Australia’s minister says translation glitches delay trade deal with Indonesia
Australia’s trade minister said translation issues were behind the delay of a billion-dollar free trade agreement with Indonesia, downplaying a friction between the countries over Australia’s possible Jerusalem embassy.
—Â The Straits Times
Parents of Lion Air Crash Victim File US Lawsuit Against Boeing
The parents of one of the passengers of Lion Air flight JT-610 have filed a lawsuit in the United States against the manufacturer of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet that crashed into the Java Sea near Jakarta on Oct. 29.
— Jakarta Globe
Jakarta toughens rules on repatriating revenues from resource exports
Indonesia’s government is tightening requirements to force companies to repatriate revenue from the export of natural resources, a minister said on Friday, as authorities seek to support a fragile rupiah currency.
— BusinessWorld Online
Govt looks to private employees to fill public jobs after 90% of applicants fail basic test
The government is planning to recruit private employees for civil-servant positions starting next year in a bid to create a “competitive bureaucracy”.
— The Jakarta Post
Hypertension Problem in Indonesia Nearly Reaches 40 Percent, Health Minister: May Cause State Loss
Minister of Health Nila Moeloek said the problem of hypertension in Indonesia is almost 40 percent. If the amount continues to increase, it will cause state losses.
— Netral News
Indonesia moves to shore up economy
Indonesia announced yesterday a new economic stimulus package to support the rupiah and spur growth in the lead-up to the presidential election in April, which has seen the country’s ailing economy emerging as a critical issue for President Joko Widodo’s administration two months into campaigning.
—Â The Straits Times
Indonesia – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband – Statistics and Analyses
Mobile broadband penetration surges in Indonesia Indonesia still faces some big challenges if it is to successfully continue the building of the telecommunications infrastructure required to support a large population spread over what is a uniquely complex geography.
— AEC News Today/ PR Newswire (media release)
The potential of IoT in Indonesia
The market share of the Internet of Things (IoT) in Indonesia, according to the Indonesian Minister of Industry, is expected to grow rapidly.
— Open Gov
In Indonesia, fault lines are ticking time bombs
Sinking feeling: Residents search for their home in the Petobo are of Palu, Central Sulawesi, where entire hamlets were swallowed by the Earth or carried away by streams of sludge that surfaced after an earthquake triggered soil liquefaction.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)The chance to escape is probably slim when, or if, a big earthquake happens.
— The Jakarta Post (paywall)
Surabaya redux: terror time bomb fears as Indonesia frees Islamic extremists
On May 13 and 14, 28 people were killed and dozens more injured in multiple bombings carried out by three families in Surabaya, East Java.
— South China Morning Post
Jayawijaya District Govt ensures sufficient food stocks
The Jayawijaya District Government in Papua Province has ensured that food stocks remain secure until the end of November but an immediate availability of new supplies is needed ahead of this year`s Christmas.
— Antara News
Britain, Indonesia Collaborate to Improve Medical Quality
Britain and Indonesia collaborated through Health Education workshops to improve the quality of medical personnel, especially for Indonesia, through cooperation and mutual exchange of inter-professional health experiences.
— Tempo.co
Criminalised victims of sexual harassment
The last few times her superior at a school in Mataram, on the Indonesian island of Lombok, called her on the telephone, the conversation turned uncomfortable after it veered to include the vulgar detail of his sexual exploits and an invitation to sexual encounters in hotels.
— The Asean Post
China, Indonesia agree to promote bilateral cooperation
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo here on Saturday and reached a series of important consensus on deepening ties.
— Xinhua
Malaysia committed to channelling disaster aid to Indonesia
Malaysia continuous to be committed towards channelling aid to the people of Indonesia affected by natural disasters as they share the same roots and the ASEAN spirit, said Malaysia’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa.
— Borneo Bulletin Online
Agriculture Ministry Releases Exports of Coconut Products to 18 Countries
The Ministry of Agriculture releases the exports of Dessicated Coconut to several destination countries.
— Netral News
‘Guilty Until Proven Innocent’ – Trust Deficit Costs Indonesian Charities Billions of Dollars
Even though Indonesia has been named the world’s most generous nation in the 2018 World Giving Index, its unsupportive regulatory environment, scandals involving donor funds, and a lack of transparency among nongovernment organizations have contributed to little or no trust among the country’s richest to donate money to charities.
— Jakarta Globe
Government Too Ambitious in Seeking Free Trade: IGJ
The Indonesian Government is too ambitious in its attempts to have international free trade agreements, an observer said.
— Tempo.co
‘Waria’ told to leave their home in Jakarta amid anti-LGBT campaign
Seven transgender people in Sumur Utara, Klender, East Jakarta, have been told by residents to leave a boarding house they are currently staying at.
— The Nation
Indonesia’s vigilante mobs deliver ‘justice’
It was just after dawn prayers when the caretaker at a Jakarta mosque noticed a man stealing from the donation box, prompting a furious mob to beat him to death – for taking the equivalent of US$130.
— The Asean Post
Sabah to face critical labour shortage: Tangau
NABAWAN: Sabah will face a labour shortage 10 years from now as Indonesia, a major supplier of workers to Malaysia, begins to lure back its citizens working abroad, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau.
— Yahoo News
Indonesia is More Peaceful Than Other Islamic Countries: VP Kalla
Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK) said that Indonesia, as the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, is more peaceful than other Islamic countries today, and therefore people should be grateful for the condition.
