All posts tagged: Indonesia

Five journalists missing after speedboat disappears while covering Indonesia volcano eruption

Five journalists missing after speedboat disappears while covering Indonesia volcano eruption

Published by Sam Flores

Eight people, including five journalists, have gone missing at sea while travelling to cover the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, authorities said on Wednesday. The group left aboard a speedboat bound for the volcanic island in the Sunda Strait on Monday afternoon, according to Indonesia‘s National Search and Rescue Agency, Basarnas. The five Indonesian journalists were travelling to capture photographs and video of the eruption. Two boat crew members and a guide were accompanying them, reported AFP. Basarnas said the boat lost contact with its owner soon after departure. According to the Banten Search and Rescue Office, the boat left at 2pm local time on 7 September. The last message from the boat was received by relatives of one of the journalists at 6.13pm on Monday, saying the group had arrived in waters around Anak Krakatau, reported the Associated Press. According to Indonesian weekly magazine Tempo, Basarnas had identified at least five people, including Antara photojournalist M Bagus Khoirunnas, Ari Basuki of local news outlet Merdeka, Yudhis of Indonesian TV channel iNews, Daus of Anadolu, …

Singaporeans in Indonesia advised to e-register with MFA amid Anak Krakatau eruption

Singaporeans in Indonesia advised to e-register with MFA amid Anak Krakatau eruption

Published by Sam Flores

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Embassy in Jakarta on Monday (Sep 7) advised Singaporeans in Indonesia to e-register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if they have not already done so, amid disruptions caused by the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau. The volcano has been erupting since Friday, with volcanic ash affecting parts of Indonesia and disrupting flight operations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and other airports. In a Facebook post, the embassy said the situation remained “fluid” and that further disruptions to flight operations could occur. “Singaporeans in Indonesia are advised to prioritise their safety, minimise outdoor activities and remain indoors where possible, monitor local news and official Indonesian government sources for the latest developments, and follow the advice of the local authorities,” the embassy added. For those whose travel plans are affected, the embassy advised contacting their airline for updates on cancellations, delays and alternative arrangements, noting that flight operations could change at short notice. It also advised travellers to contact their travel insurance providers to understand their coverage and options for assistance or …

Eight airports in Indonesia suspend operations after volcanic eruption

Eight airports in Indonesia suspend operations after volcanic eruption

Published by Sam Flores

Indonesia halted operations at its main international airport outside Jakarta on Sunday after ash spewed from the Anak Krakatoa volcano more than 150 kilometres away, impacting thousands of passengers. Mount Anak Krakatoa erupted on Saturday, producing a fountain of lava and booming sounds that could be heard up to a few hundred kilometres away, the geology agency said in a statement. Two new eruptions were recorded on Sunday, the volcanology agency warned. Ash from the volcano was detected in the airspace surrounding Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, prompting authorities to initially suspend operations from 1:30am Sunday (Saturday 18:30 GMT) to 5:30am. The suspension was extended three times, with the latest ending at 5:30pm Sunday “due to increased eruptive activity”, the airport said in a social media post. Operations have also been suspended at seven other airports including the Husein Sastranegara airport in Bandung and Radin Inten II airport near Bandar Lampung on Sumatra, the transportation ministry said in a statement.  Several airports in cities, including Semarang and Surabaya, have been prepared as “alternatives for landing”, Dudy added. …

Rescuers comb waters near Bali for 5 missing after ferry blaze

Rescuers comb waters near Bali for 5 missing after ferry blaze

Published by Sam Flores

JAKARTA: Rescuers combed the Lombok Strait off Indonesia’s Bali island on Thursday (Aug 13) for five people declared missing after a ferry fire that killed one and sent dozens of passengers scrambling overboard, officials said. A total of 211 people were rescued alive and brought ashore by vessels that rushed to the scene on Wednesday, including a navy ship and another ferry in the vicinity. A 19-year-old Indonesian woman was found dead. By Thursday, the effort had shifted to “the search for five passengers” unaccounted for, the search and rescue office of Mataram on Lombok island said in a statement. The ferry had been heading from Bali to Lombok when it ran into trouble in the early hours of Wednesday. “In addition to direct searches, we have also instructed ships passing through the Lombok Strait to provide initial assistance or immediately inform the command post if they find any victims,” the statement quoted search and rescue official Muhamad Hariyadi as saying. Survivor Kiky Okta Pradika, 25, told reporters in Lembar on Lombok island on Wednesday …

