Category Archives: Indonesia

Indonesia election: Prabowo formally declared president-elect after court rejects legal challenges

Posted on by

Rivals had said February election won by former general was undermined by state interference and unfair rule changes

Indonesia’s electoral commission has formally declared Prabowo Subianto president-elect in a ceremony, after the country’s highest court rejected challenges to his win by rival candidates.

Prabowo, 72, a former general dogged by allegations of human rights abuses, won a landslide victory in February’s elections, but his two opponents claimed that the vote had been undermined by state interference and unfair rule changes.

Continue reading...

Indonesia volcano: thousands evacuated amid spreading ash and tsunami fears

Posted on by

More than 11,000 people told to leave their homes after Mount Ruang erupted at least three times since Friday afternoon

More than 2,100 people living near an erupting volcano on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island were evacuated on Friday due to the dangers of ash, falling rocks, hot volcanic clouds and the possibility of a tsunami.

Indonesia’s volcanology centre recorded at least three eruptions since Friday afternoon, with the maximum height of the eruption column reaching 1,200 metres (3,900 ft).

Continue reading...

Indonesia issues tsunami alert as volcano erupts

Posted on by

More than 800 people evacuated from Mount Ruang as alert level raised to four – highest in four-tier system

Authorities in Indonesia have issued a tsunami alert after a volcano erupted several times in the country’s southernmost region, spewing a column of smoke more than a mile into the sky and forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated from their homes.

Mount Ruang, a stratovolcano in North Sulawesi province, first erupted at 9.45pm local time on Tuesday and then four times on Wednesday, Indonesia’s volcanology agency said.

Continue reading...

More than 100 cattle die on export ship travelling from Australia to Indonesia

Posted on by

Federal government investigating deaths as a ‘matter of priority’, with efforts under way to treat remaining animals

More than 100 cattle have died on an export ship destined for Indonesia, prompting a “priority” investigation by the federal government.

The deaths occurred on the Brahman Express, which left Darwin on 14 March and arrived in Indonesia six days later.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Indonesian military apologises after West Papuan man filmed being tortured in water-filled barrel

Posted on by

In rare admission, commander of Indonesian military in the province says horrific footage is a ‘violation of the law’, and confirms 13 personnel have been detained


Warning: this article contains graphic content

Graphic footage of a West Papuan man bound in a water-filled barrel and being beaten and cut with knives by Indonesian soldiers has drawn a rare apology from the commander of Indonesia’s military in the province.

Major General Izak Pangemanan confirmed 13 military personnel had been detained and more than 40 questioned as part of an investigation into the torture of the unarmed man.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Dozens of Rohingya refugees rescued from overturned boat in Indian Ocean

Posted on by

Soaked survivors clung to hull overnight before being taken to safety by Indonesian rescue team

Dozens of Rohingya refugees have been rescued from the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia after spending the night balanced on the hull of their overturned boat.

Seventy-five people were pulled from the stricken vessel, which was spotted on Thursday by an Indonesian search and rescue ship.

Continue reading...

Indonesia election: losing candidate files court challenge after Prabowo Subianto victory

Posted on by

Anies Baswedan has refused to concede and alleges there were ‘many problems’ with the vote

Losing Indonesian presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has filed a legal case at the constitutional court to challenge the outcome of last month’s election, won overwhelmingly by defence minister Prabowo Subianto.

Anies, a former Jakarta governor, said the aim of the case was to ensure democracy was improved and said there were many problems with the election that needed to be corrected.

Continue reading...

Indonesia fishing village flooded with tide of rubbish after heavy rains

Posted on by

Teluk has one of country’s dirtiest beaches and the problem has worsened due to weather

An Indonesian fishing village has been inundated with tonnes of rubbish after recent heavy rains resulted in stronger tides.

Teluk, in the Indonesian province of Banten on the western edge of Java island, has one of the country’s dirtiest beaches. But the arrival of tonnes of rubbish on the shore has shocked residents.

Continue reading...

Weather tracker: Indonesia floods cause landslides and disruption to transport

Posted on by

Heavy rainfall linked to low-pressure system hits south of Java with flood depths of up to 80cm in Semarang

Semarang, the provincial capital of Central Java in Indonesia, experienced severe flooding overnight on Wednesday. This rainfall was linked to a low-pressure system to the south of Java, which brought close to 200mm of rainfall to the area by Thursday daytime. Further rainfall is forecast over the coming week.

Flood depths of up to 80cm have been reported in the old town, with many roads and one railway station closed. There have been 10 reported landslides, and the authorities have advised people who live under clifftops and close to riverbanks to evacuate the area.

Continue reading...

Indonesia opens inquiry after pilots fell asleep on flight carrying 153 people

Posted on by

Pilot and co-pilot unresponsive for nearly 30 minutes, prompting review of country’s night flight operation

Two Indonesian pilots fell asleep for almost 30 minutes mid-flight, an investigation has revealed.

A pilot and co-pilot were simultaneously asleep for about 28 minutes. The Batik Air flight was travelling from South East Sulawesi to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on 25 January, a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) said.

Continue reading...

Indonesia activists condemn four-star general rank for presumed president

Posted on by

Outgoing president confers honour on presumed successor, Prabowo Subianto, who is accused of human rights violations

Human rights experts have condemned a decision by Indonesia’s outgoing president to award the rank of honorary four-star general to his presumed successor, Prabowo Subianto, a controversial figure accused of human rights violations.

