As of 30 March, Indonesia reported 1,414 COVID-19 cases and a total of 122 related deaths – the highest reported in Southeast Asia. Even at the early stage of the outbreak, there was international scepticism surrounding Indonesia's response and reporting of its COVID-19 cases.In mid-February, Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T. H.

Indonesia's transport minister is in intensive care after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, an official said Saturday, as schools and tourist attractions were ordered to close over the health threat. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi was receiving treatment at an army hospital in Jakarta, according to State Secretary Pratikno.A hospital spokesman said Sumadi was encountering difficulty breathing but that his condition was improving.Pratikno said Sumadi was invo

Dutch King Willem-Alexander apologised to Indonesia on Tuesday for "excessive violence" during the former colony's independence struggle in the 1940s.The king made the remarks during a state visit to the country with Queen Maxima after a ceremony with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in the capital Jakarta.Indonesia declared its independence on 17 August, 1945 following a brief wartime occupation by the Japanese and several hundred years as a Dutch colony."The past cannot

For the last several months, “omnibus law” has become a popular mantra all over Indonesia. Indonesia’s president, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration is currently trying to take a big leap in creating jobs by proposing an omnibus bill on jobs and taxation. An omnibus law combines several pieces of legislation into one. An omnibus law is a law that is created for a specific issue that might affect by changing or repealing a certain law to make it more simplified.

Heading towards the end of last month, Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) had received proposals to revise constitutional provisions in order to increase the term of office for a president and vice president. The country’s current Constitution stipulates that a president and vice president may serve only two five-year terms in office, making for a maximum of 10 years.However, on 21 November, Assembly Deputy Speaker Arsul Sani revealed that proposals had been put forth f

Ten people, including several teenagers, were killed in Indonesia’s post-election riots, the human rights commission said Tuesday, as it accused police of beating up protesters.In its final report on the May riots, the agency Komnas HAM said four victims were underage and most had been shot in the capital Jakarta and demonstrations in Kalimantan, Indonesia’s section of Borneo island.Indonesia’s rights commission called on police to find the perpetrators, who it suspected were “actors trained,

Indonesian President Joko Widodo Wednesday named his election arch-rival – a former general accused of abuses – as defence minister, a move which dismayed human rights activists.Widodo unveiled his new cabinet at an informal presentation, with more than three dozen new ministers in eye-catching batik shirts sitting in front of the imposing neoclassical columns of the Merdeka Palace.Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, beat Prabowo Subianto in April elections to secure another term as president

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo was sworn in for a second term on Sunday, as helicopters flew overhead and troops kept watch in the capital Jakarta – days after Islamist militants tried to assassinate his top security minister.Foreign heads of state, lawmakers and political rivals looked on as Widodo, 58, and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, 76, read an oath to start a five-year tenure leading the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation.Outside parliament, red-and-white Indonesian flags dotted pa

Indonesia's human rights commission called for a probe into scores of deaths in Papua on Friday after some of the deadliest violence in years swept the restive region.Dozens were killed when riots broke out in Wamena city last month, with some victims burned alive when buildings were set ablaze, and others stabbed in the chaos.Since mid-August, Papua has been hit by waves of mass protests and violence fuelled by racism against indigenous Papuans by Indonesians from other parts of the arc

A controversial law critics say would weaken Indonesia's anti-corruption agency came into effect Thursday after it sparked nationwide protests that left at least three students dead and scores injured.The new bill was introduced as the Southeast Asian nation is on high alert ahead of President Joko Widodo's second-term inauguration Sunday, after Islamic State-linked militants tried to assassinate a government minister.Under tight security in the capital Jakarta on Thursday, about a