National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said foreign journalists could still carry out reporting in Indonesia without obtaining clearance from the police, as long as they did not violate the country’s laws.

After being reelected as the next party chair during the next congress, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri is expected to announce the new party secretary-general after Hasto Kristiyanto was arrested in a bribery case.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati visited former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at his residence in Surakarta, Central Java, on Thursday in celebration of Idul Fitri.

This year’s sentence cut was the third Idul Fitri remission in a row for the former Golkar Party chairman, reducing his 15-year prison term. He is currently serving his sentence at Sukamiskin Penitentiary in Bandung, West Java, which is designated for high-profile corruption convicts.

Despite not being a politician, President Prabowo Subianto’s only son Didit Hediprasetyo has found himself playing a key role in fostering unity among the political elite, which analysts see as an extension of his father’s strategy of maintaining the delicate balance of power.

Top party executives have signaled an impending meeting between their two leaders, following the recent renewal of long-delayed plans over Idul Fitri with the President's son Didit playing "cupid".

The celebrated journalist has dismissed a rumor making the rounds on social media that she will be joining the communications ministry, saying that she is committed to journalism and shrugging off allegations of her muted criticism of the current administration.

President Prabowo Subianto's only son, Ragowo “Didit” Hediprasetyo, visited former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at his private residence in Solo, Central Java, on Monday afternoon, shortly after he paid a visit to Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Didit was seen arriving without Prabowo in beige Muslim attire, smiling to reporters as he entered the white gates of Megawati’s house in Central Jakarta. 

Prabowo also welcomed National Economic Council chairman Luhut Pandjaitan, former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and former commander of the armed forces Wiranto to the stately banquet.

While also rejecting the law, the group decried the violence against the protesters, who are mostly students, conducted by police and military that continues to occur during the demonstrations nationwide.

The protests are the latest since parliament approved the amendment of a law last week to allow members of the military to hold more government roles -- which critics said would expand military authority over civilian affairs.

Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) chair Kaesang Pangarep, also former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s youngest son, said that the party may allow all members to elect the new chair in its upcoming congress in May in Surakarta, Central Java.

Indonesian authorities should provide space for activists to voice their concerns and opposition of the recent revision of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law, according to United Nations special rapporteur on human rights Mary Lawlor.

At least 25 protesters who staged a rally in front of Surabaya’s Grahadi State Building in East Java on Monday were arrested by the police, while two journalists were beaten and made to delete the footage of the brutal arrests. 

President Prabowo Subianto’s administration is facing mounting pressure to overhaul its communication team and change the way the government engages with the public after a series of dismissive remarks from officials.

The court found Chief Seaman Bambang Apri Atmojo and First Sgt. Akbar Adli guilty of committing premeditated murder and unlawfully taking possession of a stolen vehicle.

President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has been facing criticism for its dismissive public communication style, which analysts say is a reflection of its penchant for closed-door, top-down policymaking.

Protests have broken out in major cities such as Bandung and Surabaya since the House passed the TNI Law revision on Thursday following what critics called a rushed, opaque deliberation process.

The Free Papua Movement (OPM) rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks they said were aimed at “intelligence agents” disguised as teachers and medical workers in the region.

The President has left several key ambassadorial posts vacant, prompting analysts to question the former military general’s long-term geopolitical plans.

The recent passage of a controversial revision to the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law has sparked concerns that the military’s expanded role in civilian affairs could lead to overlapping responsibilities and further strain Indonesia’s already overburdened bureaucracy.

The police have started a preliminary investigation into the intimidation of journalists from national news magazine Tempo amid pressure from civil society groups to safeguard press freedom and ensure the safety of the country’s reporters.

Weekly magazine Tempo, a top publication since the 1970s, has been critical of the policies of President Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general whom rights groups accuse of abuses under the New Order regime.

Several days after a Tempo journalist was sent an anonymous package containing a pig’s head, the outlet’s office in Jakarta received another box containing the carcasses of decapitated rats in what was seen as another attempt to intimidate the publication and its journalists.

The PDI-P has been facing various political and legal pressures, potentially pushing the nationalist party into the wall and affecting its stance toward the government and coalition of President Prabowo Subianto, analysts have said.

In a small win for democracy amid the ongoing furor over the newly passed TNI Law revision, justices at the top court have ruled "to uphold [...] the people's sovereignty" by barring legislators-elect from abandoning their constituency expressly to make a bid for a regional leadership post.

The legislature's habitual use of closed-door meetings to deny opportunities for civil participation is reflected in the EIU's latest Democracy Index, which shows that the country's "civil liberties" score has remained unchanged for almost three decades.

Tempo and its journalists who recently received an anonymous package containing a pig’s head say they are undeterred by the apparent intimidation attempt and have called on the public to “stay critical”.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) law amendment, which has expanded military roles in the government, has raised concerns among civil groups who fear of the return of dwifungsi (dual function) of the armed forces, a critical pillar that had sustained Soeharto's New Order for more than three decades.