Prabowo, 72, a former son-in-law of the dictator Suharto and a special commander under his regime was dismissed from the military over allegations he was involved in kidnapping and torturing pro-democracy activists in 1998.

Continue reading...

‘A betrayal’: mother’s fight for justice as Indonesia elects Suharto era figure

Posted on by

President-elect Prabowo Subianto has human rights abuses to answer for, says mother of student shot at 1998 protest

Every Thursday for the past 17 years, in searing heat and pouring rain, Maria Catarina Sumarsih has stood outside the Indonesian presidential palace, demanding justice for her son. He was shot dead in 1998, when authorities opened fire on student protesters as they called for an end to the rule of dictator Suharto.

Soon, it is assumed, the palace behind her will be inhabited by Prabowo Subianto – a former son-in-law of Suharto and a special commander under his 32-year regime, one of the most brutal and corrupt of the 20th century. He is accused of involvement in a series of rights abuses, including enforced disappearances and torture during the Suharto era, which ended in the same year that Sumarsih’s son died.

Continue reading...

End fossil-fuel era to address colonial injustices, urges prominent historian

Posted on by

West should address ‘colonisation of the present’ and not focus on past, argues David Van Reybrouck

Cities in the global north that curb their carbon emissions are doing more to address colonial injustices than those who focus their efforts on taking down statues and changing street names, one of Europe’s leading historians has said.

David Van Reybrouck, the Belgian author of a bestselling history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a new book on Indonesia’s independence from Dutch rule, has become one of the key drivers of a nascent and often fraught debate about Europe’s colonial legacies. Those who have lauded his work include the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the former UN secretary general Kofi Annan.

Continue reading...

‘Winter is coming’: activists’ fears as Prabowo Subianto likely wins Indonesia election

Posted on by

Former son-in-law of late dictator Suharto was discharged from military over alleged abuses dating back to 1980s

The presumed election victory of Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto – a former army general with a history of alleged involvement in torture and disappearances – marks a dark chapter in the country’s history, activists have warned, while vowing not to give up their fight for justice.

Prabowo, 72, a former special commander under the Suharto dictatorship, is the apparent winner of Indonesia’s presidential election after unofficial counts gave him a strong lead. On Wednesday night he told supporters that his win would be a “victory for all Indonesians”.

Continue reading...

Indonesia election 2024: from trade to security, what it could mean for Australia

Posted on by

Australia has signalled it wants stronger ties with Indonesia. With Prabowo Subianto leading in the polls, we look ahead to the post-Jokowi landscape

Indonesia is electing a new president on 14 February, with citizens of the world’s third-largest democracy heading to the polls in a huge day of voting and festivities.

The current president, Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, has been in power since 2014 but will not be returning to the top job due to term limits.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Indonesia’s defence minister vows to be leader for all as polls suggest election win

Posted on by

Sample counts show Prabowo Subianto, former special commander under Suharto dictatorship, taking 59% of vote

The Indonesian defence minister, Prabowo Subianto, a former general dogged by allegations of human rights abuses, has promised to be a leader for all Indonesians after unofficial figures showed he was on course to win the country’s presidential race.

More than 200 million people were eligible to vote on Wednesday in the world’s largest single-day election, a race to decide who should succeed the popular outgoing president, Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, as well as future executive and legislative representatives at all administrative levels across the country.

Continue reading...

Indonesia election: president criticised over alleged interference on behalf of Prabowo

Posted on by

The presidential office denies that Joko Widodo has interfered in the upcoming vote

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is facing mounting criticism over alleged interference in the country’s looming elections, as the country prepares to hold the world’s biggest single day vote.

More than 200 million people are eligible to vote in Indonesia’s elections on Wednesday, in which the country’s next president will be selected, as well as future executive and legislative representatives at all administrative levels.

Continue reading...

New Zealand pilot kidnapped a year ago in West Papua will be freed, rebel group says

Posted on by

Separatist fighters who seized Phillip Mehrtens say he will be released to protect humanity and safeguard human rights, but did not say when

Rebels in Indonesia’s West Papua region have said they will release a New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage a year ago as a bargaining chip for their independence movement.

The chief of general staff of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-PB), Terianus Satto, said in a statement the pilot would be released in order to protect humanity and safeguard human rights.

Continue reading...

Indonesian fruit picker landed in debt bondage challenges Home Office

Posted on by

Exclusive: Test case likely against UK’s seasonal worker scheme as charity alleges breach of right to be protected from labour exploitation

When Ismael found himself sleeping rough at York station in the late October cold he struggled to understand how an opportunity to pick berries 7,000 miles from his home had so quickly ended there.

He had left Indonesia less than four months earlier, in July 2022. He was 18 and ready for six months of hard work on a British farm to save for a science degree. “I thought the UK was the best place to work because I could save up a little money and help my parents,” he said.

Continue reading...

Australia urged to quash convictions of all Indonesian children jailed as adult people smugglers

Posted on by

Exclusive: Leader of successful class action says government should ‘step in to overturn the convictions’, amid calls for a formal apology

The Indonesian fisher who led the challenge against Australia’s unlawful detention of hundreds of children found on people-smuggling boats has urged the government to help quash all remaining convictions linked to the scandal.

The federal government relied on a deeply flawed age assessment technique – interpretations of wrist X-rays – to detain hundreds of Indonesian children found crewing people-smuggling boats in 2009 and the early 2010s.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...