Indonesia
Classic Internet Censorship
I want us to consider the implications of this new reality: In three of the four most populous countries in the world, governments have now given themselves the power to order that the internet be wiped of citizens’ posts that the authorities don’t like. Indonesia — the world’s fourth-most populous country, and a democracy — […]
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Where Mantras Trump Medicine, Vaccines Are a ‘Violation’
KANEKES, Indonesia — When their ancestors warned them, through dreams and a bone-bitingly cold wind, to be careful, the community leaders of the Baduy people in Indonesia knew they needed to protect their villages from something bad that was on its way. So Jaro Nalim, one of the senior leaders in the Baduy hamlet of […]
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In Asia, Covid-19 Rules Fall Away, With a Big Caveat
MANILA — In the Philippines, tens of thousands are crowding into political rallies in Manila, and the zoo there is packed. In India, millions fanned out last weekend to celebrate a Hindu festival. And in South Korea, 15,000 fans descended on a stadium in Seoul for three nights to see the K-pop band BTS perform […]
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Southeast Asia’s Tourist Spots Are Open, but Visitors Are Scarce
Indonesia reopened the island of Bali to fully vaccinated tourists from 19 countries in October. But only two foreign nationals arrived that month — both by sea — and its airport is not yet receiving international flights. Bali, one of the world’s most popular destinations, is among several tourism hot spots in Southeast Asia that […]
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At Least 13 Dead as Indonesia’s Mount Semeru Erupts
Searing ash towered in the sky over the Indonesian island of Java on Saturday after the Semeru volcano erupted, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens of others. Indah Amperawati Masdar, the deputy head of East Java’s Lumajang District, near Mount Semeru, said in a news conference on Saturday that at least 41 people […]
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