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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
Pupils take part in a routine ceremony on the first day of school at an elementary school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia on July 15, 2024. Photo: AFP
Students during a break at a high school in Jakarta, Indonesia, in January 2024. Photo: AP
Education

Indonesia targets free public schooling amid funding concerns

Education experts question where the money will come from, and urge the government to focus on improving the quality of learning.

Singapore

Can pay-as-you-earn funding fix Southeast Asia’s higher education debt problem?

Corruption in Asia

Video | Luxury villas found at Indonesian prison

Malaysia

From Ed Sheeran to Massive Attack: Gaza rows spark Southeast Asia backlash

With global acts also touring Asia, UK star Ed Sheeran’s concert fallout in the US raises the question of how the saga would play out regionally.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters gather near the venue of pop star Ed Sheeran’s concert after rapper Macklemore was cut from the musical line-up over his “free Palestine” remarks, near Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia on September 19. Photo: Reuters
Singapore

Singapore or bust: how Indonesian’s crowdfunding plea shows city’s desirability

A woman’s appeal for sponsors to fund her US$78,000 programme has drawn criticism but not dimmed her dream of studying in Singapore.

People’s Justice Party

Indonesian prison chief suspended over secret VIP compound for inmates

Inspectors found a hidden compound at Cibinong Prison, complete with villas and a pool reportedly reserved for paying inmates.

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SCMP Highlights

Indonesian victim of fake cash scam, Filipinos warm to China: 7 Asia highlights

From young Filipinos warming to China to Malaysians’ nettle bed joke, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

People walk past abandoned vehicles on a flooded Petchaburi Road in Bangkok on Saturday. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

How Mary Jane Veloso’s case exposes gaps in Filipino migrant protection

Advocates say her case spotlights the dangers Philippine workers face overseas and Manila’s inability to sufficiently protect its citizens.

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Singapore

Paid to read: can cash and gamification fix Southeast Asia’s falling literacy?

Facing shrinking attention spans and ‘doomscrolling’, governments are using cash, vouchers and book drives to get citizens reading again.

Malaysia

Chickens in Malaysia are producing fewer eggs. Is haze a leading cause?

Small farmers in Malaysia and Indonesia who are also worried about rising heat are spending more to ventilate their sheds.

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Chicken and eggs at a poultry farm in Mentakab, Malaysia’s Pahang state. Photo: AFP
Prabowo Subianto

Indonesia’s 3% deficit cap: guardrail or growth barrier?

As lawmakers weigh lifting the statutory deficit ceiling, economists warn of downgrades and higher borrowing costs.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the State Palace in Jakarta, in June. Prabowo is aiming for 8 per cent annual economic growth by 2029. Photo: Reuters
Belt and Road Initiative

Indonesia eyes China for massive 2,772km railway project – with caution

As Jakarta explores foreign backing for the Trans-Kalimantan railway, analysts say costly past ventures could shape any coming negotiations.

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US-China relations

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia faces a false binary in US-China mineral trade

The real question for rare earth exporters is how to turn global mineral competition into higher-value industries.

Thailand

Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

Viral misbehaviour, crimes and foreign-ownership scandals are exhausting the patience of a country famous for its hospitality.

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Illustration: Kevin Wong
Asean

Opinion | How Chinese firms can optimise their ‘going out’ strategy in Southeast Asia

While local partners gain valuable technical and marketing skills, Chinese companies must navigate vastly different regulatory and cultural landscapes to succeed.

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An exhibitor chats to visitors at the 23rd China-Asean Expo in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on September 21. Bilateral trade exceeded US$1 trillion in 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Energy

Indonesian coal deal fuels doubts over production quota approvals

The sale of a stake in Bayan came as the coal miner was facing a delay in getting approval for three subsidiaries’ production quotas.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Xi’s security chief among cohort of rising officials at White House banquet

Zhou Hongxu is one of a group of officials in their 50s and early 60s at the front line of China’s top diplomatic events.

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The Philippines

‘So happy’: Philippines pardons death row inmate repatriated from Indonesia

Mary Jane Veloso is expected to be freed after the clemency since there are no other active cases against her.

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The parents of Mary Jane Veloso holding placards demanding clemency for their daughter during a protest in Manila in November 2024. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

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

All 108 schools in Serian close again as API readings break 200, highlighting the limits of cloud seeding while monsoon winds persist.

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Defence

Indonesia commissions first aircraft carrier, bolstering sea defence

Indonesia’s navy renamed the former Italian warship KRI Sriwijaya-100 at a ceremony in North Jakarta.

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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Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (left) and son Prince Abdul Mateen arrive for the Asean Summit welcome ceremony in Cebu, Philippines, on May 8. Photo: EPA
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.

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.

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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Firefighters in Indonesia extinguish fires in Banjar, South Kalimantan, on Monday. Photo: AFP
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.

Tankers and cargo ships at the oil depot and container terminal of Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, in March. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

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