A silhouette of participants attempting to reach the top of a greased pole on Monday during an annual traditional pole-climbing competition held to mark Indonesia’s Independence Day in the Cilincing area of North Jakarta.`

Festivities and restraint as Indonesia marks 81 years of independence

From boat races and traditional cooking competitions to cracker-eating contests, Indonesians across the country took part in traditional games and festivities to mark the 81st anniversary of independence on Monday, while some communities have opted for more subdued celebrations following a series of natural disasters and amid continued economic pressures.

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Doctors perform a free cataract eye surgery on a patient under a charity program funded by the Ministry of Health at Meuraxa Hospital in Banda Aceh, Aceh, on June 14, 2026.

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President Prabowo Subianto is displayed on screens as he delivers his annual State of the Nation address ahead of the country's 81st Independence Day anniversary in front of the members of the legislative bodies during the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary session on Aug. 14 at the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta.

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President Prabowo Subianto (center) talks with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka (right) and former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Monday before the ceremony commemorating the 81st anniversary of Indonesia’s independence at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

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President Prabowo Subianto, his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka sit together during the Independence Day ceremony, in what observers saw as a show of unity amid speculation of strained relations among the three.

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Students stage a protest in the city center on Aug. 18, a day after the 81st Independence Day in Jakarta, demanding the government eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism, end wasteful programs, and lower the prices of basic necessities and fuel.

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Children walk past a damaged school on Aug. 19 in Sukka regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). A 7.7-magnitude earthquake off the northern coast of Flores Island damaged hundreds of homes and other buildings in the region.

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Prabowo, Jokowi display unity amid strained ties speculation

University of Indonesia (UI) students take part in a protest against wasteful state budget spending, President Prabowo Subianto's flagship programs and expanded military roles in civilian affairs in Central Jakarta, on Aug. 18, 2026.

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Students rally against ‘decaying freedom' as Indonesia turns 81

Angry protesters shout at soldiers as they remove a Free Aceh Movement (GAM) flag on Aug. 15, 2026, displayed alongside the Indonesian national flag during a rally at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, Aceh. Thousands of people gathered to mark the 21st anniversary of the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) peace agreement, which ended nearly three decades of conflict. The raising of the separatist-linked flag, although not explicitly banned by the 2005 peace deal, remains a highly controversial issue, with central government authorities often prohibiting its display.

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Gerindra Party secretary-general Sugiono (second row, third left) poses for a group photo with high ranking officials of pro-government political parties after a meeting in Jakarta on Aug. 13, 2026. During the meeting, the party officials discussed various political issues, including the revisions of election-related regulations at the House of Representatives.

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Mounted infantry troops march on Aug. 17, 2026, from the National Monument (Monas) to the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta ahead of the annual flag-hoisting ceremony to commemorate the 81st Independence Day.

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Constitutional Court Chief Justice Suhartoyo (center) presides over a hearing to read rulings on 20 judicial review petitions at the Constitutional Court building in Jakarta on July 30, 2026.

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Two women walk across the Garuda Perintis Bridge after its inauguration on Aug. 13 in Malang, East Java. The 1.2-meter bridge above the Brantas River was built by the Malang District Military Command and local communities to ease pedestrian and small vehicle mobility.

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Skyscrapers in Jakarta are shrouded in haze on July 20 in East Jakarta. Jakarta's Air Quality Index (AQI) averaged between 120 and 168 in mid-July 2026, placing the city's air quality in the unhealthy category.

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This screengrab, with no time or location provided, shows the atmosphere during The Sounds Project music festival held Aug. 7-9, 2026, at Ecovention & Ecopark Ancol in North Jakarta, Indonesia.

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Commuter train passengers wait for the wagons to stop during the morning rush hour on November 8, 2024, at Manggarai Station in Jakarta.

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A motorboat carries ballot boxes for the 2024 general elections arrives on Feb. 9, 2024, at Pramuka Island in Thousand Islands regency, Jakarta.

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A no weapons sign is seen on the window inside a Transjakarta bus in this undated photo.

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Trash troubles: A scavenger collects items from piles of garbage on Jan.9 at the Kramat Jati Wholesale Market in Jakarta.

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President Prabowo Subianto (center), accompanied by National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo (right), inspects seized narcotics amounting to 214.84 tonnes worth US$ 1.77 billion seized over the past year, before they were incinerated during a ceremony in Jakarta on October 29, 2025.

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A man fishes at Pasauran Beach, Anyer, Banten, on April 24, 2022 while Mount Anak Krakatau spews thick smoke into the air.

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Caroline Cellomita Kasang, 3, who suffered a head injury after she was hit by a collapsed wall while escaping from a house during an earthquake, rests along with her grandmother Katarina Dadona, 58, at a makeshift medic-tent serving as temporary shelter for people affected by the earthquake in Reok, East Nusa Tenggara, on Aug. 18, 2026.

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A group of rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army-Papua Freedom Organization (TPNPB-OPM) gather behind a couple, identified as Kumis Kogoya and Seli Wenda, before their execution-style killing along the trans-Papua highway in Seradala district, Yahukimo regency, Papua Highlands, on July 21, 2026. The rebels killed a total of three civilians in execution-style shootings accusing the victims of being intelligence agents for the Indonesian government.

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Papuan rebels shoot one soldier dead, injure two on Independence Day

Female Javan hawk-eagle Riska (left) feeds her newly hatched hatchling Garuda in this undated picture take from a video at Indonesian Safari Park (TSI) in Cisarua, Bogor regency, West Java. Garuda was born on June 16, 2026, as the ninth offspring hatched by Riska and her male partner Hanum at Bogor TSI.

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Javan hawk-eagle Garuda hatches before Independence Day celebrations

A schoolchild is treated in a hospital in Jakarta on April 4, 2026, after consuming a packaged meal prepared under the free nutritious meal program.

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This handout photo taken and released on Monday by the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) shows a rescuer conducting operations near a collapsed mosque following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Satar Kampas village, East Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The 7.7-magnitude quake early on Saturday killed 54 people and injured more than 100. Rescue officials have said there were no reports of people missing.

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Powerful aftershocks rattle NTT as earthquake death toll climbs to 68

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Govt urged to expedite NTT earthquake recovery

A helicopter drops water on burning forests and land in the Petuk Katimpun area, Palangka Raya, in Central Kalimantan, on Aug. 13, 2026.

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Make it rain: Indonesia chases clouds to stem El Nino fires

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Economic woes, disasters dim Independence Day celebrations

Workers arrange meal boxes containing free nutritious meals on May 6 at the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) kitchen at Ternate Police headquarters in Ternate, North Maluku.

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Free meals drive leaves remote kitchen investors deep in debt

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