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How Indonesia’s Soaring Iron Exports to China Creates Higher Tsunami Risks, Threatens Food Security In Local Village
In a small village on Indonesia’s Sumatra island that stares at the vastness of the Indian Ocean, tsunamis may come at any given moment. The village’s beautiful coastlines, rich with nature reserves of mangroves and corals, guard it against the disaster. But now, residents worry the coastlines will be destroyed as mining companies begin taking away their iron-rich sand.
For China Global South Project. Supported by Pulitzer Center.
When Palm Oil Conflict Costs Live
Residents in Bangkal village, Seruyan Regency, Central Kalimantan have been in conflict with palm oil giant PT Hamparan Masawit Bangun Persada owned by Tjajadi family since early 2000s. The conflict stemmed from company’s failure to provide twenty percent of its total land as part of partnership scheme stipulated by the government. Gijik, one of the residents, died after being shot during demonstration in October 2023.
For Project Multatuli.
Halmahera’s Last Fisherwomen
Before the mining companies came to Halmahera in the late 1990s, fisherfolk say their abundant catch were enough to support their families. But Halmahera’s natural riches also include resources like nickel – and demand for nickel is rising at the time of a climate emergency.
For Reporting ASEAN. Supported by Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
The Price of Indonesia’s Nickel Profits
Land grabbing, loss of traditional livelihoods, as well as rising health and environmental concerns are controversies hounding Indonesia’s grand global ambitions for its nickel industry.
For Asia Democracy Chronicles. Supported by Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Nickel Unearthed: The Human and Climate Costs of Indonesia’s Nickel Industry
I helped Climate Rights International conducting research on Indonesia’s nickel industry. The result is 100+-page report documenting human rights abuses, environmental, climate harms.
Photos by Muhammad Fadli for Climate Rights International.
Rempang residents say ‘For generations, we’ve lived here and will die here’
Residents fear Rempang’s industrialization will harm the environment. Farmers and fishers refuse to be uprooted from their land and livelihood.
For Ekuatorial. Supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Mandalika: Displacement in Four Acts
I went to Mandalika in July this year to report on the displacement of local communities following the development of Mandalika Special Economic Zone (KEK). Five years since the government determined to transform Lombok into world-class tourism destination, with Mandalika Circuit as its main attraction, local communities - who are mostly farmers and artisanal fisherfolk - were left in limbo far from their source of livelihoods, with no end in sight.
For Project Multatuli. Supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Winning friends by training workers is China’s new gambit
Vocational programs in 25 countries are part of Beijing’s softer approach to diplomacy.
For the Washington Post. Photos by Joshua Irwandi.
“The sea is swallowing us whole”: How sinking land, rising sea level threaten Semarang laborers
During 15 years of her work there, it was the first time Anjani* ever heard the blaring sound of an alarm at the factory. The 37-year-old woman works as a supervisor at the sewing department of a garment factory inside the industrial park. Seawater crept inside the factory and reached knee-deep in such a short period of time.
For Ekuatorial, supported by Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
The Tiny Indonesian Village That Makes YouTube Stars
A former retail worker taught his neighbors the art of content creation. Now, his hamlet is the unlikely heart of the country’s growing YouTube community.
Photos by Putu Sayoga.
For WIRED UK.
In Indonesia, a deadly inland earthquake exposes urgent preparedness gaps
As emergency teams continue to respond to the 21 November earthquake that struck Cianjur on Indonesia’s main island of Java, killing more than 320 people and injuring thousands, survivors are asking why there was so little preparedness and awareness-raising beforehand.
For The New Humanitarian.
Indonesia earthquake: school safety questioned as army joins rescue effort
Safety standards for school buildings in Indonesia should be prioritised after Monday’s earthquake, experts have said, as more rescuers and volunteers were deployed on Wednesday to search for the dead and missing from an earthquake that killed at least 268 people.
For The Guardian.
‘I can’t sleep for fear of aftershocks’: victims on aftermath of Indonesia earthquake
Homes damaged, roads blocked and families forced to live in tents as hospitals continue to treat injured.
For The Guardian.
Earthquake on Indonesia’s main island of Java kills at least 56 people
Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds injured after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s main island of Java, triggering landslides and collapsing buildings.
For The Guardian.
