Indonesia Society News: Social Issues & Education

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Jakarta Post
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Govt to audit haj fund management to curb frauds

Efforts to improve governance on haj management done by the Haj and Umrah Ministry had resulted in the reduced waiting time for pilgrims under state-subsidized regular program from 49 years to 14 years. 

10 hours ago
Society premium

Government shores up BPJS Kesehatan as gaps persist

The government’s planned Rp 20 trillion injection into national health insurance provider BPJS Kesehatan will help shore up its finances in the final months of the year, but analysts say the insurer needs broader reforms to address its cash-flow problems. ...

10 hours ago
Society

Indonesian wildfires threaten critically-endangered orangutan: IUCN

Fires are currently burning within habitats containing 52 percent of Borneo's orangutan population, including 13 of the 20 largest remaining populations, according to the conservation body. ...

3 days ago

The Latest

Society premium

Indonesians still have low awareness against pneumonia: Survey

Only 15 percent of Indonesians have heard about pneumococcal pneumonia and understand what it means, according to a survey by YouGov of 1,000 respondents in Indonesia.

4 days ago
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Tangerang church disruption rekindles fears among minorities

Kinari, a Protestant from South Tangerang, feared that allowing intimidation to end with an apology could encourage more serious acts in the future. She also pointed to what she saw as a double standard in the treatment of religious minorities.

5 days ago
Society

Respiratory problems climb past 170,000 cases in Indonesia

Blazes in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Papua have blanketed parts of the country, as well as neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore, sending air quality indices plummeting.

6 days ago
Society premium

RSPO integrity tested as wildfires hit orangutan habitat

Independent monitoring and analyses found thousands of land inside oil palm concessions operated by companies certified by the global certifier group have been burned, with some fires threatening habitats of local biodiversity such as the Bornean orangutan.

6 days ago
Society premium

Crew member from missing Anak Krakatau boat identified

The crew member’s body from the missing boat of journalists covering the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau on Sept. 7 was initially found on Enggano Island in Bengkulu, around 350 kilometers west of the volcano in the Sunda Strait.

6 days ago
Society premium

Agrarian reform bill gets mixed reaction

The bill’s passage served as a gift for farmers ahead of National Farmers Day, which is commemorated every Sept. 24, said Baleg deputy chair Ahmad Iman Sukri.

1 week ago
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NTT earthquake death figures prompt calls for investigation

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), at least 94 people of the total 142 casualties recorded after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake jolting Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) died in evacuation shelters after the disaster.

1 week ago
Society premium

State-led food estate blamed for wildfire in Papua

Observation by an independent forest monitoring platform shows that around 60,000 hectares of burned land is located inside the Merauke estate project, one-third of the total burn scar recorded across Indonesia’s easternmost island.

1 week ago
Society premium

Mass food poisoning strikes again as opposition to free meals program grows

Calls by parents, rights groups and students to halt the government's free nutritious meals program have intensified following the series of food-poisoning incidents. Some schools have also suspended or declined to participate in the program over food-safety concerns.

1 week ago
Society premium

Govt prepares fines in digital child safety rules

Several tech platforms deemed to pose high risks to minor users, such as Meta apps, YouTube and TikTok, are given until the end of the year to complete their self-assessment on their apps’ potential hazards to children, as mandated by PP Tunas.

1 week ago
Society premium

Worsening haze delays Japan firefighting mission in West Kalimantan

Observations by various monitoring agencies showed that haze from forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan has reached as far as Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, while still affecting air quality in Malaysia and Singapore.

1 week ago
Society premium

Ferry accident revives Indonesia’s ‘Bermuda Triangle’ myth

The waters around the Masalembu Islands between Java and Borneo Islands are known for their powerful currents, which may disrupt sailing vessels when combined with strong seasonal winds and high waves.

2 weeks ago
Society premium

Sumatran elephants run out of room as fires spread

A new report by environmental group Geopix found that about 382,778 hectares of elephant habitat were affected by fires throughout August. Further fires affected 147,550 ha between Sept. 1 and 8 across 21 population pockets on Sumatra, which accounted for around 7.06 percent of the total elephant habitat.

2 weeks ago
Society premium

No signs of journalists, boat crew missing near Anak Krakatau after a week

Journalists and boat crew members who went missing in waters near Mount Anak Krakatau have yet to be found a week later, while police work to identify a body found on the shore of Enggano Island in Bengkulu suspected to be one of the missing.

2 weeks ago
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PISA gains belie Indonesia’s persistent education crisis

Indonesia continues to struggle with the uneven distribution of teachers, both in numbers and qualifications, particularly those capable of teaching the higher-order thinking skills assessed by PISA.

2 weeks ago
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Ferry disaster renews scrutiny of vessel safety checks

As the search continues, lawmakers and transportation experts call for a thorough investigation into the incident, highlighting longstanding concerns over the adequacy of Indonesia’s sea vessel inspections.

2 weeks ago
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Haze drives surge in respiratory illnesses in Indonesia

Children accounted for around 20 percent of all wildfire-related respiratory illnesses as 12.5 million people in seven provinces were affected by the widespread forest and land fire, according to the Health Ministry.

2 weeks ago
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Wildfires cause respiratory infections to double in Indonesia

Fires have been blazing across vast stretches of forest and peatland throughout the country, causing hazardous emissions to surge, particularly in the hardest-hit provinces on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

2 weeks ago
Society premium

Indonesia presses Meta on child safety compliance after US ruling

The Communications and Digital Ministry is pushing Meta to fully comply with the country’s Child Protection in Digital Space Regulation, known as PP TUNAS, following a landmark ruling in the United States that found the company’s child safety measures lacking.

2 weeks ago
Society premium

Free meals face seven-day ultimatum, possible lawsuit

The coalition, which includes the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) and Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), urged the government to halt the program’s expansion and immediately undertake comprehensive reforms.

2 weeks ago
Society premium

Suicides rise as Indonesia struggles to meet demand for help

The Health Ministry’s Healing119 consultation service has received as many as 600 contacts a day since February, up from an average of 350 to 400 daily last year.

2 weeks ago
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Ethics met with weak institutional systems in Indonesia, academics say

When institutions do not have strong systems to uphold integrity, the gap can undermine a culture of speaking up against wrongdoing and erode trust in integrity mechanisms, according to a survey.

2 weeks ago
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Local, foreign firms own largest burned concessions in Kalimantan

Studies have found fires burning inside company concessions since 2006, highlighting persistent negligence and raising concerns over potential wrongdoing by local and foreign investors in Indonesian plantations.  

2 weeks ago
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Search intensifies for journalists, crew as Anak Krakatau ashfall eases

The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) brought its Lampung office into the operation after search mapping indicated that the vessel could have drifted into waters under its jurisdiction.

2 weeks ago
Society premium

Mitigation budget under scrutiny as Indonesia grapples with disasters

Simultaneous volcano eruptions and a string of other disasters have put the government’s mitigation efforts under renewed scrutiny, as questions mount over whether Indonesia has invested enough in prevention despite its long history of natural disasters.

3 weeks ago
Society premium

Airspace reopens as Krakatau’s activity subsides

While the easing in activity allowed the eight airports near Anak Krakatau to reopen, Wunopito Airport in Lewoleba, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), remained closed, with its suspension extended until Wednesday morning as ashfall from Mount Ile Lewotolok continued.

3 weeks ago
Society

Jakarta airport and others reopen after volcanic ash crisis

Airlines now face the daunting task of getting all the stranded passengers onto planes and to their intended destinations after days of chaos at the airports.

3 weeks ago

Today's ePost

Wed, September 30, 2026

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