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

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Jakarta Post
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Aceh question slow recovery nearly a year after devastating floods

The recovery in Aceh has lagged behind progress in other flood-affected areas, with only 58 percent of damaged bridges operational as of Oct. 6.

17 minutes ago
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Worsening haze disrupts flights across Sumatra

Flights were delayed, rescheduled, diverted or forced to return to their departure airports as thickening haze pushed visibility below safe levels. ...

3 hours ago
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Plaintiffs criticize government's no-show at forest-fire class-action hearing in Pontianak

Four plaintiffs, including a local chapter of Indigenous NGO AMAN, filed the class action lawsuit last month at a court in Pontianak in West Kalimantan. ...

15 hours ago

The Latest

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Central Java to welcome 6 million tourists during Idul Fitri surge

Local administrations across the province are rolling out the carpet to welcome a surge of up to 6 million visitors over Idul Fitri, based on preliminary data from various sources.

6 months ago
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Muslims in Bali hold Idul Fitri prayers after Nyepi

Ramadan this year was welcomed by the Chinese New Year and seen off by Nyepi, (Day of Silence), which marks the New Year in the Balinese Hindu calendar.

6 months ago
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Police hunt former local BNI head in Rp 28b church fraud

Former BNI sub-branch head in Aek Nabara offered the church a fictitious investment product, promising a yield of 8 percent per annum.

6 months ago
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Three accidents in C. Java toll roads during ‘mudik’, three dead

Drivers are reminded to pay attention to traffic ahead and take a rest when they feel tired or sleepy.

6 months ago
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Ramadan: A spectrum of diversity in Indonesia

This photo series traces those 30 days of devotion across Indonesia, capturing the colors, rituals and human moments that define Ramadan, from village mosques to crowded city streets.

6 months ago
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Italian, French citizens arrested in Bali over alleged porn video production

Edward said the investigation began after a pornographic video, featuring a woman believed to be MMJL and a masked man wearing an ojek (motorcycle taxi) uniform, went viral on social media.

6 months ago
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Batam Customs impounds speedboat carrying 1.12 million illegal cigarettes

The contraband cigarettes, without excise stamps, are estimated to be worth Rp 1.66 billion (US$97.733), a potential state loss of Rp 835.5 million.

6 months ago
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Police seize 29 kilos of meth smuggled from Thailand to Aceh

A man has been arrested in Aceh over an attempt to smuggle 29 kilograms of the illicit substance, in the latest case along the eastern Sumatra coast amid a surge in drug trafficking activities across Southeast Asia, according to an UNODC report.

6 months ago
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N. Sumatra Police name 2 suspects in illegal gold mining case

The two suspects worked as an excavator operator and a mechanic handling a gold sluice box at the illegal gold mine. 

6 months ago
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Thick smoke from Riau forest fires disrupts Idul Fitri exodus

According to satellite imagery analysis by the Forestry Ministry, forest and land fires in Riau burned around 4,400 ha of land between January and February 2026, with about 94 percent of the affected area located on peatland.

6 months ago
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Holiday rush sparks 36-km traffic jam at Bali’s Gilimanuk Port

Vehicle lines leading to the port stretched up to 36 kilometers on Sunday and 15 km on Monday, forcing many travelers to wait up to 20 hours to cross the strait, with some even spending the night inside their cars.

6 months ago
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Global energy crisis jacks up international ferry fares in Batam

The fuel surcharge for ferry tickets from Batam to Singapore has yet to reduce the number of passengers. 

6 months ago
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Navy thwarts effort to smuggle 200 tonnes of mangrove charcoal from Riau to Malaysia

The potential loss in the case is estimated at Rp 4.6 billion (US$271,225), and that between 4,000 and 4,500 mangrove trees were logged to produce the charcoal.

6 months ago
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Aceh displaced persons evicted ahead of Idul Fitri

The disaster task force has set a target that all displaced person in Aceh vacate their evacuation tents and move into temporary shelters before Idul Fitri. 

6 months ago
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Sumatran tiger cub rescued following livestock attacks in Riau

Widespread deforestation in Sumatra has destroyed much of the tigers' natural habitat, depleted their prey and forced them to venture closer to human settlements in search of food.