When it comes to climate justice, one small island is thinking big
One holiday island is now suing major cement producer for its global carbon emission.
For the Christian Science Monitor supported by Pulitzer Center.
How Police Action in Indonesia Led to Deadly Crush in the Soccer Stadium
A massive barrage of tear gas munitions fired by Indonesian police at soccer fans prompted the fatal crush in Malang last weekend that left at least 130 people dead, a Washington Post investigation shows.
For the Washington Post.
Anger mounts toward police as Indonesia reels from stadium tragedy
As hospitals and mosques in Malang, Indonesia, work to identify victims of Saturday’s stadium stampede, anger is mounting toward police and the role they might have played in the deadly disaster — particularly against the scandal-ridden National Police force.
For the Washington Post. Photos by EPA/EFE/Shutterstock.
Hundreds killed in stampede after soccer game in Indonesia
Hundreds of supporters died in stampede after a derby match between Arema FC and Persebaya in Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java on September 30.
For the Washington Post. Photos by AFP/Getty Images.
Indonesia's giant capital city is sinking. Can the government's plan save it?
Indonesia has grand plans for Jakarta—a new capital on Borneo, a giant bird-shaped sea wall to protect Jakarta itself—but they don’t solve the underlying problem.
For National Geographic. Photos by Joshua Irwandi.
Indonesia’s Viral Video Hit Factory
How one Indonesian village in East Java turned into a safe haven for successful YouTubers.
For WIRED UK Magazine September-October 2022 Issue. Photos by Putu Sayoga.
Their homes are sinking fast. Can their community survive?
As the north coast of Java, Indonesia, fades away, residents struggle to keep their town—and their history—from the same fate.
For National Geographic Magazine July 2022 issue and online.
Deception, exploited workers, and cash handouts: How Worldcoin recruited its first half a million test users
The startup promises a fairly-distributed, cryptocurrency-based universal basic income. So far all it's done is build a biometric database from the bodies of the poor. Reporting with Eileen Guo for MIT Technology Review.
Parigi Moutong Turns Blood Red
Erfaldi, a man in his early 20s, was fatally shot in the back during a violent demonstration rejecting a gold mining company Trio Kencana in Parigi Moutong, Central Sulawesi on February 12. Projectile found in his body means there was a violation of police’s standard operating procedure, Tirto.id investigation found.
As the tide rises, Indonesia struggles to save the living—and the dead
The land is sinking so fast on the north coast of Java that villages and at least one cemetery are being drowned. Climate change is to blame—and overuse of groundwater.
For National Geographic. Photos by Aji Styawan.
Coal Fever in Indonesia
A small island lacking electricity, a country that relies heavily on coal, and a China no longer investing in overseas coal power.
A collaboration between TirtoID x Initium Media x Earth Journalism Network. Photo by Willy Kurniawan for Reuters.
Child sex trafficking endures in Bali despite collapse of international tourism
The pandemic. Lockdowns. Job scarcity. Economic slowdown. Decimated tourism industry. All have contributed to the rise of child sex trafficking on the island of the gods.
For the Los Angeles Times. Supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Bali’s dark side: Covid-19 fuels rise in sex trafficking, online prostitution
Indonesian authorities have recorded an increase in human trafficking cases this year, while child exploitation is also on the rise. Activists say trafficking is also rife in Bali and there has been a rise in online prostitution via chat messaging apps.
For South China Morning Post supported by Pulitzer Center.
With just 75 cents and a smartphone, you can now trade crypto in Indonesia
Crypto is booming on the archipelago. Its proponents aren’t who you’d think. Report for Rest of World.
The Business of Death
A collaboration between Tirto.id, Project Multatuli, and Greenpeace Indonesia, investigating how the largest manning agency in Indonesia intimidates and extorts Indonesian migrant workers aboard foreign fishing vessels.
A Disgraced Paradise: Sex Trafficking in Bali
A project examining sex trafficking in the famous holiday island Bali. Published by Tirto.id, South China Morning Post, and LA Times. Supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Determining the Cause of Fire on Rinca Island
A fire broke out on November 2, on Rinca Island within the Komodo National Park, engulfing more than 10 hectares of land according to authorities. The cause of the fire is said to be that of natural causes: dry climate, high temperature and strong wind. Analysis on satellite imageries and an account of fire expert said the opposite.
For Tirto.id.
