A pair of volcanoes erupted today in Asia, one in Japan and another in Indonesia, and photographers in both countries have been sharing harrowing photos of the incidents.
Two Singaporeans and a local person were in no-go zone when they were killed, say officials
Three hikers – two Singaporeans and an Indonesian – have died in an eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Dukono volcano, where they found themselves in a no-go zone, officials said.
The eruption, on Halmahera island, sent an ash cloud about 6 miles (10km) into the air, with no towns or villages near enough to face any immediate threat.
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© Photograph: Jhon Frengki Manipa/Reuters
© Photograph: Jhon Frengki Manipa/Reuters
© Photograph: Jhon Frengki Manipa/Reuters
JAKARTA, May 8 — Indonesia recorded US$3.3 billion (RM12.9 billion) in net foreign portfolio inflows from January to April, driven by inflows into Bank Indonesia Rupiah Securities (SRBI) as the central bank intensified efforts to stabilise the rupiah amid global market volatility.
Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo said the inflows followed net outflows of US$1.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026.
“Year-to-date, inflows into SRBI reached 78.1 trillion rupiah (RM17.62 billion), while equity outflows totalled 38.6 trillion rupiah. Although government bonds recorded inflows in recent weeks, year-to-date outflows still stand at 11.7 trillion rupiah,” he said, according to Antara News Agency.
Perry said BI is implementing a strategy to strengthen the SRBI interest rate structure to attract foreign inflows and support rupiah stabilisation.
He said the central bank was going all out to maintain the rupiah exchange rate through various policies, including intervention in the offshore non-deliverable forward (NDF) market and spot and domestic non-deliverable forward (DNDF) transactions.
“The interventions are not limited to the domestic market, not only through spot and DNDF transactions, but are carried out around the world, around the clock.
“We intervene in the offshore NDF market. We intervene in Hong Kong, Singapore, London, and New York. This is not business as usual; we are all out,” he said.
He said the central bank has also relaxed restrictions on offshore rupiah-related NDF transactions for certain dealers and banks.
Perry said foreign exchange reserves remained more than sufficient to support rupiah stabilisation efforts, standing at US$148.2 billion at the end of March 2026.
“Please remember that foreign exchange reserves were accumulated during times of strong inflows. That is why we use them during periods of outflows. The reserves are substantial,” he said. — Bernama
JAKARTA, May 6 — Indonesia’s government is mulling an e-commerce ban for under-16s, the communications minister told AFP today, hot on the heels of Jakarta imposing a sweeping social media prohibition for teens.
“E-commerce (platforms) are next, because we found children who became scam victims through e-commerce,” Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid said in an interview in Jakarta, without providing further details.
In March, app-addicted Indonesia started enforcing a social media ban for under-16s in a bid to shield some 70 million children from the threats of online pornography, cyberbullying and internet addiction.
The policy followed Australia’s landmark move in December to stop teenagers holding accounts on many popular platforms.
The Indonesian regulation initially targeted eight “high risk” platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, streaming service Bigo Live and gaming platform Roblox.
But it will eventually apply to “all digital platforms”, Meutya said today, including online shopping sites.
The South-east Asian archipelago of more than 284 million people boasts among the highest concentration of social media users in the world.
Meutya said the government’s aim was to help parents take on the “big platforms” to protect their children.
“Letting them face off against (the platforms) alone, without rules, is like letting parents play chess against a grandmaster. They won’t win, or it will be very hard to win,” Meutya told AFP.
Global reckoning
Roblox became the latest platform to comply with the new regulations, introducing age verification technology and restricting content based on users’ age, the government said last week.
More than half of Roblox’s 45 million Indonesian users are children under 16, the government said.
Social media giants are facing a global reckoning as governments increasingly worry about their impact on users’ wellbeing.
The Turkish parliament last month approved a law to prevent children under 15 accessing social media platforms.
Some European countries, including Norway, Greece, France, Spain and Denmark, have said they will introduce similar restrictions.
Like in Australia, the Indonesian rules place the onus on platforms to regulate teen access.
Non-compliance with the ban, which will be phased in over time, will put defaulters at risk of a fine or even suspension of their services in the country. — AFP
DENPASAR, May 6 — Buckets of blooms adorn Yuvita Anggi Prinanda’s sidewalk flower stall in Bali, but their perfume can’t mask the stench of accumulating trash bespoiling parts of the resort island famed for its natural beauty.
