi Pramesti, Bali – Growing up in Central Jakarta in the 1970s, I remember the glow of fireflies, or kunang-kunang, twinkling in the field full of banana trees in front of my house. Their flickering felt magical, yet completely ordinary. The nights were softer then, the city far less crowded.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Bandung – Baby Arya flew from Jakarta to Changi Airport in mid-2025 together with a couple posing as his parents.

He was one of at least 15 Indonesian newborns trafficked into Singapore by a syndicate that preyed on desperate parents in West Java, Indonesia, offering them up to 20 million rupiah (S$1,500) to surrender their babies.

Jacobus E. Lato – The start of 2026 has brought cautious optimism to Indonesia's religious minority communities following the ratification of a new Criminal Code that promises greater protection for freedom of worship in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court has partially granted a judicial review petition against the 1999 Press Law, ruling that journalists cannot be directly subjected to criminal or civil prosecution without first going through dispute-resolution mechanisms under the Press Law, including the Press Council.

Surabaya – Hundreds of students from the East Java Nusantara Student Executive Council (BEM) held a protest action in front of the East Java Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) building on Jalan Indrapura in Surabaya on Monday January 19.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has reaffirmed that the Indonesian government has no plans to change the mechanism for electing the president and vice president, dismissing speculation that the system could shift from direct popular elections to selection by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The flood and landslide disasters that hit Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra starting on November 25, 2025, killed 1,190 and left 141 people still missing as of January 17.

In addition to this, more than 40 days since the disaster struck, there are around 131 thousand people still living in refugee camps.

A Catholic bishop has joined rights activists and tribal leaders to oppose a government plan to expand palm oil plantations in Indonesia's Papua region, terming the move a threat to environment and indigenous communities.

Allestisan Citra Derosa – My Sundays usually start slowly, with a rolled yoga mat or feeding stray dogs in the hidden slums of the city. But this one is different.

This Sunday finds me at the Lapangan Banteng park in Central Jakarta, with a glove on my right hand and a bin bag on my left, bending down to pick up a stranger's candy wrapper or, worse, a cigarette butt.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government recently said it was ready to facilitate fish businesses that wish to gain 0% tariff on their Japan-bound tuna, skipjack, and mackerel.

Dayat, Jakarta – State-owned railway operator Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) revealed on Sunday that the company had lost Rp 3.5 billion (nearly $207,000) due to ticket cancellations from the Pekalongan flood.

Prisma Ardianto, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has inaugurated the operations of 166 Sekolah Rakyat schools nationwide at the start of 2026, with state spending reaching Rp 6.6 trillion ($390.02 million) as of last year.

Karina Tehusijarana, Jakarta – One might expect the recent police report filed against popular Indonesian comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono for his Netflix special Mens Rea to make other Indonesian comedians think twice about tackling sensitive topics in their routines.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Indonesia has entered 2026 with a clearer vision of its foreign policy following Foreign Minister Sugiono's annual address, analysts say, but questions remain over how Jakarta plans to turn its stated ambitions for resilience into concrete policy

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has nominated his nephew to join the central bank's board of governors, two sources told Reuters, amid growing concern about its independence as the government seeks more support for ambitious economic targets.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Jakarta – The Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) considers the disasters in Sumatra are the result of government policies that seem to legalize damage. This destruction has led to a major disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people.

Andrew Mathieson – Human rights violations against Indigenous West Papuans on their ancestral territory makes Indonesia's appointment to head the United Nations Human Rights Council a "mockery" of the position, according to a prominent West Papuan independence leader.

Mila Novita, Jakarta – Bali in Indonesia was ranked number one as the world's best tourist destination in 2026 in TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards Best of the Best Destinations List. This marks the highest position Bali has ever achieved in the history of TripAdvisor's rankings.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – Heavy rains that poured down on Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday, January 18, 2026, caused flooding in several areas. The Head of the Jakarta Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Data and Information Center, Mohamad Yohan, stated that as of 7:00 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB), 16 neighborhood units (RTs) and 10 roads were affected.

Jakarta – Authorities said on Sunday they had located the wreckage of a fisheries surveillance plane that went missing in South Sulawesi province near a fog-covered mountain, but were still searching for the 10 people on board.