Ayat S. Karokaro, Asahan, Indonesia – On Nov. 11, 2024, Alfi Simatupang, a police officer in Asahan district on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was arrested along with two soldiers and a civilian for allegedly attempting to traffic nearly 1.2 metric tons of pangolin scales.

Muhammad Beni Saputra – After the fall of Soeharto's repressive New Order regime, new media outlets emerged across Indonesia, and a new diversity in perspectives followed. However, this was not true of public journalism. In fact, the post-Soeharto era has been characterised by the oligarchisation and corporatisation of the Indonesian press.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, has disclosed the cause behind the mass poisoning of hundreds of students in Bogor who had consumed the Free Nutritious Meal program at school.

As of May 11, 2025, a total of 210 students were reported to have shown symptoms of food poisoning.

Rachel Caroline L. Toruan, Jakarta – Mass food poisoning incidents linked to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program have continued to surface across Indonesia.

Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – The Free Papua Movement (OPM) group has reported that one of its members, Bumi Walo Enumbi, died during a military operation conducted by the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the OPM's armed wing TPNPB-OPM, confirmed this incident.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia's first road map for its energy transition, focusing on phasing out coal, is riddled with loopholes that will make it difficult for the country to retire its massive fleet of coal-fired power plants, critics say.

Septia Ryanthie, Jakarta – Several energy analysts have responded to the government's plan to slash fuel imports from Singapore. Mulyanto, the head of the Indonesian Society of Scientists and Technologists (MITI), for example, suspects that the plan is a consequence of the tariff talks underway between the United States and Indonesia.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – The Banten Regional Police is investigating the incident of a group of local businesspeople allegedly seeking a project quota worth Rp 5 trillion without a bidding process from foreign investors at the Krakatau Steel industrial area in Cilegon.

Julie Wark – On May 6, Deris Kogoya was riding his motorbike when he was executed by an Indonesian rocket, bazooka, or mortar attack from a helicopter near Kelanungin village, Puncak Jaya regency, West Papua. The mangled human remains in the photo had been an eighteen-year-old youth just a few hours earlier.

Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol has stated that West Java has lost approximately 1.2 million hectares of protected areas since 2010. According to Hanif, these protected areas initially covered 1.6 million hectares in 2010.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Another incident involving the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) occurred, where expired ammunition exploded in Garut, West Java. The explosion claimed the lives of 13 people.

Here are several incidents of TNI ammunition explosions within the past year.

1. Ammunition depot explosion

Shinta Maharani, Solo – Former Indonesian President Jokowi referred to a viral meme of himself and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto made by a student from Bandung Institute of Technology as an example of democracy gone too far.

He said the meme had crossed the line.

Riri Rahayu, Yogyakarta – The Alliance of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Students staged a protest on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, against what they described as the chaotic handling of sexual violence cases and the growing presence of militarism on campus.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – State electricity company PT PLN (Persero) has set a target to develop 20.9 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy power plants by 2030, in line with the 2021-2030 Electricity Supply Business Plan (RUPTL). However, as of April 2025, only 1.6 GW of operating capacity has been realized.

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – The National Police have arrested thousands of suspected gang members in a nationwide operation targeting rogue mass organizations and street crime, amid escalating reports of racketeering and extortion that business leaders say are harming the country's economic climate.

A former Catholic priest convicted of sex abuse is among 38 people considered for the presidential executive clemency in Timor-Leste, according to the country's justice minister.

People in Indonesia's Christian-majority, strife-torn Papua expressed hope that newly elected Pope Leo XIV, who visited the region twenty years ago, will pay attention to their ongoing plight and challenges.

An Australian solidarity group for West Papuan self-determination has called on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise the human rights crisis in the Melanesian region with the Indonesian president this week.

Muhammad Iqbal, Tangerang – Several locations in Tangerang and South Tangerang, which is just outside Jakarta, were inundated by flooding due to downpours on Tuesday evening, May 13, affecting a number of road sections.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo said he has studied the contributing factors to street brawls in Jakarta, one of which is linked to the economic condition of the residents who lack permanent jobs.

Jakarta (Jakarta Post/ANN) – The Indonesian Military's (TNI) expanded deployment of personnel to provide security protection for prosecutors nationwide has once again landed the institution in hot water for stoking fears of military intervention in the judicial realm.

Ichsan Ali, Jakarta – To implement the free nutritious meal program, the National Nutrition Agency requires 90,000 university graduates to be placed at 30,000 nutrition service units across Indonesia, an official said on Tuesday.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Health Insurance program (JKN) is at risk of running a deficit of up to Rp 20 trillion ($1.2 billion), driven by the growing number of inactive members who fail to pay their monthly premiums, a senior lawmaker warned on Tuesday.

Jakarta – The Health Ministry has dismissed concerns surrounding the safety of clinical trials of a tuberculosis (TB) vaccine whose development is funded by the Gates Foundation, chaired by Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates.

Ministry spokesperson Aji Muhawarman asserted that the vaccine trial was safe and conducted professionally.

Jakarta – After first quarter economic growth data came in nowhere near where the government needs it to be, officials pointed to the second quarter as the one to watch.

It is true that two exceptional factors may have dragged down GDP growth in the first three months of the year, leading to the disappointing rate of 4.87 percent.

Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military's (TNI) expanded deployment of personnel to provide security protection for prosecutors nationwide has once again landed the institution in hot water for stoking fears of military intervention in the judicial realm.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – Chairperson of the National Council of Setara Institute, Hendardi, criticized the decision of TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces) Commander General Agus Subiyanto to order the deployment of troops to support the security of the High Prosecutor's Office (Kejaksaan Tinggi) and District Prosecutor's Office (Kejaksaan Negeri) throughout Indonesia.

Nadirah Zaidi, Singapore – Indonesia's plan to cut fuel imports from Singapore could pressure trade flows amid tariff talks with the United States, but observers said they believe the broader impact on Singapore's economy will be limited.

Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – Employees of a rubber factory got a shock in late April when half a dozen men allegedly stormed their workplace in Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province, ordered them to stop what they were doing and claimed control over the facility, according to police reports.

Prime Minister Albanese will visit Jakarta on the 14-15 May. The AWPA has written to the PM urging that he raise the human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian president.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – Police have identified five students as suspects in the vandalism during a demonstration in front of the Pancasila Gate at the Parliament Complex, Central Jakarta. They are suspected of spray-painting the gate, throwing rocks, and setting tires on fire outside the complex.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – Indonesia Strategic and Defence Studies (ISDS) is questioning the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) assignment policy in securing the Attorney General's Office. The policy is considered to potentially create overlapping of authorities between the military and civilian law enforcement.

Hendrik Khoirul Muhid, Jakarta – The Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Kapolri), General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, affirmed the police force's commitment to cracking down on premanism (organized thuggery) that disrupts the public and business activities.

Jakarta – The formation of a cabinet based on performance during the era of President Prabowo Subianto has been nothing more than empty words since the outset. Instead of choosing people with good achievements and competence, he built a grand coalition based on returning political favors to oligarchs, politicians, and the former president who brought about his victory.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has revealed several notes from the observation of the implementation of West Java's special pancawaluya character education program, initiated by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi. The program educates children by sending them to military barracks.

Myesha Fatina Rachman, Jakarta - May 12, 1998, is a day that will never be forgotten in the history of Indonesia leading up to the reform. On that day, the Trisakti Tragedy occurred, a bloody event that claimed the lives of four students from Trisakti University in Jakarta and became the trigger for a major wave of change in the country.

Te Ao Maori News interviewed Octovianus Mote and Defe Wabiser at the very site where, sixty-three years ago, the New York Agreement was signed, granting Indonesia administrative control over the region.

"We strongly believe that we're not going extinct," Wabiser said.

Jakarta – Rosario de Marshal, alias Hercules, has gained a new stage in the administration of President Prabowo Subianto. Members of the United Indonesian People's Movement, or Gerakan Indonesia Rakyat Bersatu (GRIB) Jaya, the mass organization that he leads, have been free to cause trouble in a number of areas.

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – Indonesia's economic competitiveness continues to falter due to high investment costs and a shortage of skilled labor, with illegal fees and local intimidation compounding the country's business climate challenges, according to economist Nailul Huda.

Prisma Ardianto, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – The Industry Ministry is reviewing Indonesia's local content policy not in response to external pressures or retaliatory tariffs from the United States, but to support domestic industry needs, Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said on Sunday.

Yovanda Noni, East Kalimantan – East Kalimantan Province holds a wealth of natural treasures that form part of its cultural identity. One of them is a traditional textile belonging to the Dayak Benuaq tribe.

Juan Ardya Guardiola, Garut, West Java – A total of 13 people were killed on Monday following an accidental explosion of expired ammunition during a military disposal operation in Garut, West Java, according to the Indonesian Army. The death toll was initially reported as 11.

Ilham Oktafian, Jakarta – A former Indonesian marine who allegedly joined the Russian military to fight in the war against Ukraine could be stripped of his Indonesian citizenship, a senior lawmaker said on Monday.

Satria Arta Kumbara became a viral sensation in Indonesia after videos and photos circulated online, purportedly showing him in Russian military gear.

Caleb Fotheringham – The escalation of violence in West Papua is on par with some of the most intense times of conflict over the past six decades, a human rights researcher says.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) claims that Indonesia killed at least one civilian and severely injuring another on last Tuesday in Puncak Regency.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Khaerudin Hamid Ali Sulaiman, the legal counsel for the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) student, identified as SSS, has issued an apology to President Prabowo Subianto and former President Jokowi regarding a meme his client uploaded. According to Khaerudin, the student regrets creating and sharing the image depicting Prabowo and Jokowi kissing.

Elan Suherlan, Garut, West Java – A controlled explosion intended to safely dispose of expired Indonesian Army munitions turned deadly on Monday morning, reportedly killing at least 11 people in the West Java town of Garut.

The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. in Sagara, Cibalong District, during a routine procedure to destroy old military-grade explosives.

Kiki Siregar, Jakarta – Wearing green uniforms and hats resembling those of the Indonesian army, dozens of teenage boys lined up neatly in the middle of a field in Purwakarta, West Java, shouting: "Ready, ready, ready! Awesome! Let's keep up the spirit!"

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – A grainy photo shows a 3m-wide banner hanging at the entrance of a rubber processing factory in Central Kalimantan province in Indonesia. The banner reads: "This plant's operations have been shut down by Grib Jaya Kalteng."

An expert has called for stricter oversight in large-scale food distribution following a series of food poisoning cases linked to a school meal program in Indonesia.

Miswanto – International Workers' Day (May Day) was born from the embers of resistance. It was not a compassionate gift from the ruling class, but the result of a long struggle by the international working class demanding the most basic rights: eight hours of work, eight hours of rest and eight hours of human existence.