Jakarta will fine people who refuse COVID vaccines. Will it work?
Thomson Reuters Foundation Millions of people in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, will face a hefty fine or the loss of social aid if they refuse COVID-19 vaccines, an unusual penalty that followed the country’s decision to make inoculation mandatory. As Indonesia fights one of Asia’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, Jakarta residents who decline vaccination will be punished with […]
LIFESTORY: HOW A FORMER TERRORIST CAME TO LEAD A CHRISTIAN CONVERT MOVEMENT IN INDONESIA
STEFAN J BOS, of BosNewsLife, meets a former Islamic extremist turned underground Christian movement leader in Jakarta…
As flood waters recede, Jakarta residents file lawsuit against governor
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation More than 200 Jakarta residents have filed a lawsuit against the governor of Indonesia’s capital as they seek to hold authorities responsible over their inaction during some of the deadliest flooding in years, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said. At least 60 people were killed and nearly 175,000 were displaced after […]
To avert future flood chaos, Indonesian capital urged to defend nature
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Indonesia’s flood-hit capital Jakarta must protect and plant trees, stop extracting so much groundwater, and develop long-term plans together with surrounding towns if it is to keep pace with the growing threats from climate change, green groups said. Since 31st December, some of the heaviest rain since records began has […]
Indigenous people under threat from Indonesia’s plan to move capital
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Thousands of Indigenous people may be uprooted from their ancestral lands on Borneo island as large areas of forests are cleared to make way for Indonesia’s new capital, human rights groups said last week. President Joko Widodo said this week the new capital would be moved to the province of East […]
POLLUTION: ASIA’S COAL ADDICTION PUTS CHOKEHOLD ON ITS AIR-POLLUTED CITIES
With air pollution killing about seven million people prematurely worldwide every year, MICHAEL TAYLOR, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how worsening air pollution in Asian cities is contributing to the problem…
Indonesian Christian governor Ahok set for early release from prison
World Watch Monitor Jakarta’s former governor, known as “Ahok”, who was sentenced last year to two years in jail for blasphemy against Islam, is to be released from prison next month, four months ahead of schedule. The ethnic Chinese Christian, whose real name is Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, was due to be released in May but has been […]
Christian politician in Indonesia accused of blasphemy for opposing Sharia-based bylaws
World Watch Monitor A young Christian politician has been accused of blasphemy in Indonesia after criticising Sharia-based bylaws, Catholic news agency UCAN reports. Grace Natalie, 36, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), was reported to police by a conservative Muslim organisation after delivering her speech at her party’s gathering in Tangerang, near Jakarta, last […]
Almost 200 people missing after plane crashes into sea in Indonesia
Some 189 people – including passengers and crew – are missing off the coast of Indonesia after a Lion Air jet crashed into the sea just minutes after taking off from Jakarta’s airport. The Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, which was headed to Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka east of Sumatra, was last […]
Ahok refuses parole in Indonesia, as he hopes for early release
World Watch Monitor Jakarta’s former governor ‘Ahok’ might be released from prison in August. PICTURE: Open Doors International. The Christian former governor of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, known as “Ahok”, has refused parole in the light of a possibly early release for good behaviour in August, AsiaNews reports. Ahok’s sister, Fifi Lety Indra, wrote on social […]