Indonesia News Today

Four Australian friends were found safe after going missing in Indonesian waters off their coasts. Find out the best info about berita selebriti.

On Bali, a new hotline and task force have been implemented to crack down on bad behavior from tourists.

Climate expert Ian Peat says the world remains on track to meet its Paris Agreement goals, yet progress is slowing.

Miss Universe Indonesia pageant scandal

Miss Universe Organization abruptly severed ties with its Indonesia franchise and canceled an upcoming Malaysia beauty pageant after multiple women complained of forced body checks at local pageant pageants. Women representing various cities and provinces said they were required to strip down to their underwear in front of other participants and men in an open room; five participants were even photographed topless, according to lawyer Mellisa Anggraini, who represented them.

Alleged incidents occurred at a contest held from July 29 to August 3 in Jakarta to select Indonesia’s representative for this year’s international Miss Universe competition in El Salvador. 23-year-old business graduate Fabienne Nicole Groeneveld won this local contest and plans to compete at an international event.

Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country, so Miss Universe pageants in Indonesia often encounter strong resistance from hardline Islamists who oppose its bikini round. But local organizers PT Capella Swastika Karya have made efforts to appease critics by canceling it and moving the event from Jakarta to Bali, which offers a more secular environment for competitions.

Australian man dies tragically in Bali.

An Australian tourist was killed while staying in Bali after falling through a door connecting his room and verandah of their hotel while drunk, according to police investigations.

The family of Sydney man Charlie Bradley, who died while vacationing with friends in Bali, has spoken with witnesses of his passing. On Wednesday night, they all had drinks at Uncle Benz bar in South Kuta and then headed back together on another outing to play golf at Kerobokan Golf Course.

After being taken to a medical facility, where he was declared dead, Beth Bradley spoke to several individuals who assisted Bradley before hearing screaming before his passing.

A drink-poisoned Australian national who died in Bali mistakenly mixed with vodka at a bar, where unscrupulous bar owners routinely add methanol as a cheap alcohol alternative such as beer and whisky to save money – just a few teaspoons can cause blindness and liver damage, it remains unknown if the bar had a license to operate or not.

Australians were deported for bad behavior.

An investigation involving a multimillion-dollar bribery case in Indonesia’s palm oil belt demonstrates the widespread corruption across the nation.

Even with global attention on asylum seeker rights, many Indonesians still perceive foreigners as misbehaving and being unwanted guests. Silmy Karim, Bali’s director of immigration, stated that police were taking an “even more direct and firm approach in law enforcement against delinquent foreign nationals.”

Four Australian surfers were recently found alive after spending 36 hours drifting at sea off Indonesia’s coast before being found by rescue crews. Steph Weisse, Jordan Short, Elliot Foote, and Will Teagle believe they were lucky to escape an unfortunate boat capsize incident and say their luck saved their lives.

Local press reports abound of police demanding bribes in traffic cases and criminal investigations, as well as corrupt officials harassing migrants returning from abroad with extortion, theft, random strip searches, and other abuses. Furthermore, corrupt officials use laws against blasphemy and defamation selectively against opponents or suppress freedom of speech to intimidate opponents or suppress free speech.

Dutch museums handing back cultural artifacts

The Netherlands is returning hundreds of cultural artifacts looted from Indonesia and Sri Lanka during colonial rule by Dutch troops – including the Cannon of Kandy with its inlaid rubies bearing Sinhalese lions as well as Lombok Treasure looted from a Balinese palace by them – they were often taken by force.

A 2020 government advisory committee called for implementing a system to help facilitate requests from countries seeking the return of artifacts taken without their permission. Under these new guidelines, claims would be examined, with a one-year deadline before returning any item(s).

Activists campaigning to close brutal markets in Indonesia where dogs and cats are brutalized before being sold as meat are finally celebrating a victory: Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry has banned the dog meat trade from May to June; should this ban be enforced, it could save thousands of lives annually from diseases like rabies.

Earthquake shakes Java

Indonesia, located between Asia and Australia, is the world’s largest Muslim nation and Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. The population ranges from rural hunters and gatherers to modern urban elites; foreign investment opportunities abound while Islamist extremist groups launch attacks and unemployment levels soar.

Disaster mitigation agencies estimate the death toll from Monday’s 5.6 magnitude earthquake near Cianjur, Central Java, has increased to 268 people, with another 151 being missing, as reported by disaster mitigation agency. No tsunami was generated, and no significant damages were sustained in cities like Yogyakarta and Jakarta due to this quake, according to Disaster Mitigation Agency estimates.

Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is widely seen as one of Indonesia’s most beloved politicians, seen as relatively free from corruption while staying connected to ordinary Indonesians. But under mounting social pressure to address poverty and inequality, he has struggled to tamp down inflation as well as overdependence on oil exports, promising instead to promote domestic manufacturing, which may take some time.

Tsunami warning issued for parts of Indonesia

Indonesia made efforts following a tsunami that killed 230,000 people across 12 nations in 2004 to improve its disaster-management capabilities but still lacks an early warning system with full functionality.

West Sumatra was shaken by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Friday, prompting locals in Padang to move away from beaches as far away as East Timor, and Australia’s northernmost city, Darwin, felt its effects.

Warnings were initially issued across various areas of Australia; however, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, geophysics chief of BMKG geophysics department in Indonesia, two hours post-quake, this alert was canceled as there was no tsunami threat for Australia.

Campaigners working to close Indonesian animal markets where dogs and cats are cruelly killed to make meat are finally starting to see some success. One market, Tomohon Extreme Market in Jakarta, is set to become the first in Indonesia to go dog and cat meat-free on November 1.

Miss Universe Indonesia contestants forced to strip to their underwear

Miss Universe, beauty pageant organizers, have severed ties with its Indonesia franchise after six contestants allege sexual harassment. According to these women from Indonesia, two days before the crowning ceremony, they were required to remove clothing for body checks two days before being photographed topless.

Mellisa Anggraini, a women’s lawyer from Indonesia, stated that pageant organizer PT Capella Swastika Karya insisted upon scrutinizing pageant participants for scars and cellulite – including in an overcrowded room of over 20 people, including men – in an invasive check. These checks traumatized her clients, who felt violated.

She said it is uncertain how many more women will come forward with complaints, but will continue to fight for justice. The Miss Universe Organization issued a statement acknowledging and taking these claims very seriously; providing safe spaces for women is an utmost priority, and cooperating with law enforcement while offering witnesses all necessary support is also an obligation of this company.

Chinese Premier takes a test ride on Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang takes a test ride aboard Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway connecting two Indonesian cities as part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

This 142.3-kilometer (88.4-mile) railway was constructed by PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China, an alliance between Indonesian and Chinese companies, in partnership with state-owned China Railway International Co Ltd. The project initially had an expected cost of around $6 billion but has spiraled over 10 billion, leading to warnings that increased costs will strain Indonesia’s public finances and overshadow any short-term economic benefits.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan joined Prime Minister Abdurahman Wahid on his test ride from Halim KCBJ station in eastern Jakarta to Karawang, West Java, an approximately 11-minute trip. They were welcomed at the Halim station building by employees wearing ivory-white uniforms who waved Indonesian and Chinese flags as they passed.

Phillip Mehrtens has appeared in an alarming video alongside two of his rebel hostages to proclaim he will “not be silenced” while Indonesian authorities take steps against any inappropriate behavior.

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