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

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Jakarta Post
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Govt kicks off Rp 150 billion revamp of historic Surakarta Palace

The renovation comes amid a leadership dispute within the palace following the death of Sultan Pakubuwono XIII on Nov. 2 last year, with two of his sons from different marriages each claiming the throne. The rival claims have divided the royal household and complicated efforts to manage and restore the palace complex.

35 minutes ago
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Veteran Aceh journalist and Serambi Indonesia founder Sjamsul Kahar dies at 80

Born on Oct. 9, 1945, Sjamsul began his journalism career as a reporter for national daily Kompas in Aceh. After gaining experience in the profession, he and his colleague M. Nourhalidyn founded Serambi Indonesia on Feb. 9, 1989. ...

12 hours ago
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Discharged policeman sentenced to death penalty for killing sister-in-law

The death penalty verdict against the dishonorably discharged police officer was tougher than the life sentence demanded by the prosecution. ...

20 hours ago

The Latest

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East Java prepares for long dry season

The province faces double ecological crisis in 2026, consisting of floods and landslides during rainy season and forest and land fires as well as expanding extreme drought during dry season.

22 hours ago
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Calls grow for tighter food safety in free meal program after child’s death

A nine-year-old boy in Lampung recently died after choking on a longan fruit distributed as part of the initiative, marking the first reported death linked to the program.

1 day ago
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Dozens of homesick students leave North Sumatra community schools

Presidential chief of staff Dudung Abdurrahman said 30 students from Integrated Community School 1 in Serdang Bedagai regency returned to their homes because they were unable to settle in the boarding school.

1 day ago
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167 psychiatric patients evacuated as haze worsens in South Kalimantan

Authorities are preparing to move patients to an off-site facility if smoke from the wildfires around the hospital could not be brought under control.

1 day ago
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Batam residents protest data centers amid water crisis

Residential areas have their clean water supplies cutoff completely while data centers in Nongsa Special Economic Zone enjoy sufficient water.

2 days ago
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Prosecutors demand 8.5-year prison sentence for suspended Pati regent Sudewo

Sudewo is accused of extorting officials appointed to various positions in 401 village administrations across 21 districts in Pati, Central Java. He is also charged with accepting bribes linked to railway track projects at the Transportation Ministry’s Railway Directorate General in 2022, when he was serving as a member of the House of Representatives (DPR).

2 days ago
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One killed, another missing after flash floods hit West Sumatra

The floods struck at about 7:30 p.m. after hours of torrential rain, sending logs, mud and rocks into residential areas and government buildings.

2 days ago
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Army to establish Riau Islands command on TNI Day

The Indonesian Army plans to inaugurate a new Riau Islands command on TNI Day as part of the military's move to establish five new Kodam this year, including in Yogyakarta, East Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku and Central Papua.

3 days ago
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Indian arrested for smuggling gold bars to Thailand via N. Sumatra airport

The suspect was carrying four gold bars weighing 1.5 kilograms and worth some Rp 3.95 billion (US$222,163) and tried to smuggle them into Thailand. 

3 days ago
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Bali authorities detain 13 foreign nationals over alleged prostitution

Officials said the foreigners allegedly charged up to 13.9 million rupiah ($777) an hour, advertising their services through WhatsApp, Telegram and specialized websites.

3 days ago
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Six suspected OPM rebels arrested amid rising violence targeting civilians

The arrests follow a sharp escalation in violent incidents between Indonesian security forces and OPM's armed wing, the TPNPB, that has left several civilians dead and kidnapped.

3 days ago
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Indonesia doing 'everything' but struggling to curb fires

Dozens of planes and thousands of personnel fighting huge forest fires in Indonesia are struggling to contain them, authorities said Monday, while neighboring Malaysia stepped up efforts to combat toxic haze.

4 days ago
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Batam nabs Singaporean over smuggling drug-filled vape cartridges

A Singaporean woman has been detained by Batam authorities for allegedly smuggling vape cartridges filled with class II drug etomidate, after evading the neighboring country's heightened security measures to arrive by ferry in the Riau Islands.

5 days ago
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Prosecutor, defendants file appeals against Inalum graft verdicts

The Medan Corruption Court's verdicts sentenced the defendants to jail terms lighter than those demanded by prosecutors, with the defendants saying the verdicts were not fair. 

5 days ago
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Rescuers extend search for dozens still missing in Java Sea ferry accident

Rescuers recovered three bodies from the submerged ship on Friday, bringing the confirmed death toll to nine, with 126 others still missing, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).

5 days ago
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Tame Sumatran elephant dies in Riau, 13th this year

At least 13 Sumatran elephants have been reported dead in Indonesia since the start of the year, including seven in the wild and five in captivity. The deaths have been attributed to various causes, including poaching, disease, snares and suspected poisoning.

6 days ago
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Danantara breaks ground on Rp 2.8 trillion waste-to-energy project in Bogor

PSEL Bogor Raya 1 was the fourth waste-to-energy plant launched by Danantara this year, following similar projects in Bali and the West Java cities of Bandung and Bekasi.

6 days ago
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Another 150 Indonesians deported from Malaysia to Batam

The repatriation was held in cooperation with Division M of the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM), covering 100 men, 48 women, a 15-year-old boy and a one-year-old toddler.  

6 days ago
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Indonesia to receive assistance from Malaysia to contain wildfires

President Prabowo Subianto said on Friday that he would receive assistance from Malaysia to help contain forest and land fires that have been raging for weeks.

1 week ago
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Another company flees Batam, abandons 1,025 workers

Ghim Li failed to pay the workers their wages on Aug. 7 before the entire management team abandoned the workers.

1 week ago
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Papua killings renews calls for peace talks, end armed conflict

Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai acknowledged that responding to individual cases would not be enough to break the cycle of violence in Papua. Jakarta, including the executive, legislative and judicial branches, as well as political parties, must respond collectively.

1 week ago
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Basarnas ends search for five missing journalists in Sunda Strait

Basarnas said that information about the missing vessel will continue to be broadcast to all ships traversing the Sunda Strait and promised that the agency would follow up immediately on any new leads.

1 week ago
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Rescuers plan to right ship capsized in Java Sea

The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people on a 20-hour voyage from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan when it capsized in bad weather early on Sunday. Six people died and 108 survived the incident, tallies that have not changed since Sunday.

1 week ago
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Malaysian files report against senior policeman over N. Sulawesi gold mine deal

Malaysian national alleges the police officer did not provide sufficient returns for his investment at a gold mine in North Sulawesi.

1 week ago
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Bali authorities investigate deaths of three Australians in suspected murder-suicide

Leonardo said the three Australians were identified as 57-year-old SJD, his 6-year-old son ADS and his 4-year-old daughter LKS. 

1 week ago
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Batam land dispute ends in two deaths, 10 injured after clash

The clash was believed to be precipitated by a conflict over a 77-hectare plot of land.

1 week ago
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Floods and landslides hit parts of Aceh, killing one, injuring 13

Parts of Aceh have been hit by flooding and landslides due to heavy rainfall, claiming the life of at least one child, even as wildfires scorch other regions in the country amid an intensifying El Nino.

1 week ago

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