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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
A worker stands amid rubbish at the site of a collapse at the Bantargebang landfill during a rescue operation in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
Sustainability

5 die in Indonesia as rubbish mound collapses at nation’s largest landfill

Heavy rain triggered a huge avalanche of waste at the critical but overwhelmed site, with hundreds involved in a search and rescue operation.

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Weather

A heatwave is coming to Southeast Asia. So is an energy shock

Two Sessions 2025

Beijing signals high hopes for South China Sea ‘golden rules’ by end of year

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Vietnam

Why Vietnam’s new AI law makes it proving ground for Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia’s first law on AI could raise the bar from voluntary guidelines to binding legal frameworks across the region, analysts say.

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A girl checks her phone next to Communist Party and Vietnamese flags in Hanoi on February 27. Vietnam’s new artificial intelligence law went into effect on March 1. Photo: AFP
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police seek domestic helper accused of HK$100,000 theft from employer

A 74-year-old woman reports cash and jewellery missing from her flat in Hong Ching House in Ngau Tau Kok.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Iran war oil shock accelerates Southeast Asia’s EV revolution

Southeast Asia was already going electric. Then war broke out in the Middle East and it started going faster.

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Middle East

Letters | Iran war: democracy, power and the US’ changing strategic limits

Readers discuss the implications of the war in Iran, the impact on Asian economies, and Hong Kong as a safe haven.

A sailor observes the landing of an E-2D Hawkeye on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford while operating in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, on March 2. Photo: US Navy via Reuters
Trade

Indonesia’s US trade deal faces a sovereignty reckoning at home

Nearly 80 civil groups and 65 academics have signed a petition urging parliament to block ratification of the ‘shameful’ deal.

Social media

Indonesia to ban under-16s from ‘high-risk’ social media platforms

Minister Meutya Hafid said the restrictions would protect children from online harms, but experts warned enforcement might prove difficult.

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Crime

DNA confirms mutilated remains found on Bali beach belong to kidnapped Ukrainian

Ihor Komarov, a 28-year-old Ukrainian national, was reported abducted in mid-February while riding a motorcycle with a friend in Jimbaran.

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Tourists relax at a beach in Bali, Indonesia. Photo: EPA
Iran

Is Indonesia’s fuel subsidy sustainable as Iran war continues?

Higher oil prices would mean bigger fuel subsidies, piling on the pressure on a budget that is already under investor scrutiny.

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A motorist rides past a Pertamina petrol station displaying prices of fuel in Jakarta on Tuesday. Photo: AP
Middle East

Letters | As the US attacks Iran, the ancient Battle of Carrhae offers lessons

Readers discuss the war in the Middle East, the opportunity for Colombians in Hong Kong to vote, the importance of teacher well-being, and the poon choi tradition.

Asean

‘We will go to war’: why #SEAblings became a Southeast Asian rallying cry

The hashtag went viral following a row over a South Korean band’s concert in Kuala Lumpur in January and protests in Indonesia last year.

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Singapore

How Southeast Asia’s coffee chains are brewing cross-border success

Home-grown brands such as Zus Coffee are betting on cultural fluency, halal positioning and digital tools to make further inroads.

A Kenangan Coffee outlet at a shopping centre in eastern Singapore. The Indonesian chain has opened about 10 outlets in the city state. Photo: Kenangan Coffee
Asia travel

Thousands of passengers ‘stuck’ in Indonesia’s Bali after war grounds planes

With foreigners at risk of overstaying their visas, the Bali immigration office has introduced a free same-day emergency stay permit.

Passengers await news of their flights at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport amid disruptions from Israeli-US strikes on Iran on Monday. Photo: AFP
Iran

‘Nothing to them’: Indonesia’s US-Iran peace broker bid faces long odds

Indonesia’s president offered to fly to Tehran in person, but critics say joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ cost Jakarta its neutrality.

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SCMP Highlights

Southeast Asian navy strategies, Japan video sparks outrage: 7 Asia highlights

From predictions on Iranian leadership to North Korea’s nuclear vindication, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Millions of Asian migrant workers in Gulf at risk as war with Iran rages on

Deaths or injuries of people from the Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, who were working in the region, have been reported.

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Smoke rises from a burning building in Bahrain hit by an Iranian drone strike, after Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran. Photo: Reuters
South China Sea

South China Sea expert warns 2026 code of conduct is ‘simply not achievable’

The agreement ‘cannot be successfully negotiated’ while rival claimant Philippines holds Asean chair, Chinese analyst Wu Shicun says.

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SCMP Highlights

US mining expansion in Africa, Indonesia’s aircraft carrier: 5 weekend reads

From how Khamenei’s death will impact China-Iran ties to what Indonesia’s new aircraft carrier means, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

Iran

Death of Iran’s Khamenei sparks outrage and calls for restraint in Asia

Protesters stormed the US consulate in Karachi as leaders, including Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim, condemned the killing and appealed for dialogue.

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Shiite Muslims mourn the killing of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Srinagar, India-run Kashmir, on Sunday. Photo: EPA
Artificial intelligence

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia needs AI sovereignty – the Grok scandal proved it

From Singapore’s SEA-LION to Malaysia’s ILMU, Southeast Asian nations aim to build AI that reflects their own languages, cultures and values.

A link to the Grok website is seen in a social media post. Grok released a feature in December that allowed users to generate non-consensual sexualised images of women and children. Photo: Getty Images
The Philippines

Indonesia is getting an aircraft carrier. The Philippines isn’t. Does it matter?

Indonesia wants to project power. The Philippines wants to deny it. In the South China Sea, one approach may matter more than the other.

Asean

Letters | Asean is not choosing sides, but strategically maximising space

Readers discuss how Southeast Asian governments have gained bargaining power, the benefits of cheap public transport, and a harbourfront project.

Hong Kong society

47% of Hong Kong employees happy at work, lowest among 8 Asia-Pacific economies

Less than half of local employees report feeling happy at work, compared with 56 per cent from Singapore, according to Jobsdb Hong Kong.

The Jobsdb poll also found 44 per cent of local respondents reported burnout at work and that about 66 per cent were dissatisfied with their stress levels. Photo: Karma Lo
Crime

Indonesia’s bid to execute 6 cargo ship crew in drug case sparks legal debate

Prosecutors allege the crew knowingly transported nearly two tonnes of meth, while lawyers say criminal intent must be assessed individually.

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Officials from Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency and other law enforcement bodies present nearly two tonnes of methamphetamine seized in the Riau Islands. Photo: Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN)
Prabowo Subianto

Pertamina corruption trial: 9 jailed over US$17 billion state loss in Indonesia

Kerry Adrianto Riza, son of ‘gasoline godfather’ Riza Chalid, was given 15 years’ jail and ordered to pay US$173 million in restitution.

Thailand

US, Thailand lead 30 nations in Southeast Asia’s largest military drill

Cobra Gold is necessary to address emerging threats and improve interoperability in the region, the US ambassador to Thailand says.

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