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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
A newborn baby lies in a hospital bassinet. Photo: Shutterstock
Social media

Indonesia police arrest 9 in Medan baby trafficking case linked to social media

The arrests come as Singapore scrutinises adoption cases linked to separate baby trafficking allegations involving Indonesia.

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World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos

Larry Fink considers rotating World Economic Forum away from Davos

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US-Asean relations

Foot in the door or trap? Risks of Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ for Southeast Asia

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Asean

As more nations block Grok for obscene content, calls for Asean-wide curbs mount

The Philippines should push the fight against deepfakes high on the Asean agenda as the bloc’s chair, analysts say.

The Grok AI website displayed on a mobile phone as a nationwide restriction on the service took effect in Malaysia earlier this month. Photo: EPA
United States

US drone demand puts Indonesia’s strategic balance to the test

According to a leaked document, Washington proposed lowering tariffs if Indonesia bought US-made drones and publicly announced the purchase.

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Russia

Indonesia strips ex-police officer of citizenship for joining Russian forces

The former Aceh police officer lost his nationality after sending a video claiming he had joined the Wagner Group in Ukraine.

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Brazil

Brazil beef exports seen as stable in 2026 as industry pivots beyond China

Beef lobby Abiec said volumes not sold to China could be redirected other markets.

A butcher weighs meat at a butcher shop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2024. Photo: AFP
Cambodia

440 Indonesians freed from Cambodia cyberscam hubs in criminal crackdown

Workers seek repatriation after scam operators, fearing police raids and new government measures, abruptly release hundreds of staff.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong deports 113 failed asylum seekers in week-long operation

Authorities say 68 men and 45 women, some of whom completed jail sentences for offences in city, were sent back to their home countries.

Central banks

Bank Indonesia independence questioned as Prabowo nominates nephew to board

Thomas Djiwandono’s nomination comes amid fears that monetary policy autonomy may fall victim to the president’s ambitious economic targets.

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Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech in Jakarta on February 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
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.

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
Switzerland

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

While officials tout a diplomatic win, rights groups ask how a nation that ‘criminalises expression’ can lead the UN Human Rights Council.

Malaysia

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

The government is threatening to pull the plug on social media for under-16s after a spate of youth violence linked to life online.

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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.

A semiconductor chip with “Made in Malaysia” on it. Electrical and electronics now account for 40 per cent of Malaysia’s exports. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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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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.

Grok has been allowing users to manipulate images of women and children to sexualise them. Photo: dpa
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.

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.

Vehicles travel across the causeway linking Malaysia’s southern Johor state to Singapore on Friday. Photo: AFP
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.

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.

Screenshot from Philippine Airlines’ new soap opera-styled safety video. Photo: Philippine Airlines
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.

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