Indonesia Regional News: from Sumatra, Java, Bali, to Papua

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Jakarta Post
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Wildfires spread near new capital Nusantara

Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain haze in six provinces hit the hardest by forest and land fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra islands, which so far have reached 73,311 hectares. 

51 minutes ago
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Navy intercepts eight Indonesians, eight Bangladeshis arriving from Malaysia

The Indonesian Navy deployed personnel from multiple units and arrested 16 people who arrived illegally from Malaysia, but the two people, a speedboat skipper and a crew member, are still at large.  ...

3 hours ago
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Villagers ignore warning, still working in Sinabung’s danger zones

Residents said they are used to Mount Sinabung's eruptions and that Monday's eruption was not as big as the previous ones, hence their reluctance to evacuate. ...

5 hours ago

The Latest

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Riau Islands guarantees investment despite large-scale drug smuggling

Riau Islands’ geographical conditions bordering neighboring countries have their own security challenges in the face of transnational crimes.

5 hours ago
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Why do Dayak recruits get a special military pathway?

Dayak communities' familiarity with forested terrain and local social dynamics could add operational value to the TNI, particularly in disaster preparedness and strengthening the military's presence in remote areas.

5 hours ago
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Authorities intercept 800 kg of ketamine in Anambas waters

Customs' patrol vessel BC 30005 halted the MV Fuchangxing 1 on Aug. 22 based on joint intelligence analysis and interagency targeting, which had flagged the cargo ship as exhibiting high-risk operational patterns at sea.

1 day ago
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Mount Semeru fires spreading as E. Java experiences extreme drought

Most areas in East Java have experienced over 60 consecutive days without rain, which is means they are in extreme drought. 

1 day ago
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Sinabung eruption halts flights at Kualanamu airport, thousands evacuated

The Kualanamu International Airport's aerodrome is closed dynamically according to Mount Sinabung's latest condition following its Monday eruption.

2 days ago
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Police monitor wildfire areas to prevent illegal land conversion

Police have ramped up postfire monitoring to ensure that unscrupulous actors or uninformed residents do not exploit burnt land for cultivating cash crops, including oil palm.

2 days ago
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Work starts on 134.3 MWp floating solar farm in C. Java

The Gajah Mungkur floating photovoltaic (FPV) system is one of the strategic projects in a national program to develop 100 GWp in three years. 

2 days ago
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Mt. Sinabung erupts after five years, status raised to ‘alert’

Increased volcanic activity, as shown by visual and instrumental observations, suggests bigger follow-up eruption may happen.

3 days ago
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C. Java farmers start using solar-powered water pumps

The use of solar-powered water pumps allow farmers to reduce diesel fuel consumption and thus their production costs in the use of water for their rice fields. 

3 days ago
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Deer hunter at Komodo national park named suspect

The suspect, identified as INS, and four other hunters who are still on the run are accused of poaching the deer on Dec. 13, 2025, using three firearms.

3 days ago
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Burning Kalimantan forests put orangutans at risk

Fires not only directly affect Bornean orangutans by destroying their habitats, but also potentially put the primates at risk of respiratory health issues and disrupting their reproduction, which may push them further to ward extinction, according to conservationists.

4 days ago
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Riau’s acute respiratory cases increase by 1,960 a week

Acute respiratory infection cases spread in 10 out of 12 cities and regencies in the province with seven regions implementing online learning to prevent haze exposure.

4 days ago
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N. Sumatra tourism sites closed as Mt. Sinabung volcanic activity increases

The closure started from Aug. 19 for an indefinite time based on a recommendation from the Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center’s (PVMBG) Mount Sinabung monitoring command post.

4 days ago
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NU event shows religious tolerance, boosts local economy

Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second largest Islamic organization, provides food, beverages and health posts while three churches provide shelters for participants.

4 days ago
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Malaysia nabbed for smuggling etomidate vapes to Medan

The suspect, identified as FCB, has twice smuggled vapes containing etomidate from Malaysia to Medan before being arrested by the police. 

6 days ago
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Australian man arrested for alleged public sex act in Bali

The arrest was made by a joint team of officers from Ngurah Rai Immigration Office and detectives from Badung Police for an indecent act in public.

6 days ago
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Illegal logging persists in Riau as wildfires sweep province

The Riau Forest Rescue Network (Jikalahari) said its records showed that 66 percent of Riau’s natural forest had disappeared over the past 25 years, falling from 3.91 million hectares in 2000 to 1.31 million ha in 2025.

6 days ago
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Backlash after man jailed for reselling Starlink service on remote island

The suspension of the Starlink-based service following Yogi’s arrest had directly affected schools, teachers, students and digitally based micro, small and medium-sized businesses on North Pagai Island.

1 week ago
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Belgium to reactivate honorary consul in Medan

Belgium considered Medan's strategic potential, as one of Indonesia's international gateways and the largest city on Sumatra, in its plan to reactivate its honorary consul post there.

1 week ago
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Bali plays down Zika concerns after US issues travel health warning

The CDC has issued a Level 2 travel health notice for Zika in Bali, following reports of Zika cases among travelers returning from the island.

1 week ago
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Historic North Sumatra oil well proposed for national cultural heritage site

The historic Telaga Tunggal 1 oil well, Indonesia's first commercial oil well, started production in 1885 and operated until 2010 in Telaga Said village, Sei Lepan district, Langkat regency, North Sumatra. 

1 week ago
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NU congress begins in East Java to select new leaders

President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony on Thursday in Jombang, East Java.

1 week ago
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Prabowo visits NTT as quake death toll reaches 105

Prabowo's visit came as the death toll from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Aug. 15 rose to 105, with nearly 180,000 people still living in temporary shelters following relentless aftershocks across seven regencies on Flores Island.

1 week ago
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Rats, drought compound woes for Central Java farmers

Authorities said the surge in the rat population was partly driven by a prolonged dry season, which has allowed dense scrub to grow and provide shelter for the pests.

1 week ago
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Swiss man gets year in prison for Nyepi hate speech

The court handed down a slightly shorter sentence than the prosecution had demanded, noting some mitigating factors including the defendant's age and expression of remorse throughout the trial.

1 week ago
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Millions suffer respiratory illnesses as haze spreads nationwide

More than 3 million people in 37 cities and regencies nationwide have been directly exposed to smoke from wildfires, according to the Health Ministry, with affected regions noting a significant jump in respiratory cases since late July.

1 week ago
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Malaysia cloud-seeding assist tests Indonesia’s limits as haze crosses borders

Details on the cloud seeding operations, however, remained unclear on Tuesday, with TNI spokesperson Muhammad Nas saying the authority over such operations falls under the Transportation Ministry.

1 week ago

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