— Tempo.co
Tougher palm oil rules agreed amid polarising debate over crop
The organisation promoting the sustainable cultivation and use of palm oil has agreed to tighten rules on the production of the crop, requiring companies to commit to not cause deforestation or plant on wetland in order to secure certification, amid contentious debate over the product’s use and impact on the environment.
— Al Jazeera
Inalum Ready to Wrap Up Deal with Freeport Indonesia
State-owned mining holding company PT Inalum said it has succeeded in raising enough fund to acquire a majority 51 percent stake in PT Freeport Indonesia ending years of brain racking negotiations over control of one of the world largest copper and gold mines in Papua.
— Tempo.co
Indonesian women fight against HIV-related stigma
Baby Rivona Nasution left Indonesia in 2001 to work as a domestic worker in Malaysia, escape her drug addiction and change her life for the better.
— La Croix
Indonesian regional authority prepares regulation to ‘block’ LGBTI community
A provincial administration in Indonesia says it is preparing to issuing a regulation to restrict LGBTI movement.
— Gay Star News
Nahdlatul Ulama calls on Supreme Court to release Nuril
The Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has spoken up to support Baiq Nuril Maknun, a resident of Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, who is facing jail time for defaming a man that allegedly harassed her.
— The Jakarta Post
Sabah’s First Creative IT Hub Seeks to Virtually Connect Talent
With the youth starting to assume an increasingly larger role globally in developing the creative economy, an information technology hub in Sabah, Malaysia, seeks to provide both local and regional talent with a platform to show off their work.
— Jakarta Globe
‘It never used to be this bad’: Moral panic targets Indonesia’s LGBT community amid 2019 elections
Indonesian Budi Ahmad used to live openly as a gay man without fear of becoming a target for violence in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation. Not any more. The country of 260 million is in the grip of a moral panic, with critics saying the vulnerable LGBT minority is being used as a political punching
— Coconuts Indonesia (paywall)
Steps to borrow maize from private firms inappropriate: Observer
The government`s step to borrow 10 thousand tons of maize from two large feed mill companies is inappropriate, professor of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture Dwi Andreas who is also an observer said.
— Antara News
Bareskrim Arrests Three Suspects of Email Fraud with Victims from Various Countries
Three suspects of fraud through Internet to hack victims’ e-mails and reap profits were captured by the Directorate of Cyber Crimes of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of National Police (Polri) Headquarters.
— Netral News
Animal Cruelty: Pet dogs stolen and slaughtered in Bali meat trade
Every year in Bali thousands of dogs are snatched in the middle of the night and sold for meat in what is known as the “dogma” trade.
— 9 News
With freedom to break law on roads, comes deadly accident
Every year, at least 1 million new cars and about 6 million new motorcycles hit the roads in Indonesia with the drivers having the freedom to break traffic regulations.
— The Jakarta Post
North Sumatra’s regent nabbed in antigraft operation
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has apprehended several officials and businesspeople during an operation pertaining to alleged corruption in the regency of Pakpak Bharat in North Sumatra.
— The Jakarta Post
Exclusive: Inside Indonesia’s plans to fix corruption and inequality
Indonesia’s four richest people own as much wealth as its poorest 100 million citizens, while its poorest 10% live on as little as 76 cents a day, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported in March 2018.
— Gov Insider
Christian school rumor leads to closure of vocational academy in Batam
Dozens of residents of a housing complex in Batam, Riau Islands, and members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) attacked on Friday a vocational school building, forcing the school’s closure.
— The Jakarta Post
Wounded tiger rescued from traditional market on Riau islet
After escaping a snare and hiding at a traditional market in Indragiri Hilir, Riau, for three days, a tiger was finally rescued on Saturday.
— The Jakarta Post
Flash flood sweeps through village near liquefaction-hit area in Sigi
Nearly two months after a strong earthquake and ensuing tsunami and soil liquefaction devastated the region, Sigi, Central Sulawesi, was struck by a flash flood on Friday, destroying dozens of houses in its way.
— The Jakarta Post
Malaysia and Indonesia are bucking the global trend on democracy
n October, Latin America’s most populous nation, Brazil, elected as president Jair Bolsonaro, a former military man and historically fringe, far-right senator known for his pro-gun, pro-torture views. In 1999, he told Brazilian television, “Elections won’t change anything in this country.
— Al Jazeera
Sumatran elephant found dead with missing tusks in Indonesia
A Sumatran elephant has been found dead with its tusks removed in an apparent poaching case targeting the critically endangered animal, an Indonesian conservation official said Friday (Nov 16).
— Channel News Asia
Dishub: 305 Points in Jakarta Prone to Flood
Jakarta Transportation Department (Dishub) recorded that 305 points in Jakarta are prone to flood. Dishub Acting Officer Sigit Wijatmoko said, 30 of them became the locations of puddle and flood each year.
— Tempo.coÂ
Feature photo Aliansi Laki-laki Baru (ALB)
This week’s Indonesia morning news feature photo acknowledges International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women November 25
Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).
Indonesia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Indonesia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities and is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Stella-maris Ewudolu
Between November 2010 and February 2012 she was a staff writer at Daylight Online, Nigeria writing on health, fashion, and relationships. From 2010 – 2017 she worked as a freelance screen writer for ‘Nollywood’, Nigeria.
She joined AEC News Today in December 2016.

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