Indonesia
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Indonesia

Indonesia
Indonesia
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion from Indonesia.
Capital
Jakarta
Head of State
President Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto
Head of Government
President Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto
Members of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), look out from a helicopter on Saturday, after a passenger aircraft lost contact while approaching a mountainous region between Java and Sulawesi islands. Photo: AP
Aviation accidents

Indonesia finds 1 body, wreckage from missing surveillance plane

There were seven crew members and three passengers on the plane chartered to conduct air surveillance on fisheries.

Switzerland

‘False pride’: Indonesia’s UN rights role clashes with its domestic record

Malaysia

Impulse control: Malaysia’s social media ban targets teen minds

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Aviation accidents

Indonesian plane with 11 people missing, search and rescue under way

Hikers on Mount Bulusaraung have reported finding scattered debris, a logo consistent with Indonesia Air Transport markings.

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An aircraft operated by Indonesia Air Transport. A turboprop ATR 42-500 operated by the company was on the way from Yogyakarta to the capital city of South Sulawesi when it vanished from radar on Saturday. Photo: Indonesia Air Transport’s website
Asean

Asian Angle | To win the future, Southeast Asia must rewrite its industrial rule book

Success relies on five key pillars, including deeper regional coordination and targeted industrial upgrading.

Malaysia

X marks the bot: Malaysia says Grok ban may be lifted if it is proven to be safe

Though X has deactivated several prompts, more changes need to be made to ensure the site’s safety, Malaysia’s communications minister says.

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Pakistan

Pakistan’s arms deals cleared for take-off as orders soar for JF-17 jets

The jets, co-produced with China, proved their worth during the India-Pakistan tensions, when they destroyed an S-400 air defence system.

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A visitor takes a look at a JF-17 jet fighter during an air show in Dubai in 2017. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Musk’s Grok barred from undressing AI images after global backlash

‘Spicy Mode’ feature had allowed users to create sexualised deepfakes of women and children.

Hong Kong economy

73% of Hong Kong, Greater Bay Area firms ramping up expansion into Asean: survey

Survey by Hong Kong Trade Development Council and United Overseas Bank also shows 98 per cent of companies plan to keep or expand Asean operations.

Crime

Indonesian comedian hit with blasphemy complaints over Netflix jokes

Pandji Pragiwaksono’s unfiltered set took aim at the president, but it was a quip about religious groups that triggered police reports.

A still from the trailer for Indonesian comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono’s new Netflix special “Mens Rea”. Photo: YouTube/pandji.pragiwaksono
India

Opinion | Is India fuelling an arms race in Asia or closing a deterrence gap?

The challenge for New Delhi is to solve its deterrence shortfall without letting competition harden into permanent confrontation.

Indian soldiers take part in a military drill during a media tour ahead of India’s Independence Day, near the Line of Control that divides India and Pakistan at Sunderbani, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on August 12, 2025. Photo: AP
Singapore

Singapore urged to expand Johor SEZ to Indonesia to deepen Asean integration

The city state’s business federation and accounting firm PwC Singapore say such a move will ramp up the region’s allure to global investors.

Prabowo Subianto

Indonesia hails ‘99.9% successful’ free meals scheme amid food safety concerns

Critics have called for a ‘temporary halt’ to the programme to allow for further evaluation as food poisoning cases continue to grow.

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Japan

Japan’s Princess Kako targeted in viral Grok AI deepfakes trend

Images of the princess in a blue dress during a recent event were used to generate deepfakes, including of her naked and covered in tattoos.

Princess Kako (left) and her brother Prince Hisahito attend the traditional New Year’s greeting ceremony by Japan’s royal family at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on January 2. Photo: AFP
Prabowo Subianto

Indonesia’s Prabowo quells US$32 billion capital doubts with first stay at site

The government said Prabowo’s visit showed his ‘commitment to ensuring the development in the area proceeds according to plan’.

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A view of the presidential palace in the planned new capital city of Nusantara in Indonesia. Photo: Reuters
SCMP Highlights

Matricide in Indonesia, Philippine Airlines’ viral video: 7 Asia highlights

From India becoming the world’s fourth largest economy to Philippine Airlines’ viral safety video, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Asean

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk to open source X algorithm in 7 days amid global scrutiny

The company has been working to incorporate more AI into its recommendation algorithm through Grok, Musk’s AI chatbot.

Musk has promised in recent years to make some of X’s algorithms public. Photo: dpa
Pop culture in Asia

Soft power, hard cash: inside Southeast Asia’s billion-dollar anime obsession

Driven by Gen Z spending and streaming, the region’s US$1.3 billion anime market represents a triumph for Japan’s cultural push.

Asean

Asian Angle | Indonesia’s digital 2045 ambition rests on a fragile seabed spine

With few domestic repair ships and convoluted laws, Indonesia struggles to safeguard the 115,000km of cables powering its digital future.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Indonesia eyes 6% growth in 2026, as a youth jobs ‘time bomb’ ticks

Economists have cast doubt on the ‘optimistic’ target as educated youth struggle to find work and manufacturing lay-offs neared 80,000.

People cross the street in Jakarta’s main business district in November. Photo: EPA
Artificial intelligence

Indonesia blocks Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot over AI porn concerns

Becoming the first government to bar access to Musk’s AI tool, Indonesia condemned non-consensual deepfakes as a human rights violation.

Screens display the logo of Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, and its founder Elon Musk. Photo: AFP
Tourism

Bali’s toughest tourism proposal yet: checking foreign visitors’ bank accounts

Bali’s governor says the plan would deter low-spending visitors, though its enforcement would face legal and practical hurdles.

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Crime

Is 12 too young? Rare matricide case tests Indonesia’s juvenile justice system

The girl, often threatened with a knife by her mother, was inspired to use one after playing online games and watching anime, police say.

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US-Venezuela conflict

Letters | What US military action in Venezuela looks like to Southeast Asia

Readers discuss the possible repercussions of the Venezuela raid, and water supplies management in Hong Kong.

Motorcyclists queue at a petrol station in Caracas on January 3, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela remains an important energy producer and instability could add volatility to global oil markets. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong society

Man found with son after going missing in Hong Kong arrested for child neglect

Baby was given preliminary check and no superficial injuries were found, but he will be admitted to hospital for further examination, insider says.

Force is urging residents to come forward with information about Mukit Alam Pratama and Mukit Shznjz Putra Pratama reported missing in Sham Shui Po. Photo: Handout
Crime in Hong Kong

2 Hong Kong eatery owners arrested for hiring 5 illegal workers in food factory

Foreign workers, who processed food that supplied owners’ restaurant and local food fairs, also arrested by authorities in citywide crackdown.

Social media

Indonesian beauty doctor under police probe as row with influencer turns ugly

Police say there is enough preliminary evidence to investigate Richard Lee for possible violations under health and consumer laws.

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