U.S. Repatriates Looted Cultural Artifacts to Indonesia

U.S. Repatriates Looted Cultural Artifacts to Indonesia

Published by Jenni Sidey

The United States has repatriated a collection of looted cultural artifacts to Indonesia, according to a report by the Associated Press. The handover took place July 22 at a meeting between Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto and FBI director Kash Patel in Jakarta. The returned items, from Indonesia’s Papua region, are part of the cultural heritage of the Dani and Asmat tribes and Lake Sentani communities, said Indonesia’s culture minister Fadi Zon. They were repatriated through cooperation between the FBI and the ministry after provenance research established that they had been smuggled out of Indonesia, Zon added. Source link

US Returns Two 8th-Century Looted Bronze Buddha Statues to Indonesia

US Returns Two 8th-Century Looted Bronze Buddha Statues to Indonesia

Published by Jenni Sidey

On Wednesday, the Indonesian Consulate in New York hosted an event celebrating the return of two 8th-century bronze sculptures to Indonesia. According to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the Buddhist sculptures were originally taken from archaeological sites in Republic of Indonesia by an organized looting network and sold to Douglas Latchford, the British dealer who died in Thailand in 2020, a year after he was indicted for trafficking antiquities, particularly from Cambodia. Latchford sold the bronzes, along with dozens of other looted objects, to an unnamed collector between 2003 and ’07. Source link

Australian-inspired home in Surabaya, Indonesia

Australian-inspired home in Surabaya, Indonesia

Published by Sam Flores

Having lived in Australia and met his wife there, the owner of SE House knew he wanted the country’s architectural aesthetic to be the starting point when it came time to build his home. This was, however, easier said than done, as the site is located not Down Under, but in a residential community in western Surabaya, Indonesia.  Instead of wide, open spaces, the site is bounded by a busy road at the front and a security guardhouse to one side. The tropical climate – with its heat, humidity and heavy downpours – is also a far cry from the cooler, drier weather the owner had grown accustomed to. It was therefore fortuitous that he engaged architect Giovanni Gunawan. A graduate of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Giovanni brought a strong understanding of Australian design. Being Indonesian himself, he was also intimately familiar with the country’s climate and cultural norms, allowing him to seamlessly meld the two to fulfil his client’s brief. Source link

MSCI downgrades Indonesia’s information flow criterion on transparency concerns

MSCI downgrades Indonesia’s information flow criterion on transparency concerns

Published by Sam Flores

MSCI on Thursday (Jun 18) downgraded Indonesia’s information flow criterion to negative, as it reiterated concerns around transparency in shareholding structures and signs of coordinated trading in the country’s stock market, in its 2026 Global Market Accessibility Review. Indonesia’s capital markets have plunged since MSCI, a provider of equity, fixed income, real estate indices, in January flagged transparency concerns and warned of a downgrade to frontier status from emerging, a move that could trigger outflows worth as much as US$13 billion. The benchmark Jakarta stocks index is down more than 27 per cent this year, making it the worst-performing major market in the world, with foreign investors having sold about US$3.76 billion worth of Indonesian stocks so far in 2026. The index provider said the downgrade reflected opacity in ownership data and market activity, which undermines proper price formation and constrains global investors’ ability to assess the true free float of listed companies. MSCI also pointed to foreign exchange market limitations as another barrier for investors. “There is no efficient offshore currency market and there …