https://www.scmp.com/rss/502766/feed Antonia Timmerman is an independent journalist reporting on migrant workers, LGBTQ communities, arts and culture, Taiwan and Southeast Asian affairs. She is a former finance reporter supplying intelligence news for Asia Pacific's capital market from Jakarta and Taipei. 100% Indonesian. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Parts of the train network in Indonesia’s capital was on Thursday temporarily shut, as protests in many cities turned increasingly violent on the third day of demonstrations against a controversial new jobs law  that critics say will harm labour rights and the environment. Clashes between rock-throwing protesters and riot police broke out near Jakarta’s presidential palace, where thousands of workers and high school and university students marched. Why are Indonesians protesting the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3104750/indonesias-omnibus-law-jakarta-mrt-partly-shut-third-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3104750/indonesias-omnibus-law-jakarta-mrt-partly-shut-third-day?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Oct 2020 12:02:43 +0000 As Indonesian workers and students on Tuesday began three days of live protests against a controversial jobs law passed the day before, much of the coordination and campaign has taken place online because of restrictions put in place for the Covid-19 pandemic, with one major obstacle to overcome: law enforcement agencies have launched a digital onslaught of their own to counter the protesters. Late last week, the Indonesian National Police issued an internal notice to regional departments... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3104412/indonesians-begin-protests-against-omnibus-jobs-law-amid-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3104412/indonesians-begin-protests-against-omnibus-jobs-law-amid-online?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2020 11:00:54 +0000 Indonesian model Monalisa Sembor remembers how she used to stand for hours in front of a mirror as a little girl, wondering if she was pretty. Every time she went with her mother to the local hair salon in Wamena, Papua, Indonesia she asked if she could get her tight, springy ringlets straightened. “My mother, who has the straight hair I always wanted, thinks my curly hair is very beautiful, so naturally she never gave permission,” Sembor says with a chuckle. “Finally I was able to say to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3101024/racism-indonesia-discriminated-against-over-their-hair-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3101024/racism-indonesia-discriminated-against-over-their-hair-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2020 23:45:12 +0000 Jakarta resident Putri Emelli is pregnant and is preparing to give birth as early as next week but Indonesia’s border restrictions mean her German husband is currently stranded in the US. She has spent hours calling Indonesian immigration hotlines and emailing government departments to plead for updates on the country’s coronavirus restrictions or the possibility of an exception. “Being pregnant is already an overwhelming experience and doing it alone means we are missing out on experiencing... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3098376/coronavirus-leaves-indonesias-mixed-couples-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3098376/coronavirus-leaves-indonesias-mixed-couples-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Aug 2020 06:00:19 +0000 “Smile”, an instructor tells the women in identical aprons as they take turns to stand in front of a blue background for an employment photo. Carefully crossing their hands in front of themselves, the women obey. They must look presentable, strong and capable, but malleable – hence the uniforms. This scene from Help is on the Way reminds viewers that these women are basically labourers who will be hired and paid to follow orders. Winner of best feature documentary at Festival Film Indonesia... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3089807/hardships-rural-indonesian-women-shown-domestic-helper-film?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3089807/hardships-rural-indonesian-women-shown-domestic-helper-film?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jun 2020 00:15:05 +0000 Scientists predict the world is going to experience more frequent natural disasters, including floods, tsunami, droughts, bush fires and hurricanes. These are things environmentalists have long feared and tried to warn the rest of us about. In Taiwan, a number of women – activists, entrepreneurs, cleaners, carers, volunteers and artists among them – have played a big part in raising awareness of these risks by reminding the population to take responsibility for their impact on the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3082295/climate-change-new-battle-taiwans-women-environmental?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3082295/climate-change-new-battle-taiwans-women-environmental?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2020 05:00:17 +0000 As Singapore sees a surge in coronavirus infections among its low-wage migrant worker community, questions have been raised about the living conditions of other workers doing jobs shunned by residents in developed Asian societies. In Taiwan, there are more than 718,000 blue-collar migrant workers. The highest number – nearly 280,000, or about 40 per cent of the migrant worker community – comes from Indonesia, followed by Vietnam (221,400), the Philippines (158,700) and Thailand (58,700). They... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3081227/taiwans-container-houses-migrant-workers-coronavirus-not-only?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3081227/taiwans-container-houses-migrant-workers-coronavirus-not-only?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2020 06:00:08 +0000 Trapped in a system sometimes described as modern slavery, some migrant workers in Taiwan still manage to devote a portion of their precious free time to learning new skills that may one day better their lives. Factory worker and mother-of-four Julia Rasyada believes labourers should develop expertise outside their jobs to improve their chances of moving on from manual labour. Too poor to finish college in her hometown on the Indonesian island of Lombok, the 43-year-old jumps at every chance she... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3044327/migrant-workers-taiwan-learning-new-skills-dreams-leaving-manual-labour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3044327/migrant-workers-taiwan-learning-new-skills-dreams-leaving-manual-labour?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jan 2020 23:30:08 +0000 Taiwan was a safe haven for queer Asians long before it became the first place in the region to pass same-sex marriage legislation in May. The island is often the first place LGBT individuals from elsewhere, whether there as tourists or residents, can be visibly non-heterosexual and still feel secure, according to members of the community. At the 17th annual Pride parade in Taipei late last month, the first since the gay marriage legalisation was enacted, emotions ran high as LGBT community... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3037483/taiwan-more-ever-beacon-lgbt-asians-after-gay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3037483/taiwan-more-ever-beacon-lgbt-asians-after-gay?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Nov 2019 10:00:15 +0000