Category: Indonesia

Australia Dispatches 2.5M Vaccine Doses to Reinforce Indonesia’s Pandemic Battle

The Australian government has stepped in to assist Indonesia in its battle to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the country, pledging 2.5 million doses of the locally manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine. Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world, is grappling with a second wave of the pandemic. Since March, the country has recorded…


US, Indonesia Building Maritime Training Center at Edge of South China Sea

Indonesia and the United States are building a new maritime training center at the strategic meeting point of the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea in a move to counter China’s increasing aggression in the region. The $3.5 million center began construction on Indonesia’s island of Batam, at the southern entrance to the strategic…


Italy Rejects Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines as China Admits They Are Less Effective Against Delta Variant

Italy has joined a growing list of countries casting doubt on Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines. Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi told reporters at the end of a European Union summit on June 22: “The Chinese vaccine … has shown itself not to be adequate. You can see that from Chile’s experience of tackling the epidemic.” More than…


Italy Rejects Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines as China Admits They’re Less Effective Against Delta Variant

Italy has joined a growing list of countries casting doubt on Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told reporters at the end of a European Union summit on June 22: “The Chinese vaccine … has shown itself not to be adequate. You can see that from Chile’s experience of tackling the epidemic.” More than…


Singapore Becomes Latest Country to Cast Doubt on China’s COVID-19 Vaccines

Singaporean health officials have publicly expressed concerns about significant risk reported with vaccines from China following hundreds of Indonesian health workers testing positive for COVID-19 last week despite being fully vaccinated with the Sinovac vaccine. Singapore is the latest country to cast doubt on the vaccine. Dozens of the more than 350 doctors and health workers…


Indonesians Rush Uphill After 6.1 Magnitude Quake Near Moluccas

JAKARTA—Hundreds of people near Indonesia’s Moluccas islands rushed to higher ground on Wednesday after an earthquake of magnitude 6.1, fearing aftershocks and a possible tsunami. The quake struck at a depth of 19 km (11 miles). There were no immediate reports of casualties. Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) urged people in a text message…


Indonesia Expands Submarine Fleet in Response to China’s Aggression in South China Sea

Indonesian military sources have revealed that the country is planning to expand its submarine fleet from four vessels to 12, in response to China’s repeated incursions into disputed waters in the South China Sea. Indonesia has the world’s third largest water territory under its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but currently has just four submarines. By…


Iranian Tanker Seized by Indonesia Is Released After 4 Months

JAKARTA—An Iranian-flagged tanker seized by Indonesia in January over the suspected illegal transfer of oil has been released, an Indonesian official and Iranian state media said on Saturday. Wisnu Pramandita, a spokesman for the Indonesian coastguard, said the Iranian-flagged tanker, the MT Horse, was released on Friday after a court decision earlier in the week….


West Papua Claims Responsibility for Death of Two Indonesian Soldiers

The West Papua Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the death of two Indonesian soldiers amid increasing tensions between Indonesia and Papuan separatists. This comes just weeks after the Indonesian government designated Papuan independence fighters and members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) as “terrorists,” following the killing of the province’s intelligence chief by rebel…


Indonesia’s Sinabung Spews Column of Volcanic Ash Into Sky

MEDAN, Indonesia—Indonesia’s rumbling Mount Sinabung erupted Friday, spewing a thick column of volcanic ash 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles) into the sky. Villages near the volcano in North Sumatra province have been relocated after past eruptions, and there were no further evacuations or casualties from the new blast. People have been advised to stay 5 kilometers…