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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
An aerial photograph shows extensive flooding in Kuala Simpang, Indonesia’s Aceh province, on Friday following heavy rains. Photo: Reuters
Vietnam

Indonesia’s flood death toll hits 908, hundreds still missing

The governor of hard-hit Aceh warns starvation has become the gravest threat to survivors in remote villages cut off by the devastation.

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Censorship

Jakarta vs the internet: Indonesia’s gamble with digital freedom

Huawei

Huawei’s founder makes subtle dig at lofty pursuits in AI by the US

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Hong Kong’s religious communities unite in prayer to mourn Tai Po fire victims

Muslims and other faith groups express solidarity and sorrow for victims of deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court.

The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong held a special prayer session at Kowloon Mosque in Tsim Sha Tsui to pay respect to the victims of the Tai Po fire. Photo: Dickson Lee
Extreme weather

Video | ‘Please help us’ appeal from Indonesia flood survivor

Death toll has risen to more than 830 with hundreds still missing in Sumatra.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong fire: dead Indonesian helper found huddled with ward hailed as selfless

Her grieving husband says his wife would have survived had she fled first, as the flat where she worked was on the fourth floor.

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Tourism

Bali mulls Airbnb ban to put a lid on revenue leak, overtourism

Airbnbs have emerged as a cheaper alternative to the sprawling resorts that dot the island, eroding tax revenue from hotels.

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The Ulun Danu Beratan Hindu temple in Bali. Photo: AFP
China exports

Waste to wealth: why China is building incinerators around the world

China’s economic slowdown has left its waste-to-energy sector without enough trash to burn. So, companies are heading overseas.

SCMP Highlights

Chinese boy lost after US detention, helper’s last call in fire: weekly roundup

From the Japanese PM’s latest remarks on Taiwan to a US ambassador coming under fire in Singapore, here are seven stories from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Mainland China

Chinese executive named as suspect in Indonesia radioactive contamination probe

PT Peter Metal director Lin Jingzhang faces investigation after domestic scrap caused caesium-137 contamination and US export recalls.

Police officers inspect trucks and record vehicle registration numbers at the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate, where the radioactive isotope caesium-137 was detected in October. Photo: AFP
China trade

Explainer | As China’s companies become industry leaders, where in the world are they going?

Across numerous sectors, China’s firms are setting up shop worldwide – and gaining ground on their well-entrenched competitors.

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Vehicles are seen loaded on a cargo ship for export at Wuhu Port, Anhui province. Photo: Getty Images
Natural disasters

Video | Indonesian mother and child cling to tree to survive floods

Widespread floods have devastated vast regions of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing more than 750 people and displacing thousands.

Tourism

Oxford slammed for not naming Indonesian researchers in rare flower find

After an uproar over the perceived snub, the university named the Indonesian researchers involved in Rafflesia’s rediscovery on social media.

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Climate change

Editorial | Asia’s floods a deadly reminder of need to combat growing climate threat

Devastating flooding and landslides have focused attention on disaster preparedness efforts as rising temperatures threaten the region.

A woman carries a child as she wades through a flooded street after heavy rainfall in Wellampitiya, Sri Lanka, on November 30. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Editorial | Domestic helpers deserve praise for heroism in Tai Po fire

Hong Kong’s domestic helpers should get equal attention for their recent heroism and daily efforts that help hold the community together.

People gathered on November 30 to pay tribute to the victims of the Wang Fuk Court fire. More than 200 foreign workers were employed and living with families in the housing estate before it became an inferno on November 26. Photo: Karma Lo
Aviation

‘We side with Indonesia’: ex-minister rejects claims of China bias

Luhut Pandjaitan says China’s technological prowess and deep pockets made it an ideal partner for propelling Indonesia’s economy.

Extreme weather

Asia’s floods kill over 1,000, lay bare human cost of climate inaction

From Indonesia’s deadliest disaster since 2018 to a state of emergency in Sri Lanka, Asia reels from a week of climate-fuelled destruction.

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Extreme weather

Indonesia’s cyclone tragedy exposes lethal cost of forest destruction

Green groups say plantations and mines have degraded Sumatra’s land, amplifying a disaster that killed more than 700 and displaced thousands.

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Men stand on logs swept away by flash floods in Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Tuesday. The flooding has affected about 1.5 million people and displaced 570,000. Photo: AP
South China Sea

‘Strategic’: why are drones taking off among South China Sea claimant states?

Experts weigh the merits and limits of growing pivot in the region to uncrewed aircraft and the potential for 24/7 patrols.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Judge-led panel to probe deadly blaze as Hong Kong goes ahead with election

Death toll from Wang Fuk Court inferno rises to 156 after five more bodies found.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Video | Bodies of helper, woman she cared for found in same room at Hong Kong fire site

It took four days before a DNA test confirmed the identity of the helper’s remains.

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Photo: SCMP
Extreme weather

Video | Indonesian flood survivor returns to ruined home

Separate weather systems brought torrential, extended rainfall to the entire island of Sri Lanka and large parts of Indonesia’s Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia in late November 2025.

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Hong Kong

‘She asked me to forgive her’: Indonesian helper in Tai Po fire makes last call

Erawati leaves behind a six-year-old son who cannot understand why ‘mummy doesn’t call any more’.

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SCMP Highlights

‘Schrodinger’s Pakistan’, Chinese travellers eye Singapore: 7 Asia highlights

From election loss for Malaysia’s Anwar to Pakistan’s young feeling sidelined, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Sri Lanka

Soldiers deployed in Sri Lanka, Indonesia as Asian flood toll tops 1,000

Indonesia sent three warships carrying aid while Sri Lanka used military helicopters to reach people stranded by flooding.

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Army personnel ride a truck carrying boats to rescue stranded people in Wellampitiya, on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka on Sunday. Photo: AFP
India

India’s looming BrahMos missile deal with Indonesia challenges US-China binary

New Delhi is emerging as a serious alternative security partner for Southeast Asia, offering hi-tech arms without ‘hegemonic baggage’.

A Indian naval officer walks past a BrahMos weapon systems during a rehearsal for a Republic Day parade in New Delhi, India, on January 20. Photo: Reuters
Extreme weather

Flood death tolls rise in Indonesia, Sri Lanka as aid trickles in

Flooding has killed hundreds in both countries and displaced thousands, as damaged roads and downed power lines hamper rescue efforts.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Portraits of courage: helpers who stayed with their wards during Hong Kong fire

More than 200 domestic helpers worked in Wang Fuk Court, with nearly 80 missing and many more displaced along with employers.

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