How Indonesian village aid funds weapons for Papua’s rebellion
Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters Separatists in the Indonesian region of Papua where a New Zealand pilot was taken hostage in February have been siphoning off government aid money to buy black market guns for a deadly guerrilla war, officials say. The “Dana Desa” village fund introduced by President Joko Widodo in 2015 and valued at $US4.7 billion […]
Indonesia to demolish soccer stadium where stampede killed over 130
Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters Indonesia will demolish and rebuild a football stadium where a stampede killed more than 130 people this month, President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday as he vowed to “thoroughly transform” the sport in the soccer-mad nation. The President, popularly known as Jokowi, was speaking to reporters at the state palace after meeting Gianni […]
Indonesia passes law to relocate capital to Borneo jungle
Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters Parliament on Tuesday approved a bill to relocate Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to a site deep within the jungle of Kalimantan on Borneo island, the most significant advancement of an idea the country’s leaders have been toying with for years. The new state capital law, which provides a legal framework for President Joko […]
Indonesian President sends condolences to families of sunken submarine
Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Sunday the country’s missing submarine had been found sunken in the Bali Sea and that he had sent his condolences to the families of the 53 crew. “The army and navy have changed the status of the KRI Nanggala 402 submarine from having lost contact to being […]
Indonesian president orders Java rescue efforts after quake kills eight
Jakarta, IndonesiaReuters Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday ordered swift rescue and relief efforts after eight people died in an earthquake that hit off southern Java island. Three others were badly injured in Saturday’s magnitude-5.9 quake and more than 1,180 buildings were damaged, most of them slightly, the disaster agency BNPB said. Some houses were […]
As floods hit Borneo, Indonesia urged to boost climate action under Paris accord
Thomson Reuters Foundation Deadly floods across parts of Indonesia are a stark reminder of the climate change risks facing the South-East Asian nation, environmentalists said on Monday, urging the government to be more ambitious in its efforts to cut planet-heating emissions. South Kalimantan on Borneo island declared a state of emergency last week, after heavy rainfall and […]