Latest Indonesia News

AP PHOTOS: Scenes of devastation from the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

Dec. 21, 2024 12:29 PM EST

On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Sumatra, causing a massive wave that devastated Asian coastal communities across thousands of miles. Some 230,000 people died as the tsunami leveled remote villages, ports and tourist resorts in Indonesia,...

Indonesians mark 2 decades since the tragic tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands

Dec. 20, 2024 22:49 PM EST

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — Two decades after a catastrophic tsunami destroyed her village, Tria Asnani still cries when she recalls how she lost her mother while trying to escape the giant waves. Asnani, now a school teacher, was only 17 at the time. Her father, who was a...

Ailing French man on death row pleads to return home as Indonesia to pardon 44,000 prisoners

Dec. 20, 2024 06:07 AM EST

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An ailing French national on death row for drug offenses has made a last-ditch plea to be returned home, Indonesian authorities said Friday, as the new administration of President Prabowo Subianto planned to give pardon to 44,000 inmates nationwide. ...

Global demand spurring Indonesia's mining boom comes at a cost for many communities

Dec. 18, 2024 08:37 AM EST

KABAENA, Indonesia (AP) — The crystal blue waters that once surrounded Kabaena are murky brown now, and the octopi and colorful fish that locals used to catch nearby to eat and sell have fled. The lush seaweed they used to harvest is gone. And parents who grew up swimming happily in the Flores...

Filipina who won a last-minute reprieve from an Indonesian firing squad seeks clemency

Dec. 18, 2024 01:48 AM EST

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Filipino woman who spent years on death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking, and who was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015, said Wednesday she's happy to be back in the Philippines but is asking its president to set her free. Mary Jane Veloso...

Filipina who won a last-minute reprieve from an Indonesian firing squad returns home

Dec. 17, 2024 22:55 PM EST

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A Filipina woman who had been on death row in Indonesia, and who was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015, arrived home early Wednesday after longstanding requests from her home country. Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso had spent almost 15 years in prison for...

A zoo elephant dies in Indonesia after being swept away in a river

Dec. 17, 2024 13:06 PM EST

GIANYAR, Indonesia (AP) — An elephant that lived at the zoo on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali was found dead on Tuesday after being swept away by a strong river current. Molly, a 45-year-old female Sumatran elephant was one of two being guided by a mahout to a holding area...

Filipina who won a last-minute reprieve from Indonesian firing squad prepares to fly home

Dec. 16, 2024 22:42 PM EST

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A Filipina who was on death row in Indonesia and was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015 will return home this week under an arrangement between the countries, officials said Monday. Mary Jane Veloso, who spent almost 15 years in an Indonesian...

5 heroin traffickers return to Australia after almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons

Dec. 15, 2024 21:28 PM EST

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Five Australians who spent almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons for heroin trafficking returned to Australia on Sunday under a deal struck between the two governments, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The governments confirmed weeks ago that...

Filipino woman on Indonesia death row recalls a stunning last minute reprieve and 'miracle' transfer

Dec. 14, 2024 13:14 PM EST

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Filipino death row inmate Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso knelt to pray when officers came to take her to an execution site in May 2015, just a few feet away from her isolation cell on an Indonesian prison island, where a 13-member firing squad was waiting. ...