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Indonesia
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Indonesia

Indonesia
Indonesia
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion from Indonesia.
Capital
Jakarta
Head of State
President Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto
Head of Government
President Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto
The parents of Mary Jane Veloso holding placards demanding clemency for their daughter during a protest in Manila in November 2024. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Philippines weighs pardon for death row inmate repatriated from Indonesia

A full presidential pardon is being ‘seriously’ considered following Mary Jane Veloso’s repatriation in 2024.

Malaysia

‘Open, close, reopen’: return of choking haze traps Malaysian schools in limbo

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Defence

Indonesia commissions first aircraft carrier, bolstering sea defence

China exports

China has scrapped two-thirds of its planned coal power plants abroad: report

The cutbacks have saved 6.4 billion tonnes of potential carbon emissions, though campaign’s momentum slowed last year, report finds.

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Women sit on a hill overlooking a coal power plant in Indonesia. The country is a hotspot for Chinese energy investment. Photo: AP
South China Sea

Why Brunei prefers ‘quiet diplomacy’ over confrontation in South China Sea

As a nation with a small military, Brunei would rather work with Beijing in safe zones such as peacekeeping than butt heads, analysts say.

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Singapore

Indonesian arrested in Singapore over fake banknotes was victim of fraud: lawyer

Dosma Sijabat says the 34 counterfeit S$10,000 notes did not belong to his client, who was merely exchanging them for someone else.

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Malaysia

As Malaysia bets big on a concert boom, where are the local acts?

Artists question efforts to develop local talent, highlighting ‘worrying trend’ of global stars with no Malaysian opening act.

Malaysian rock band Kyoto Protocol perform live on stage. The band has opened for Muse, Death Cab for Cutie and The Killers in the past. Photo: Handout
Climate change

Indonesia breathing issues spike to over 170,000 cases amid wildfire haze

As blazes blanket some areas and neighbouring nations in toxic smog, oxygen canisters have been given out. Over 40,000 toddlers are affected.

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Energy

Indonesia to continue buying Russian oil despite ‘real risk’ of US penalties

Analysts say Jakarta made the ‘right decision’ for the country’s energy security but urge dialogue with Washington to maintain transparency.

Global South

Can Indonesia speak for the Global South in its UN Security Council bid?

Jakarta wants a fifth term on the council, but faces accusations of hypocrisy and being a ‘fence-sitter’, analysts say.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2025. Photo: Xinhua
SCMP Highlights

South Korean killer’s escape foiled, Duterte trial looms: 7 Asia highlights

From Singaporean minister’s Mandarin diplomacy to Indonesia’s Whoosh debt burden, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

A person dangles from a drone in this still from footage obtained by Korean broadcaster JTBC allegedly showing a practice run for Park Wang-yeol’s escape. Photo: YouTube/JTBC_News
Canada

Southeast Asia supports multilateralism, wary of US or China leadership: survey

A recent Rockefeller Foundation survey shows strong regional belief in global cooperation and a reluctance to accept superpower dominance.

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Australia

Named as an enemy: Indonesia’s uneasy Aukus moment

Aukus inquiry testimony in Australia cast Indonesia as a foe in a hypothetical war, reviving old suspicions.

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Malaysia

Malaysia deploys air force aircraft for cloud seeding to combat worsening haze

An Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft will be used as the main asset for the cloud seeding operations.

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Malaysia’s prime minister’s office in Putrajaya is partially obscured by haze on Thursday. Photo: AP
Vladimir Putin

Opinion | Why the Global South keeps its doors wide open to Russia

Far from being isolated, Moscow’s relationships across the non-Western world are a geopolitical constant the West cannot break.

Russian President Vladimir Putin waves while boarding a plane upon his departure from India on September 13. Photo: Kremlin/Sputnik/EPA
Defence

Pride or practicality? Indonesia welcomes first aircraft carrier

Jakarta has approved US$450 million for the aircraft carrier programme but some lawmakers warn the final bill could be higher.

Mainland China

Video | Chinese national arrested for allegedly killing sea turtle

The viral video showed a diver hunting an endangered hawksbill sea turtle in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat islands.

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Malaysia

Malaysian woman scuba diving in Bali dies after being swept away by currents

Siti Nuraini was on a diving trip with several others when the incident occurred at Crystal Bay.

The incident has reignited concerns about safety at Indonesian tourist sites. Photo: Ullstein Bild via Getty Images
Marine safety

Indonesia faces reckoning over maritime safety after deadly ferry disaster

Experts say poor enforcement and inadequate supervision continue to leave passengers vulnerable, amid a rise in maritime incidents.

Environment

Indonesia’s Prabowo mulls labelling wildfires as ‘ecological terrorism’

Indonesia is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, with the hazardous haze also affecting neighbours Singapore and Malaysia.

South China Sea

‘Wolf in sheep’s clothing’: why Japan’s Natuna port plan raises alarm in China

Tokyo offers port upgrades to boost maritime security, but analysts say Jakarta is being pragmatic, not taking sides against Beijing.

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An Indonesian coastguard ship sails next to a Vietnamese fishing vessel near Indonesia’s Natuna Islands in July 2020. Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian fishing boats have occasionally clashed over marine resources in the area. Photo: AFP
Environment

‘My eyes sting, my head hurts’: health crisis grips Indonesians enduring haze

‘While working, my chest feels tight, my head dizzy, my eyes burning. Even with this unhealthy air, we still must work,’ a resident says.

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People travel on a river boat as haze from forest fires blankets Benua Melayu Darat village in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
John Lee policy address 2026

Hong Kong launching pilot scheme to bring in foreign carers for the elderly

Chief Executive John Lee says in policy address that the government will admit carers under a scheme modelled on domestic helper regime.

Environment

How wildfires are threatening Indonesia’s economy and carbon market

Total economic and health costs from January to August as a result of the haze could reach US$6.9 billion, analysts warn.

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India

‘Growing stronger’: India and Russia push to expand defence ties

Analysts say offers of Su-57 stealth jet tech and BrahMos upgrades signal an exit from simple buyer-seller deals.

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Brics summit in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo: Kremlin/dpa
Singapore

Singapore ministers earn millions. What do other Asian leaders make?

Political pay structures elsewhere in Asia are shaped by factors including bureaucratic hierarchy, austerity and symbolic restraint.

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Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s annual pay benchmark will rise to S$3.6 million (US$2.83 million) on October 15. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Opinion | As the global order fragments, at least Asean is still talking

A modest lesson in a multipolar world is that sometimes the achievement is simply that disagreement does not end the conversation.

Mainland China

Who will shoulder the debts behind Indonesia’s China-backed Whoosh railway?

Jakarta plans to transfer the US$56.5 million annual debt into state accounts as critics warn taxpayers will subsidise the losses.

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