The Jakarta Post

For many commuters on the Kampung Bandan-Cikarang line, popularly known as the Blue Line, a recent deadly collision at Bekasi Timur Station has turned an ordinary train ride into a source of quiet anxiety.

The April 27 evening crash in West Java killed 16 women on their way home, leaving survivors and daily passengers grappling with fear while renewing scrutiny of Indonesia’s rail safety system.

The incident began when a taxi stalled at a level crossing after reportedly crashing through the railway gate.

A commuter train bound for Bekasi struck the vehicle, forcing another commuter train traveling toward Cikarang to make an emergency stop at Bekasi Timur Station.

Moments later, the intercity Argo Bromo Anggrek train, traveling from Gambir Station in Jakarta to Surabaya Pasar Turi Station in East Java, slammed into the halted commuter train on the same track, crushing the rear carriage reserved for women passengers.

Weeks later, the tragedy continues to weigh heavily on those who depend on the line every day.

#Archipelago story by Nur Janti.

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2 days ago | [YT] | 5

The Jakarta Post

Misinformation circulating on social media about vaccines causing disease paralysis, behavioral problems, or worse has become an issue as the number of measles cases in Indonesia has soared, becoming the second-highest in the world behind only war-torn Yemen, according to the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI).

#Society story by AFP/Dessy Sagita.

Photos by AFP/Juni Kriswanto.

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4 days ago | [YT] | 13

The Jakarta Post

As Indonesia approaches a demographic crossroads, the decision to delay marriage and parenthood is less a private preference and more a rational response to a society that has yet to build a support system for the modern family.

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#Opinion by Suryo Adi Rakhmawan.

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5 days ago | [YT] | 24

The Jakarta Post

The number of areas in Jakarta classified as slum housing has decreased by more than half in the past decade, according to official data, as the city administration continues pushing an urban renewal drive in low-income neighborhoods.

#Jakarta story by Gembong Hanung.

Illustrated by Adinda.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 13

The Jakarta Post

After seven people were killed in a devastating landslide at the Bantargebang landfill in March, the Jakarta governor has issued an instruction mandating waste sorting at home before disposal, though supporting facilities including public education remain a challenge.

Story by Vidya Pinandhita.

Photos by AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba.

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#5W1H

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1 week ago | [YT] | 7

The Jakarta Post

In Understanding Jokowi: Progressive Realism in Indonesian Politics, 2014-2024, a new book by Jean Couteau, a columnist and observer of Indonesian political, social and cultural life for half a century, the author positions himself as an ideologist a posteriori of the policies and practical reforms of Indonesia’s seventh president, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

#Book review by Eric Buvelot.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 6

The Jakarta Post

The recent expansion of Army battalions across Indonesia has raised concerns over what analysts describe as “creeping militarization” under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, pointing to a growing presence of military roles in civilian affairs that could weaken civilian supremacy.

#Politics story by Radhiyya Indra.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 8

The Jakarta Post

On Monday night, an intercity train traveling from Jakarta to East Java slammed into the rear car of a commuter train at Bekasi Timur Station in Bekasi, West Java.

The commuter train had been waiting for clearance to continue its journey after another train on the opposite track struck a stalled electric taxi at a nearby level crossing.

#Jakarta story by Maretha Uli.

Photos by REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan.

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The Jakarta Post

Indonesia will lend a breeding pair of endangered Komodo dragons to Japan under an agreement signed Wednesday between zoos from the two countries that emphasised the project's conservation merits.

The five-year renewable deal, criticised by animal rights group PETA, will in turn see Indonesia's Surabaya Zoo receive a pair of red pandas, a pair of giraffes, four Aldabra giant tortoises and two female Japanese macaques from iZoo in Kawazu in Japan's Shizuoka prefecture, officials said.

"This is not just animal exchange. This is a bridge between our two countries, Japan and Indonesia," iZoo director Tsuyoshi Shirawa said at the signing ceremony.

Indonesia's environment ministry said in a statement this month the programme's main objective was "long-term conservation".

PETA Asia has expressed concern that any dragon offspring born in Japan will be "condemned to a lifetime of confinement".

"True conservation protects Komodo dragons where they belong -- in their natural habitats -- not by exporting them for political optics or public relations gains," PETA Asia president Jason Baker said in a statement.

The ministry said conservation of the dragons in their natural habitat remained "the main priority".

"Through this cooperation, it is hoped there will be more Japanese people and tourists coming to Indonesia, particularly to the Komodo National Park... to witness Komodos in their natural habitat," Indonesian forestry official Ahmad Munawir said at Wednesday's event.

Story by AFP.

Photos by AFP/Juni Kriswanto.

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#Portraits.

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 20

The Jakarta Post

A narrative nonfiction account of 20 Indonesian engineers working across 120 countries reveals the reality behind meritocracy, where resilience, not reputation, determines who lasts.

#Book review by Alexandra Kayla.

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 8