6 months ago
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Rejang Lebong regent arrested for alleged Rp 980 million kickbacks

KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu said the alleged scheme began in February, when Fikri and several regional officials conspired to appoint certain companies as winners of construction tenders for projects managed by the Rejang Lebong Public Works, Spatial Planning and Housing Agency (PUPRPKP).

6 months ago
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Prigen Conservation Breeding Ark welcomes first Sunda pangolin cub

All eight pangolin species are now threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Three species: the Chinese pangolin, the Philippine pangolin, and the Sunda pangolin, are classified as critically endangered.

6 months ago
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Indonesia braces for wildfire, drought ahead of longer dry season

Several wildfire-prone regions in Sumatra and Kalimantan have issued fire alerts as the weather agency predicts a longer dry season starting later this month that may lead to crop failures and increase the risk of severe drought.

6 months ago
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270 tourists stranded in Bali seek emergency stay amid Middle East conflict

Bali immigration officials reported that, as of March 8, at least 40 flights from Bali to major Middle Eastern transit hubs, including Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, had been canceled. The flight disruptions have affected at least 11,600 tourists in Bali.

6 months ago
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Mass stranding kills 21 protected pilot whales in East Nusa Tenggara

Yuvensius Stefanus Nonga, executive director of WALHI’s East Nusa Tenggara branch, said the incident is a serious warning about the increasing vulnerability of the region’s marine ecosystem.

6 months ago
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Riau teen dies in landslide at abandoned illegal gold mine

According to authorities, the 15-year-old, identified only by his initials JA, visited the abandoned mine in Petapahan Village, Kuantan Singingi Regency, with a friend on Saturday to search for leftover gold.

6 months ago
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Three Australians sentenced 12–16 years in Bali over deadly shooting

The Denpasar District Court on Monday found Mevlut Coskun, 22, Paea-I-Middlemore Tupou, 26 and Darcy Francesco Jenson, 27, guilty of premeditated murder and illegal possession of firearms.

6 months ago
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Post-flood reconstruction ramps up in Sumatra as Idul Fitri approaches

The government is accelerating post-disaster recovery across northern Sumatra after months of slow progress, prioritizing the construction of temporary housing to relocate thousands of evacuees ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday.

6 months ago
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Govt steps up vaccination as measles outbreak in Indonesia spreads to Australia

According to the United States’ Global Measles Outbreak Tracker, Indonesia currently has the world’s second-highest number of measles cases, behind Yemen, which has reported 11,288 infections in 2026.

6 months ago
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Riau woman dies after allegedly being trafficked to scam compound in Cambodia

According to Susi’s parents, she left the country on Dec. 12, 2025, after accepting an offer from a man named Bram Silitonga, who was reportedly her boyfriend. She was promised work in Malaysia but was allegedly taken to Cambodia to work at an online scam compound.

6 months ago
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South Sumatra faces backlash over plan to buy Rp 500 million pool tables for councilors

South Sumatra DPRD Secretary Aprizal said the procurement of the billiards tables was proposed by DPRD Speaker Andie, who also chairs the South Sumatra chapter of the All-Indonesia Billiards Sports Association (POBSI).

6 months ago
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4 dead, three injured in toll road accident in North Sumatra

The accident occurred when a Toyota Kijang Innova minivan hit a box truck at Km. 134 while traveling from Kisaran to Indrapura. 

6 months ago
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BRIN researchers identify two new endemic moths in Papua, Sulawesi

Both new species have unique morphology characteristics, especially in wing pattern and genitalia structure, the main markers in moth identification.

7 months ago
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Sailor gets 5 years behind bars, escapes death penalty in drug case

The case became viral after prosecutors demanded death penalty for Fandi and five other defendants.

7 months ago
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Residents in N. Sumatra, Aceh go on fuel panic buying spree after Bahlil’s statement

PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, the trading arm of oil and gas producer PT Pertamina, said that there is no need to panic buy fuel because there is ample national stock.

7 months ago
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Today's ePost

Fri, October 9, 2026

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