Disinformation in Indonesia: Framing Enemies of the State
A research funded by Civicus, exploring how state-sponsored disinformation works in Indonesia. Published in the Hijacking & Weaponizing the Narrative: Disinformation Amid Rising Repression in East Asia journal, 2021.
Indonesia’s pandemic-fuelled problem: Mounds of medical waste
From masks and gloves to IVs and COVID tests, reporter Adi Renaldi visits the landfills and dumpsites that are now home to toxic medical waste.
For Al Jazeera English. Supported by Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism.
5.0 (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Part of the Global Gig Workers project that examines, through the experience of gig workers, how digitization is reshaping working patterns, lifestyles and livelihoods. I hitched a ride with an online truck driver delivering orders from Jakarta to Bandung to learn about his experience.
For Rest of World. Photos by Muhammad Fadli.
Indonesia’s tech giants are battling to bring roadside stalls online
As unicorns and startups alike race to digitize millions of small retailers, the shops themselves aren't so sure. For Rest of World. Photos by Muhammad Fadli.
All that glitters is not gold
Meet the women who defend their land and the environment against the Canadian gold mining company Baru Gold Corp. in Sangihe Island. More than 500 hectare of land in Bowone and Binebase will be turned into open-pit mining.
For Tirto.id. Supported by Earth Journalism Network.
The Sangihe Gold Rush
More than half of the Sangihe Island will be exploited by Canadian company Baru Gold Corp, raising fear of irreversible destruction. The residents are committed to defend their land at all cost.
For Tirto.id. Supported by Earth Journalism Network.
Indonesia’s invisible people face discrimination, and sometimes death, by database
LGBTQI communities, religious minorities, and refugees are systematically excluded from the digital ID system used in Covid-19 vaccination.
For Rest of World supported by Pulitzer Center.
Indonesian submarine wreckage found, all 53 crew members dead, officials say
The submarine had split into three parts at the depth of 838 meter, with TNI commander announced all the 53 crew members dead.
For the Washington Post.
Indonesia finds items from missing submarine, indicating it has sunk
After three days of search and rescue mission, the Navy has declared that the missing KRI Nanggala 402 submarine bas been sunk at the crushing depth of 850 meter, following the discovery of debris believed from the vessel.
For the Washington Post.
Missing Indonesian submarine crew face diminishing survival prospects
With oxygen on a missing Indonesian submarine due to run out within hours, the chances of survival were growing increasingly slim Friday for 53 crew members aboard the vessel — if it is still intact after an underwater accident.
For the Washington Post.
Indonesia’s Dream of Silicon Valley
An Indonesian politician and a business man planned to turn a 888-hectare palm oil plantation and agrotourism into the next Silicon Valley. Who are those behind the plan? And will it work?
For Tirto.id
Pollution and foreign debt: Indonesia’s unhealthy addiction to coal
Despite lawsuits and local protests, new coal-fired power plants are still being built on Java to supply an already saturated grid. This is a multimedia project consisting of short documentary videos, photos, and longform piece commissioned by China Dialogue.
‘There’s no virus here’: An epic vaccine race against all odds in Indonesia
The health officials were racing against the clock. Doses of the coronavirus vaccine had to reach Sabang, a city on the mountainous Weh Island in the Andaman Sea, by that afternoon. It was early February, and Indonesia was falling behind on its plan to vaccinate health workers, a crucial step in one of the world's most ambitious immunization campaigns.
For the Washington Post supported by Pulitzer Center.
Surviving via 'VCS': Indonesians turn to virtual sex work amid COVID-19
COVID-19 has forced thousands, if not millions, of sex workers to adapt in order to survive. Some found a way they never thought it would exist: video call sex.
For the Jakarta Post.
Indonesia's LGBTQ community angry at rise of conversion therapies
Islamic 'ruqyah' treatments include extreme methods such as rape and exorcism.
For Nikkei Asia.
Indonesia's special needs children struggle for proper online education
Special needs children had been left behind long before the pandemic, according to Dr. Joko Yuwono, an expert on education for special needs kids at Sebelas Maret Univ. Pandemic has plunged them even deeper into a state of uncertainty.
For the Jakarta Post.
