https://www.scmp.com/rss/325930/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ex-Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama received an award previously given to a former president and a human-rights activist on Monday, but disputed suggestions it meant he could make a political comeback in President Joko Widodo’s cabinet. “The majority of people have branded me as a blasphemer, the upper middle class, especially women because they’re mad about my divorce and my marriage. So honestly I’m done with a political career,” Purnama said, after he was given the Roosseno Award in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3019639/ex-jakarta-governor-ahok-says-he-damaged-and-his-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3019639/ex-jakarta-governor-ahok-says-he-damaged-and-his-political?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2019 12:38:20 +0000 Yes – that’s the Japanese ambassador to Indonesia, Masafumi Ishii, with a pair of shrimp covering his eyes. They were part of the dish he was eating, which he posted on Instagram last week: Medanese kway teow. The post is peppered with emojis – eyes, shrimp, baseballs – and the ambassador’s wide smile. This is diplomacy for the 61-year-old, who has held the position since April 2017. Over the past several months, his Instagram account has attracted press and fame from Indonesians – the picture... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/3017547/japanese-ambassador-masafumi-ishii-wins-indonesians-hearts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/3017547/japanese-ambassador-masafumi-ishii-wins-indonesians-hearts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2019 02:00:17 +0000 In Indonesia, violence and democracy go hand in hand. Anyone doubting that should reflect on the viral images on social media last month that allegedly showed police officers mercilessly beating Andri Bibir. The 30-year-old had been caught up in the violent clashes that resulted from what were initially peaceful protests by thousands of supporters of losing presidential challenger Prabowo Subianto. To long-term observers of Indonesia, a country of 256 million people of many ethnicities, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3015060/indonesian-democracy-doomed-repeat-cycle-violence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3015060/indonesian-democracy-doomed-repeat-cycle-violence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jun 2019 02:00:14 +0000 Indonesian film director and cinematographer Sidi Saleh is no stranger to Glodok, the Jakarta neighbourhood colloquially known as Chinatown. When he was younger, he would spend weekends with relatives who lived in the adjacent Jembatan Lima district. Although Saleh, 38, is not of Chinese descent, the filmmaker became familiar with the everyday lives of Chinatown residents on his strolls through the area. Film review: Beyond Skyline – alien invasion sequel, featuring monster fights and an... https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2144338/indonesian-films-often-show-ethnic-chinese-bad-light-filmmakers-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2144338/indonesian-films-often-show-ethnic-chinese-bad-light-filmmakers-are?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 May 2018 00:47:25 +0000 When Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan used the word pribumi in his inaugural address on October 16, it left the people he will serve for the next five years divided. He had just been elected in a race for governor against Chinese Christian incumbent Basuki “Ahok” Purnama, who had earlier been sentenced to imprisonment by the North Jakarta District Court. The opposition camp criticised Anies for his use of the discriminatory word – which translates to “indigenous Indonesians” and implies that... https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/2122407/day-my-chinese-dad-was-declared-bona-fide-indonesian-and-given-new-name?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/article/2122407/day-my-chinese-dad-was-declared-bona-fide-indonesian-and-given-new-name?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Dec 2017 09:15:48 +0000