Bali’s largest landfill was declared off-limits for organic waste from the beginning of April, as the government moves to enforce a longstanding ban on open tips.
But with no immediate alternatives provided, trash is piling up in the streets and attracting rats, or being set alight by frustrated residents, causing acrid smoke that has prompted health concerns.
“As a business owner, this is a real nuisance,” Yuvita told AFP.
She has dipped into her meagre profits to pay a private company to remove the trash from near her stall.
“Some customers, perhaps bothered by the smell, ended up not making a purchase,” the 34-year-old told AFP.
Her shop alone generates about four large black bags full of waste every day, mostly leaves and flower cuttings—adding to the island’s estimated 3,400 tons of daily garbage output.
On paper, Indonesia has banned open landfills since 2013, but it is only now attempting to fully implement the measure.
‘Not a good look’
At Kuta beach, a popular tourist spot regularly inundated with plastic debris that washes ashore, rubbish bags are piled up waist-high in a parking lot.
“You have many rats here at nighttime. The smell is not very good... it’s not a good look,” said Australian visitor Justin Butcher.
Around seven million tourists visited Bali last year, vastly outstripping the island’s native population of around 4.4 million, and contributing to Bali’s waste output.
People caught dumping or burning trash risk up to three months’ jail time and a 50-million rupiah (nearly RM10,000) fine, according to I Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi, the head of Bali’s public order agency, but many feel they have no other choice.
On April 16, hundreds of sanitation workers drove waste-filled trucks to the governor’s office in protest.
“If we don’t collect our client’s trash, we are in the wrong, if we collect it, where do we dispose it?” said protester I Wayan Tedi Brahmanca.
In response, the local government said it would allow limited disposal of waste at Suwung as a temporary measure until the end of July.
But from August, the government has vowed to end all open landfills nationwide, though it is unclear what alternatives will be in place by then.
‘People need guidance’ -
Nur Azizah, a waste management expert at Gadjah Mada University, told AFP the Suwung landfill received about 1,000 tons of waste per day and has been overcapacity for years.
Up to 70 per cent is organic waste that “is dangerous because over time it generates methane, which could explode and cause landslides”.
This has happened several times, including a March collapse at Indonesia’s largest landfill outside Jakarta that buried trucks and food stalls, killing seven people.
Nur said the only long-term solution was a mass campaign to educate people on managing organic waste, mainly through composting.
Yuvita agreed.
“People need guidance. It’s like when someone cannot swim, they shouldn’t be told to jump right in,” she said.
The head of Denpasar’s environment and forestry agency Ida Bagus Wirabawa told AFP the government has been running awareness campaigns since last year, and handing out composting containers.
Indonesia’s 284 million people produce more than 40 million tons of rubbish per year, nearly 40 per cent of it food waste and nearly a fifth plastic, according to the environment ministry.
Only about a third gets “managed”, meaning recycled or processed, according to Nur.
The rest ends up in nature.
Fewer than a third of the country’s 485 landfills have shuttered since the ban on open dumping came into force on paper about 13 years ago.
“We have not been managing waste properly, resulting in an emergency in all cities and regencies,” then-environment minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq told reporters recently. He has since been replaced.
The government aims to break ground on several waste-to-energy projects in June, including one in Bali that could process about 1,200 tons of waste daily, but these could take years to come online. — AFP
MAY 6 — Trust in international relations is never absolute. It is earned, calibrated, and shaped by geography as much as history.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Southeast Asia, where a recent survey by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute shows that Japan remains the most trusted major power among Asean states.
Yet beneath this headline lies a more nuanced reality—one that reflects Asean’s diversity rather than division.
According to the latest State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey, trust in Japan is highest in the Philippines at 77.3 per cent, followed by Brunei at 72.9 per cent, Cambodia at 72.0 per cent, and Vietnam at 67.9 per cent. Across all 11 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, trust in Japan outweighs distrust—an impressive achievement in a region known for its strategic caution.
These figures are not incidental. They reflect how Japan has embedded itself as a consistent economic partner, a provider of high-quality infrastructure, and a supporter of maritime stability.
In countries such as Vietnam and the Philippines, where tensions in the South China Sea remain acute, Japan’s role is especially valued. Trust, in this sense, is inseparable from security reassurance.
But the case of Indonesia is different—and far more instructive.
