Indonesian Military (TNI) chief of general staff Lt. Gen. Richard Taruli H. Tampubolon (second right) holds a sack of mineral black sand while Republic of Indonesia Fleet Command (Koarmada RI) Vice Adm. Denih Hendrata (second left) observes on May 26 at the Indonesian Navy’s Naval Command (Kodaeral) IV/Batam headquarters’ pier in Batam, Riau Islands. The Indonesian Navy intercepted on May 17 a tugboat and a barge carrying 25 containers of some 390 tonnes of raw minerals containing illegal rare earth metals and radioactive elements in Riau Islands waters.`

KSP summons all parties in alleged ilmenite, rare earth minerals smuggling

Private tin mining company PT Putraprima Mineral Mandiri (PMM) said the export of 390 tonnes of ilmenite was worth some US$195,000 and not in the trillions of rupiah, or millions of US dollars, as estimated by the Indonesian Navy and Forest Enforcement (PKH) Task Force.

2 hours ago

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AGO starts seizing electric motorcycles tied to free meals corruption case

BGN procured more than 21,000 electric motorcycles for kitchen heads under its free meals program last year, at an estimated cost exceeding Rp 1 trillion.

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Politics premium

Gibran’s outreach to student protesters prompts scrutiny over his political motives

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s decision to engage with student protesters amid waves of demonstrations against President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship programs has raised questions about whether the move is aimed at increasing his political visibility and the possibility of a meaningful policy response.

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Women carry kitchen utensils and display posters, one of which reads “Life is already hard, taxes are used as they please,“ during a protest demanding the government review the free meal program, lower fuel prices, and open more job opportunities for women, in Jakarta on June 18, 2026. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)

Society premium

Beneficiaries willing to forgo free meals to improve quality

As controversy and pressure mount over President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal program, some beneficiaries say they are willing to forgo the assistance intended to combat stunting if it allows the government to address the initiative’s shortcomings, even as operators and other stakeholders voice concerns over its continuity.

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Subsidy addicts: Motorists line up for subsidized RON-90 Pertalite fuel at a gas station in Bogor city, West Java on Aug. 9. The government has begun discussions on whether to increase the price of Pertalite soon.

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Protests erupt in North Sumatra amid subsidized fuel shortage

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In this file photo dated Oct. 10, 2025, stacks of cash totaling Rp 13 trillion (US$785 million) are displayed in the lobby of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in Jakarta during the handover of assets recovered from a corruption case involving crude palm oil export permits.

Politics premium

AGO confiscates billions in assets, cash linked to fugitive convict Eddy Tansil

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has confiscated assets worth around Rp 30 billion (US$1.68 million) belonging to convicted corruption fugitive Eddy Tansil, in addition to Rp 51.68 billion in cash, as part of the government’s broader push to recover state losses from corruption cases.

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Former Pati regent Sudewo, center, walks after an examination at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Jakarta on Jan. 20, 2026. The KPK named Sudewo a suspect in an alleged corruption case involving extortion in the appointment of village officials, seizing evidence worth Rp 2.6 billion ($168,000).

Archipelago premium

Graft trial of former Pati regent Sudewo starts in Semarang

Sudewo is charged with extorting officials appointed to fill various positions in 401 village administrations in 21 districts across Pati and taking bribes from railway track projects at the Transportation Ministry’s Railway Directorate General in 2022.

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A woman uses a megaphone before a police line on June 12, 2026, during a student-led protest in Jakarta against the steep rise in nonsubsidized fuel prices and wasteful government spending, urging a halt to the costly free nutritious meal program.

Politics premium

Student unions dissociate from BEM Bersatu after political ‘infiltration’ allegations

A rift seems to have appeared in the ongoing student movement against excessive budgetary spending and rising fuel prices after BEM Bersatu alleged that certain student unions may have been swayed by political influence, which elicited prompt denial from its peers as well as the PDI-P.

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