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

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Jakarta Post
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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.

1 hour ago
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Batam residents protest data center expansion as water shortages worsen

Data centers can require substantial amounts of water, particularly for cooling servers. Large-scale facilities can consume as much as 5 million gallons a day, equivalent to the daily water needs of a city of 10,000 to 50,000 people. ...

7 hours ago
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Pregnancies of two Sumatran rhinos raise hope for conservation efforts

The species is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with fewer than 80 believed to remain in the wild. ...

10 hours ago

The Latest

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Joint team seizes 1.3 tonnes of ketamine off Bintan Island

Personnel from the Customs and Excise Directorate General, National Narcotics Agency (BNN), National Police and Navy took part in the interception operation.

1 month ago
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Riau athletes demand long-overdue 2024 PON bonuses

Less than half of the promised bonuses have been paid as the province grapples with financial strain following cuts to regional transfers by President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.

1 month ago
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Indonesia makes history by starting construction of Scorpene submarines

Indonesia ordered two Scorpene Evolved submarines from French shipbuilder Naval Group which are being constructed domestically in Surabaya. 

1 month ago
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Bromo forest fire spreads further as strong winds intensify

Authorities closed all four entrance gates to the iconic volcano in East Java as fires have ravaged 196 hectares of land.

1 month ago
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Students arrested, expelled for sexual harassment

A student is being held at the Central Java Police's detention center while a student in Medan has been stripped of his academic and nonacademic privileges.  

1 month ago
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Authorities foil effort to smuggle hundreds of birds out of Bali

The birds were found in the luggage compartment of a bus at Gilimanuk Ferry Port in Jembrana regency, in the western part of the island. The birds were allegedly intended to be transported to Central Java.

1 month ago
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US, Indonesian first responders share expertise in Pacific Partnership

The activities included exchanging expertise, refining response procedures, subject matter expert engagements and disaster management workshops in Sibolga and Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on July 21-31.

2 months ago
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Indonesia’s energy transition leaves coal communities struggling to adapt

In Muara Enim regency, the heart of South Sumatra's coal industry, the closure of mines has left local residents scrambling to find new livelihoods, while others continue to live with the economic hardship and environmental scars left behind by decades of mining.

2 months ago
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Indonesia battles Mount Bromo wildfire as El Nino takes root

The fire started Monday near Mount Bromo in East Java, one of Indonesia's most visited tourist destinations but now closed until further notice.

2 months ago
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US Consulate construction in Medan halted as US plans withdrawal

The United States plan to close one embassy, three consulates and one "embassy branch office" to align more with Trump's administration "America First" agenda. 

2 months ago
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17 injured in Riau after wild monkey attacks in residential areas

Victims were attacked on roads, outside their homes and, in some cases, inside their houses. Several people suffered wounds that required up to 14 stitches.

2 months ago
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TNI successfully holds integrated exercise in Dabo Singkep

The TNI used sophisticated tactics to increase combat readiness and combined arms warfare capabilities to face modern threats during the integrated exercise.

2 months ago
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Police investigate hoax bomb threat at Bali airport

Authorities said the airport received the threat through a messaging application at 9:58 p.m. on Sunday. The message claimed that a woman carrying a bomb planned to hijack a flight departing from the airport.

2 months ago
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Jantho Nature Reserve welcomes another baby orangutan

The female orangutan baby is the offspring of rehabilitated orangutan Wenda, who has lived in the natural habitat since 2014.

2 months ago
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TNI chief observes nighttime airdrop exercise

The high-precision airborne maneuver was part of the 2026 Integrated TNI Exercise involving all three branches of the military to test their joint combat capabilities.

2 months ago
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Police find gas leakage point in Medan blast killing three

The police and natural gas distribution firm PT Pertamina Gas Negara previously had different conclusions on whether there was a gas leak.

2 months ago
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Whale shark found stranded on West Java beach dies

A 2025 study by Elasmobranch Institute Indonesia and Konservasi Indonesia documented 115 whale shark stranding events across 23 provinces in Indonesia between 2011 and 2023. The researchers recorded 127 stranded whale sharks during the period, of which 80 were confirmed dead.

2 months ago
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US citizen investigated after allegedly trying to sell Bali land on social media

The controversy began after a video went viral on social media showing a foreign national promoting a 5,400-square-meter plot of land on a hillside in Kintamani, Bangli regency, Bali, drawing scrutiny from the public over the legality of the transaction.

2 months ago
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KAI to restore original designs of 120 Dutch-era railway stations

President Prabowo Subianto said that the restoration of historic train stations could enhance their appeal and transform them into heritage destinations that attract more domestic and international visitors.

2 months ago
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BGN suspends Semarang SPPG after 707 people hit by food poisoning

Food poisoning hit 707 students and teachers, 13 of them were hospitalized, after they consumed free nutritious meals in Semarang.

2 months ago
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West Java prepares 18 routes for Greater Bandung BRT system

Greater Bandung BRT is an integrated bus-based public transportation system to serve the cities of Bandung and Cimahi as well as regencies of Bandung and West Bandung as well as part of Sumedang regency.

2 months ago
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BNN, Customs dismantle Malaysian drug network in Batam

Officers from the National Narcotics Agency and Customs and Excise Directorate General arrested six suspects and are still hunting two Malaysians who are believed to be the suppliers for the syndicate.

2 months ago
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Police investigate oil well fire at historic North Sumatra oil field

The fire happened at the Telaga Said oil field in Langkat regency, North Sumatra, Indonesia's first producing oil field from the Dutch colonial era.

2 months ago
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Five dead, 41 missing after ferry catches fire off East Java

A total of 225 people on the vessel were rescued, said the regional Surabaya Search and Rescue Agency, which provided the latest figures in an afternoon update.

2 months ago
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At least 25 missing after series of boat accidents in East Java

July and August mark the peak of the high-wave season in East Java waters, driven by the Australian monsoon and swells from the Indian Ocean.

2 months ago
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Riau Governor Abdul Wahid sentenced to two years in prison for graft

Prosecutors alleged that Wahid ordered Dani to collect money from officials at the Riau PUPR-PKPP Agency, threatening those who refused to contribute with removal or reassignment.

2 months ago
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Floods strike North Sumatra despite intensifying dry season across the country

The flooding in North Sumatra highlights Indonesia's increasingly uneven weather patterns, with some regions experiencing heavy rainfall even as the dry season intensifies across much of the archipelago.

2 months ago
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North Sumatra policeman named suspect in aid graft case

The alleged corruption involves misappropriation of around half of a Rp 3.9 billion budget allocated to the South Labuhan Batu Social Affairs Agency in 2024 for a social rehabilitation program.

2 months ago
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Hundreds fall ill after consuming govt’s free meals despite BGN overhaul

Amid declining public confidence in the program, newly appointed BGN head Sudaryono has launched a sweeping governance overhaul, shutting nearly 900 kitchens out of 28,000 nationwide and dismissing hundreds of employees.

2 months ago
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KPK arrests Pemalang regent over alleged corruption

Etik is the fifth regional head in Central Java and the 11th nationwide to be arrested by the KPK on corruption allegations this year. 

2 months ago

Today's ePost

Thu, October 8, 2026

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