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
Screens display the logo of Grok and its founder Elon Musk. Photo: AFP
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

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Artificial intelligence

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

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.

The Asean flag alongside those of its member countries ahead of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia, in January 2025. Photo: Reuters
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.

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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.

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.

Fans attend last year’s Anime Festival Asia in Singapore. The event consistently draws more than 100,000 visitors. Photo: SOZO/Handout
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.

An illustration of a submarine cable. The main threats to Indonesia’s undersea infrastructure are fishing and anchor damage. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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.

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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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Tourists walk through a shopping area in Seminyak, Bali, on August 1, 2025. The island has seen a surge in foreign arrivals as officials push for “quality tourism” measures. Photo: EPA
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.

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.

Hong Kong immigration officers escort the arrested suspects to a van after searching the food factory in Kwai Chung on Saturday. Photo: Handout
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.

Law

Indonesia’s criminal law overhaul prompts fears of rights erosion

Observers say the new Criminal Code and revised Criminal Procedure Code entrench provisions that undermine democracy.

SCMP Highlights

AI scientist leaves US for China; domestic helpers in Asia: 5 weekend reads

From China’s reaction to Maduro’s capture to another AI scientist leaving the US, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

Domestic helpers gather in Hong Kong’s Central to relax and socialise on their Sunday day off. Photo: Karma Lo
Prabowo Subianto

New ‘command economy’? Indonesia seizes land the size of Switzerland

Prabowo Subianto’s government has taken over 4 million hectares of plantations and mines since last January.

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A truck loaded with oil palm drives on an unpaved road at a plantation in Langsa, Aceh province. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

‘Straddle the middle ground’: Europe’s hard choice over US attacks on Venezuela

Although they do not agree with Trump’s way of doing things, they seem to agree with his ultimate objectives, analyst in China says.

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Marine safety

Body of Spanish football coach found after Indonesian boat tragedy

Fernando Martin, his wife and their 4 children were on a tour boat that sank in the Komodo National Park area on Boxing Day.

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