https://www.scmp.com/rss/500424/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Four of Indonesia’s top security officials were targeted last week in a post-election assassination plot designed to weaken the leadership of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, security sources said. Chief Security Minister Wiranto; State Intelligence Agency chief Budi Gunawan; Jokowi’s intelligence and security adviser, Gories Mere; and cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan were the targets, Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian said at a press conference. “The plot to assassinate national figures... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3012198/plot-kill-joko-widodos-most-trusted-security-officials-meant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3012198/plot-kill-joko-widodos-most-trusted-security-officials-meant?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2019 15:50:07 +0000 Indonesian police have arrested six suspects believed to be linked with a plan to assassinate four state officials and a prominent pollster as part of a broader plot to sow unrest ahead of last week’s Jakarta riots that left eight people dead. Five men and one woman had been detained on suspicion of accepting payments to carry out contract killings or supplying weapons, according to Indonesian police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal. “The leader of the team received 150 million rupiah [US$10,400], while... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3012028/indonesian-police-arrest-six-over-assassination-plot-during?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3012028/indonesian-police-arrest-six-over-assassination-plot-during?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2019 01:00:14 +0000 Jakarta shopkeeper Ismail ran his kiosk selling instant noodles, eggs and instant coffee for 20 years, until last week when rioters protesting Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s re-election looted it and burned it down. The kiosk was located on Jalan Wahid Hasyim, next to the Sabang police post, and in one of six hotspots in central and west Jakarta where hundreds, mostly young men, clashed with security forces. They hurled rocks, Molotov cocktails and marbles, and set fires along the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3011977/indonesia-riots-shops-jakarta-grapple-income-loss-crowds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3011977/indonesia-riots-shops-jakarta-grapple-income-loss-crowds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 May 2019 09:23:11 +0000 Indonesian police on Thursday said members of an Islamic State-affiliated group had infiltrated into the mobs involved in violent protests that broke out in Jakarta this week. National Police Spokesman Muhammad Iqbal told a press conference on Thursday that among 442 detained protesters, two were members of the radical Islamic Reform Movement (Garis), that had pledged loyalty to IS, and sent almost 200 Indonesians to Syria. “They intended to carry out jihad during May 21 and 22 protests,” Iqbal... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3011477/indonesia-riots-police-arrest-mystery-woman-and-ramp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3011477/indonesia-riots-police-arrest-mystery-woman-and-ramp?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 May 2019 07:07:05 +0000 As violent protests broke out in the Indonesian capital early on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of several people, messages started circulating on social media that the deceased were shot by “police from China”. The message was followed by photos of light-skinned masked police officers that came with the caption: “China has sent security forces to Indonesia disguised as foreign workers.” In another photo, a man is pictured in a selfie that showed a light-skinned officer from Indonesia’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3011392/chinese-indonesians-jakarta-fear-attacks-community-anti-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3011392/chinese-indonesians-jakarta-fear-attacks-community-anti-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2019 15:03:12 +0000 Unsuccessful Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has called on his supporters to return home after two days of riots in Jakarta over the official results of the April 17 elections that gave incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo a second term. A protest coordinator, who declined to be named, said he received a text message from a “higher rank” that Prabowo had asked demonstrators to stop their protests for the day and should go home to rest. Protesters in front of the Election... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3011281/six-dead-indonesia-riots-election-results-released?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3011281/six-dead-indonesia-riots-election-results-released?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2019 04:39:31 +0000 A gay Indonesian police officer who claims he was fired for his sexual orientation has filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the police force, his lawyer has said. Maruf Bajammal said his client, known by the initials TT, was let go from the Central Java Regional Police (CJRP) in December 2017. The CJRP claimed TT had left without permission and committed sexual harassment, Maruf said, but he and his client’s access to its report on the investigation was denied by the force. When asked... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3011042/no-place-such-behaviour-indonesian-police-officer-fired?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3011042/no-place-such-behaviour-indonesian-police-officer-fired?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2019 01:52:32 +0000 Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, has emerged one of the biggest winners from a boom in Chinese tourism to Indonesia. The number of Chinese visitors to the archipelago has soared in recent years, from 858,000 in 2013 to more than 2 million in 2018, and the Indonesian government has forecast the figure will increase further to 2.6 million this year. Likewise, Manado’s overall visitor numbers have more than doubled in the past five years. In 2018 about 180,000 were Chinese, many... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3009231/chinese-tourists-made-indonesias-manado-big-winner-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3009231/chinese-tourists-made-indonesias-manado-big-winner-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 May 2019 01:45:10 +0000 Mob violence against a university lecturer and three students who were celebrating World Dance Day in the Indonesian city of Pontianak last week has again cast a spotlight on rising anti-LGBT sentiment within the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. The attackers were members of the local branch of Laskar Pemuda Melayu (Malay Youth Paramilitary), who claimed the dance was too vulgar to be displayed in public and the event promoted LGBT lifestyles. They also said that the wearing of tight... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3008863/dancers-being-attacked-angry-mob-just-latest-sign-rising?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3008863/dancers-being-attacked-angry-mob-just-latest-sign-rising?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 May 2019 01:00:09 +0000 This week, construction workers will begin tearing down what remains of the Sari Club building – one of the two sites targeted by a suicide bomber in the 2002 Bali blasts – to make way for a five-storey restaurant, in a project Australia has called “deeply distressing”. The attack by the Jemaah Islamiah terror group, a regional arm of al-Qaeda, killed 202 people from more than 20 countries, with Australians making up many of the victims. Canberra has for years been trying to establish a peace... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3008035/australia-angered-plans-new-restaurant-2002-bali-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3008035/australia-angered-plans-new-restaurant-2002-bali-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Apr 2019 15:04:23 +0000 As Indonesia awaits the official results of Wednesday’s general elections, the tragic cases of polling officers and policemen who reportedly died due to extreme fatigue have gained the attention of social media users. They have started using the hashtag #MartirDemokrasi (MartyrsofDemocracy) to honour those who died while helping to ensure that the world’s biggest single-day election could be carried out smoothly. Six polling station working committee officers were reported to have died from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006953/indonesian-social-media-users-pay-tribute-martyrs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006953/indonesian-social-media-users-pay-tribute-martyrs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2019 12:32:27 +0000 Indonesian President Joko Widodo tacitly claimed victory on Thursday over his challenger Prabowo Subianto with 54 per cent of votes, citing exit polls and quick count surveys, as leaders of Singapore, Malaysia and Turkey called to congratulate him. “We are still waiting for the General Election Commission’s official count. But 12 pollsters have given clear results … stating the Jokowi-Ma’ruf ticket got 54.5 per cent of the vote while Prabowo got 45.5 per cent,” Widodo told reporters, referring... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006783/indonesia-election-jokowi-declares-victory-while-rival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006783/indonesia-election-jokowi-declares-victory-while-rival?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Apr 2019 12:18:04 +0000 Former general Prabowo Subianto disputed quick count results by independent pollsters showing incumbent Joko Widodo leading in Wednesday’s presidential election, telling his supporters he had garnered up to 62 per cent of the popular vote. “I’m president to all of Indonesia, even to those who voted for [Jokowi],” he said in a late-night speech broadcast on television, where he kneeled and shouted Allahu Akbar (God is great) three times. Several sets of quick count results showed Jokowi in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006562/indonesia-election-jokowi-takes-lead-over-prabowo-subianto?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006562/indonesia-election-jokowi-takes-lead-over-prabowo-subianto?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2019 08:39:02 +0000 Voting in Indonesia’s general elections ended on Wednesday afternoon, with incumbent president Joko Widodo and his challenger Prabowo Subianto both claiming they were optimistic about the outcome. Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, was expected to go to the home of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, his political patron and chairwoman of the party backing him to await quick count results expected from 3pm local time. Prabowo, his running mate Sandiaga Uno and their campaign staff hunkered... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3006448/indonesia-heads-polls-worlds-largest-single-day-elections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3006448/indonesia-heads-polls-worlds-largest-single-day-elections?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2019 00:00:18 +0000 Two pop stars and a former model who was once married to a Malaysian prince are among a slew of Indonesian celebrities who have added a touch of glamour to Wednesday’s general elections by running as candidates. The singers Krisdayanti and Riefian Fajarsyah (better known as Ifan), and the former model/actress Manohara Odelia Pinot are vying with nearly 8,000 candidates from 16 national political parties for 575 seats up for grabs in the House of Representatives (DPR). Apart from the national... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006441/pop-stars-model-princes-ex-wife-meet-indonesian-elections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3006441/pop-stars-model-princes-ex-wife-meet-indonesian-elections?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2019 11:23:07 +0000 On a sunny Tuesday two weeks ago, at least a dozen security officers were milling around Cipinang Melayu, where Indonesia’s China-funded high-speed rail will pass through, watchful of intruders. The site under the Jakarta-Cikampek tollway, one section of the rail link connecting Indonesia’s capital to the West Java city of Bandung, was blocked by zinc hoarding. It was not possible to see what was going on inside but government officials have said that two years after the project began, work is... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3005905/debt-fears-delays-and-land-disputes-how-chinas-belt-and-road?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3005905/debt-fears-delays-and-land-disputes-how-chinas-belt-and-road?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Apr 2019 05:00:10 +0000 Indonesia is awaiting the results of an investigation into allegations of electoral fraud ahead of next week’s general election. On Thursday, up to 50,000 ballots marked in favour of current Indonesian President Joko Widodo and electoral ally Davin Kirana were found stuffed inside diplomatic bags in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. Arief Budiman, chief of Indonesia’s General Elections Commission, said on Friday that it would release its findings into the alleged fraud “today”. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3005971/indonesia-elections-political-parties-react-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3005971/indonesia-elections-political-parties-react-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Apr 2019 12:32:36 +0000 The sun beat down on the city of Solo in Central Java on Wednesday but it did little to prevent thousands of supporters of Prabowo Subianto pouring into Sriwedari Stadium. The former general is seeking to unseat Indonesian President Joko Widodo at next week’s election. One of his supporters, Titiek Handayani, 34, left home with her two young children early in the morning, travelling by bus from Sragen 30km away. “It is important for us to come here,” she said. “I want to see Prabowo and listen... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3005661/indonesia-election-prabowo-subianto-rallies-supporters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3005661/indonesia-election-prabowo-subianto-rallies-supporters?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Apr 2019 04:00:11 +0000 Maria Sumarsih, 66, whose son was one of the students shot dead by military forces in 1998, will not be voting for any presidential candidate in Indonesia’s election next week. Neither will Suciwati, 51, whose human rights activist husband Munir Said was murdered in 2004. Both women are among an increasingly vocal group of Indonesians pledging to abstain or cast a blank vote – known as golput – at next week’s presidential election. Among them are one-time supporters of President Joko Widodo,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3005276/indonesia-election-unimpressed-both-jokowi-and-prabowo-32?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3005276/indonesia-election-unimpressed-both-jokowi-and-prabowo-32?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2019 16:00:10 +0000 Indonesia’s government has dismissed speculation that the popular Komodo National Park, home to the world’s largest species of lizards, will soon be closed to tourists. Last week, local news magazine Tempo reported that the park would be shut from January following the trafficking of 41 juvenile Komodo dragons that had been sold to buyers in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam via Facebook. Marius Ardu Jelamu, head of tourism for East Nusa Tenggara Province that encompasses the park, was quoted as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3004320/will-indonesia-close-its-iconic-komodo-national-park-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3004320/will-indonesia-close-its-iconic-komodo-national-park-too?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Apr 2019 09:15:50 +0000