Public confidence in Japan in Indonesia has declined from 61.5 per cent in 2025 to 47.9 per cent in 2026.
At first glance, this drop may suggest growing scepticism. Yet such a conclusion would be misleading.
Indonesia is not distrustful of Japan. Rather, it is recalibrating its expectations.
Under the leadership of Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia is entering a new phase of national development. The country is not merely seeking partners for geopolitical balance.
It is seeking partners that can deliver tangible economic transformation—faster infrastructure rollout, deeper industrial cooperation, and meaningful technological transfer within shorter time horizons. Indonesia is asking a practical question: what can external partners deliver now ?
Japan has long been one of Indonesia’s most important development partners. Its investments in infrastructure, transport, and industrial capacity are well documented.
But in the first year of President Prabowo’s administration, there may be a perception among Indonesian policymakers that the scale or speed of engagement has yet to match the urgency of domestic priorities.
This is not rejection. It is signalling.
Indonesia is a large and increasingly ambitious economy.
It is no longer satisfied with long-gestation partnerships alone. It seeks visible, measurable outcomes aligned with its development agenda.
Its cautious stance reflects maturity, not hesitation.
By contrast, Vietnam and the Philippines operate under more immediate strategic pressures.
Their higher levels of trust in Japan are shaped by frontline realities. Indonesia’s threat perception is less acute, and its strategic horizon is correspondingly broader.
This divergence does not weaken Asean. It strengthens it.
Asean’s resilience has always depended on its ability to accommodate different national outlooks. Diversity in threat perception allows member states to engage external powers in ways that suit their own interests, without undermining regional cohesion. This flexibility is the essence of Asean centrality.
The survey also offers insight into Asean’s perceptions of China. While China remains a critical economic partner, trust levels across Asean are generally lower and more uneven compared to Japan.
In Vietnam and the Philippines, trust in China remains in the low double digits, reflecting ongoing maritime disputes. In Indonesia, trust tends to be moderate—often in the 30 to 40 per cent range—consistent with its balanced and pragmatic approach.
Meanwhile, countries such as Cambodia and Thailand often report higher levels of trust in China, in some cases exceeding 50 per cent, driven by strong economic ties and political alignment. Although Cambodia is a country that is now reeking with many scamming centers that Beijing has shown extreme displeasure.
These variations reinforce a central point: Asean’s strategic perceptions are plural, not uniform.
There is, however, an important caveat.
The survey was conducted before the eruption of the Iran war on February 28, 2026.
At that time, Asean’s strategic thinking was still dominated by US-China rivalry and South China Sea tensions. Energy security, though important, had not yet reached crisis proportions.
Today, the situation has changed dramatically.
The disruption of flows through the Strait of Hormuz has exposed Asean’s deep structural vulnerabilities.
The region depends heavily on West Asia for oil, liquefied natural gas, fertilisers, and critical industrial inputs such as helium, which is indispensable for semiconductors and medical technologies like CT scans.
These are not peripheral concerns. They strike at the core of economic resilience and food security.
Had the survey been conducted after February 28, the results might have reflected a different hierarchy of priorities. Trust would not only be about strategic alignment but also about reliability in times of systemic disruption.
In such a context, Japan’s reputation as a stable, rules-abiding, and non-disruptive partner could rise even further.
At the same time, Asean states—including Indonesia—would likely place greater emphasis on partners capable of delivering immediate solutions to energy, food, and supply chain insecurities.
Indonesia’s cautious posture may therefore prove prescient.
Rather than aligning prematurely with any single external power, Jakarta is preserving its flexibility in an increasingly uncertain world. It is maintaining a diversified network of relationships while assessing which partnerships can best serve its evolving needs.
This is not indecision. It is strategic prudence.
For Japan, the implications are equally clear. Trust, while already high, must be matched by responsiveness.
Indonesia is not asking for preferential treatment. It is asking for alignment with its development tempo.
Faster implementation of infrastructure projects, deeper industrial collaboration, and greater technological exchange would go a long way in strengthening mutual confidence.
If Japan can respond effectively, Indonesia will not remain cautious for long. It will become an even more committed partner.
Ultimately, the survey tells us something fundamental about Asean.
There is no single Asean voice. There are multiple voices, shaped by geography, history, and national priorities. This diversity is not a weakness.
It is the foundation of Asean’s resilience and centrality.
