https://www.scmp.com/rss/507471/feed Tonggo Simangunsong is an Indonesian journalist based in Medan city, North Sumatra. His work has appeared in the South China Morning Post, Al Jazeera, New Naratif and Destinasian, covering politics, environmental issues, culture and identity, arts and travel. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Indonesia, the nation with the world’s largest Muslim population, has long been an ardent supporter of Palestine, with support growing more fervent during the Israel-Gaza war. But along with the country’s Muslim-majority, Indonesians of other faiths have been lending their voices to those demanding an end to the violence in Gaza. More than 1,000 people attended a rally for Palestine held in the North Sumatran capital of Medan on December 10. There have been many such rallies in Indonesia... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3245532/indonesias-non-muslim-religious-groups-join-rallies-support-palestine-matter-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3245532/indonesias-non-muslim-religious-groups-join-rallies-support-palestine-matter-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Dec 2023 09:00:10 +0000 When Japen Sihaloho and his family sold 3,200 square metres of land to zinc mining company Dairi Prima Minerals, they were promised jobs for people from their village in Dairi regency, in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. But six years later, the 58-year-old claims no one from Longkotan village has been hired by the firm, a joint venture between the Beijing-based conglomerate China Nonferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering and Construction and Bumi Resources Minerals, a subsidiary... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3138815/unmet-promises-foreign-workers-chinese-firms-indonesia-face?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3138815/unmet-promises-foreign-workers-chinese-firms-indonesia-face?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Jun 2021 09:00:13 +0000 Tales of a supernatural shape-shifting boar demon that supposedly stole money and other valuables from villagers in West Java have set Indonesian social media abuzz recently, after a video showing the babi ngepet being beheaded went viral. Superstitious beliefs are still common in the world’s most populous Muslim nation, where nearly 90 per cent of the 270 million population practises Islam and consider pigs unclean – with consumption of their meat haram (forbidden). In the viral video, which... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3131903/indonesias-supernatural-shape-shifting-boar-demons-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3131903/indonesias-supernatural-shape-shifting-boar-demons-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 May 2021 04:15:14 +0000 The crashing of yet another meteorite on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island has reverberated through social media and put an alien space rock in the spotlight once again, but this time for its “magical” healing power rather than its purported monetary value. Local residents in the area where the meteorite fell last week in Lampung, the southernmost province of Sumatra, apparently found the still-hot stone, placed it in a tub of water, then took bottles of the water home to drink or pour over their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3120405/meteorite-or-magical-healing-stone-indonesian-social?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3120405/meteorite-or-magical-healing-stone-indonesian-social?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Feb 2021 11:18:54 +0000 An unsolved case of three missing children in North Sumatra is causing controversy in Indonesia, sparking a clash between local police and shamans and resulting in authorities banning all paranormal activities in the area to restore calm. Police Sub-Inspector Sukadi, head of the intelligence team coordinating the search for the children, told This Week in Asia that paranormal investigators from all over Indonesia had descended on the village of Naman Jahe in Langkat. “We had three weeks of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3111730/indonesia-paranormal-activity-banned-shamans-clash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3111730/indonesia-paranormal-activity-banned-shamans-clash?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Nov 2020 08:00:08 +0000 An Indonesian coffin maker who made headlines around the world after a meteorite fell on his home has gone into hiding, after multiple media outlets reported the 2.2kg hunk of space rock was worth substantially more than the 33-year-old was paid for it. Josua Hutagalung received some 214 million rupiah (about US$15,090) for the meteorite that crashed into his house on August 1 – an incident whose aftermath he documented in a viral video uploaded to his Facebook account. Battered Bali hopes for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3110770/indonesias-millionaire-meteorite-man-ducks-limelight-after-going?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3110770/indonesias-millionaire-meteorite-man-ducks-limelight-after-going?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Nov 2020 02:00:25 +0000 Protests continue to sweep across Indonesia following the passing of the unpopular Omnibus Law on October 5. Critics fear the legislation, also known as the Job Creation Law, will strip workers of their labour rights and open the door for environmental destruction. The violent protests, which have taken place in over 20 cities nationwide, have seen thousands of demonstrators injured as they clashed with police who deployed tear gas and water cannons. Thousands more have been arrested. More... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3104983/indonesias-unpopular-omnibus-law-trying-kill-us-slowly-protester?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3104983/indonesias-unpopular-omnibus-law-trying-kill-us-slowly-protester?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2020 13:00:13 +0000