Jakarta’s ‘sad clowns’: Boon for costume businesses
On the supply side of the informal badut jalanan (street clown) sector, costume retail and rental businesses have actually been thriving during the health crisis. Facebook Groups selling new and secondhand costumes see thousands of users looking to buy or sell costumes.
For the Jakarta Post.
Jakarta’s ‘sad clowns’: Resilience and fortitude during COVID-19
As the Indonesian economy dwindles to an all-time low and millions lose their jobs or livelihoods, these badut sedih, or "sad clown" as many Jakartans call them, can be seen roaming every busy intersection, in the road and on the curb.
For the Jakarta Post.
Indonesia’s anti-vaxxers: Between religion and lack of information
Vaccine hesitancy rate remains high in some provinces. Lack of data transparency, disinformation, and religious reason have contributed to reluctancy, while the government is racing against time to vaccinate more than 181 million people.
Published by The Jakarta Post with the support from Pulitzer Center.
Down and Out in Bandung’s Dollar City
Final part of a two-part series examining pollution at Citarum’s headwater. This story was supported by a grant from Internews Earth Journalism Network.
Fear and Loathing at Citarum’s Pollution Ground Zero
Part 1 of a two-part series examining pollution at Citarum’s headwater. This story is published by New Naratif and supported by a grant from Internews Earth Journalism Network.
Can A Parade Of Coffins Scare People Into Wearing Masks?
In one of the more macabre attempts at public health messaging, Indonesian officials had an idea: What if they build coffins, put dummies wearing masks inside them — then display them around the capital city of Jakarta?
State-Sanctioned Land Grabbing Threatens Indonesia’s Indigenous Peoples
Through intricate schemes and web of laws, not only has the Indonesian government marginalized the indigenous people, but also seized their customary lands to serve the greed of corporations. This year the Joko Widodo administration passed a presidential regulation and planned to pass the controversial Omnibus Law that would further pushed indigenous people out of their lands that have been their homes for centuries. All in the name of ‘greater good.’
Indonesia’s Poor Medical Waste Management May Worsen the Pandemic
As confirmed cases of COVID-19 has reached more than 100,000, Indonesia’s poor medical waste management may worsen the pandemic. Of more than 2,800 hospitals across Indonesia, only 82 have their own medical waste treatment.
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. Published by Mongabay Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Steady Stream of Medical Waste
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, medical waste was an environmental problem in Indonesia, found in almost all the nation’s landfills. This year, a documented rise in medical refuse in Indonesian waterways threatens both the environment and human health.
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. Published by New Naratif.
For Jakarta’s Informal Workers, the Pandemic Brings More Uncertainty Than Ever for the Future
For all the tragedy it has inflicted, COVID-19 has also exposed the extreme vulnerability of informal workers. While some people have the privilege to work from home during the pandemic, informal workers have no choice but to go out there, making around or less than IDR100,000 (US$6.92) per day.
Tracing the Infected: How Far Can COVID-19 Mass Surveillance Work in Indonesia?
There are currently five contact tracing apps available, but as the government eased large-scale restrictions, the efficacies of using such technology may be hard to prove. As of today, there’s no quantifiable gauge as to the success of contact tracing nationwide, which perhaps speaks to the difficulty of surveilling some 267 million people.
Stretched Thin: Inside Jakarta’s Ambulance Service Fighting the Pandemic
As COVID-19 has spread across Indonesia, with Jakarta at the centre of viral transmission, the capital’s under-resourced Emergency Ambulance Service and relatively small number of first responders and vehicles have become increasingly overwhelmed.
The Race to Invent Cheap Ventilators
Ventilators are in high demand across the globe as the COVID-19 pandemic ravages with no end in sight. Three businessmen in Jakarta set forth to invent cheap, simple, and non-invasive ventilators.
‘We Are Closer to the Dead’: Frontline Workers Who Take Over When Coronavirus Patients Die
VICE followed a hearse driver, undertakers, and healthcare workers in Indonesia for a week to understand the challenges they face.
Terror at Sea: Thousands of Indonesian Fishermen Under Threat of Abu Sayyaf Kidnappings
Since 1990s, thousands of Indonesian fishermen migrated to neighboring Malaysia for a better catch and a better life. Some risked being kidnapped by the notorious terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. This is the story of a survivor.
Inside West Papua’s Forgotten Refugee Camps
Tens of thousands live in subpar conditions due to ongoing violence between the military and pro-independence fighters. The ensuing armed conflict, which continues with no end in sight, has forced 45,000 civilians from 13 districts in Nduga to relocate to the nearby city of Wamena.
Inside the Indonesian Hospital Treating Gaming Addiction
Some Indonesian children spend eight hours in front of a screen daily. VICE visited a mental hospital dedicated to treat gaming addiction. “Every week we treat dozens of patients with gadget addiction,” explained a doctor at the hospital.
Student Protests Erupt Across Indonesia in Response to Controversial Amendments to Criminal Code
They're rallying against changes that would criminalise extramarital sex and a law that would weaken the country's anti-corruption agency.
We Visited a Mass Female Circumcision Ceremony in Indonesia
Parents bring girls as young as 3 months old to undergo the procedure that is known to cause sexual dysfunction, cysts, and birthing complications. “Most hospitals don’t do this anymore. But at this event, the procedure is free and we get cash for participating,” one of the mothers told VICE.
Jakarta’s Floods Are Yet Another Wake-Up Call on Climate Change
Nearly 100,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes, while 60 have died. The efforts of Jakarta’s local government, or lack thereof, have failed its most vulnerable citizens.
Inside Indonesia’s Sharia Village Havens
For proponents of Islam’s strict sharia law, a society without smoking, music, and indecent clothing is a dream come true. In Indonesia, where a halal lifestyle (from halal cosmetics to halal tourism) is already available, that dream is a reality for thousands of families.
Businesses Are Not Handling Indonesia’s Massive Community-Destroying Oil Spill Well
Locals and environmentalists believe Indonesia’s biggest oil company is orchestrating a cover-up following an oil spill that left a community in ruins.
We Visited Indonesia’s Giant Community-Destroying Oil Spill
Thousands of local residents were deployed by state-owned oil and gas operator Pertamina to clean up the Karawang beaches from oil sludge caused by the leakage of an offshore well in the Java Sea.
The Islamic Boarding School for Transgender
Al-Fatah Islamic boarding school was established in 2008 in Yogyakarta by Shinta Ratri. The boarding school was attacked and shutdown by hardliners, when discrimination against minorities and LGBTQ community was on the rise since the 2014 presidential election. However, its members refused to back down for the sake of their religious freedom.
Mass Confusion
A three-part series investigating the rise of fake news and hoaxes in the run-up to Indonesia's 2019 presidential election. Writer Adi Renaldi spent weeks interviewing political buzzer, election campaign coordinators, and fact checkers.
What to Do About Indonesia's Forgotten Women and Children of ISIS
A study uncovered that of the known 41,490 foreign members of ISIS, only 7,366 have returned home. Two hundred thirteen of those foreign ISIS members were Indonesians—all of them women and children.
The Inside Story of JAD, Indonesia's Newest, and Deadliest, Terrorist Group
The story of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah, the now-notorious terrorist organization behind a string of deadly attacks, including the suicide bombing of three churches and a police station in Surabaya, began in the hilly resort town of Batu, less than an hour outside the city of Malang, East Java.
Surabaya Attacks Shine Light on Indonesia's Juvenile Jihadist Problem
Four of the six attackers in the first string of suicide bombings were children. This was the first time in Indonesia that so many members of the same family were involved in a terrorist attack.
Chasing Ghost Barges Off the Coast of Java
Karimunjawa's location has been both a blessing and a curse. The waters off the northern coast of Java are some of the most-heavily trafficked in the world. Worst yet, coal barges are destroying protected coral reef around Karimunjawa islands.
Hitching a Ride on Bali's Highway of Death
Hundreds have died on Bali's "Skull Track," but the danger hasn't stopped Indonesia's truckers from chancing their luck.
Can Indonesia Combat Radicalism By Having Terrorists Meet Their Victims?
The BNPT's first meeting of the victims and perpetrators of terrorist attacks was heralded as an important step forward. Was it actually a success?
Meet The Former Mujahideen Behind Indonesia's Fight Against Terrorism
Nasir Abas has been called a radical, a traitor, and a marked man. And he might be Indonesia's best resource in the fight against terrorism.
Land Reclamation Is More Complicated Than You Ever Imagined
Tens of millions of dollars, forced evictions, protests, and a sinking city have combined to make one of the most complex problems Jakarta has ever faced.