Indonesia’s stance should therefore be understood in this light.
It is not a sign of distrust toward Japan. It is a reflection of a country that knows what it wants—and is carefully evaluating how best to achieve it.
In an era defined by geopolitical rivalry, economic fragmentation, and energy insecurity, such calibrated trust may well be Asean’s most valuable strategic asset.
And perhaps, its most enduring contribution to an increasingly fractured world order.
* Phar Kim Beng is a professor of Asean Studies and director of the Institute of Internationalization and Asean Studies, International Islamic University of Malaysia.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
JAKARTA, May 5 — Indonesia’s economy grew 5.6 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, the national statistics agency said Tuesday, topping the government’s own forecast despite pressures of the Middle East war.
The reading exceeded the 5.4 per cent recorded in the final three months of 2025, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) head Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti told reporters in Jakarta.
Household expenditure was the biggest contributor to the 2026 growth figure, Amalia added.
The government of President Prabowo Subianto is aiming to raise the Southeast Asian economy’s growth rate from 5.1 per cent last year to eight per cent by 2029, powered by high public spending.
Amalia said government expenditure grew more than 21 per cent in the first quarter compared to a year earlier.
Last month, Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto said the Southeast Asian nation can outlast the impacts of Middle East war-fuelled oil price hikes for as many as 10 months without cutting fuel subsidies.
Indonesia is an oil producer but nevertheless a net importer, and heavily subsidises fuel consumed domestically.
Between a fifth and a quarter of its oil came from the Middle East, but Jakarta has since made an oil deal with Russia and is looking at other alternatives in Africa, the United States and Venezuela.
Every US dollar increase in the global oil price adds a burden of about 6.8 billion rupiah (RM1.5 illion) on the state budget.
Jakarta’s 2026 fuel subsidy calculation had been premised on a global oil price of US$70 per barrel – which was pushed over US$100 (RM395) per barrel by the US-Israeli war on Iran and Tehran’s response.
The subsidy was also based on an exchange rate of 16,500 rupiah to the dollar, but the currency has since deteriorated beyond the 17,400 rupiah mark.
The central bank said Tuesday it would “continue to be present in the market... to maintain the stability of the Rupiah’s exchange rate in line with its fundamental value.”
On Monday, BPS said year-on-year inflation for April came in at 2.42 per cent, the lowest so far this year.
The World Bank last month lowered Indonesia’s 2026 growth projection to 4.7 per cent from the 4.8 per cent it had forecast last October. — AFP
DENPASAR, May 5 — Buckets of blooms adorn Yuvita Anggi Prinanda’s sidewalk flower stall in Bali, but their perfume can’t mask the stench of accumulating trash bespoiling parts of the resort island famed for its natural beauty.
Bali’s largest landfill was declared off-limits for organic waste from the beginning of April, as the government moves to enforce a longstanding ban on open tips.
But with no immediate alternatives provided, trash is piling up in the streets and attracting rats, or being set alight by frustrated residents, causing acrid smoke that has prompted health concerns.
“As a business owner, this is a real nuisance,” Yuvita told AFP.
She has dipped into her meagre profits to pay a private company to remove the trash from near her stall.
“Some customers, perhaps bothered by the smell, ended up not making a purchase,” the 34-year-old told AFP.
Her shop alone generates about four large black bags full of waste every day, mostly leaves and flower cuttings — adding to the island’s estimated 3,400 tons of daily garbage output.
On paper, Indonesia has banned open landfills since 2013, but it is only now attempting to fully implement the measure.
‘Not a good look’
At Kuta beach, a popular tourist spot regularly inundated with plastic debris that washes ashore, rubbish bags are piled up waist-high in a parking lot.
“You have many rats here at nighttime. The smell is not very good... it’s not a good look,” said Australian visitor Justin Butcher.
Around seven million tourists visited Bali last year, vastly outstripping the island’s native population of around 4.4 million, and contributing to Bali’s waste output.
People caught dumping or burning trash risk up to three months’ jail time and a 50-million rupiah (nearly RM11,400) fine, according to I Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi, the head of Bali’s public order agency, but many feel they have no other choice.
On April 16, hundreds of sanitation workers drove waste-filled trucks to the governor’s office in protest.
“If we don’t collect our client’s trash, we are in the wrong, if we collect it, where do we dispose it?” said protester I Wayan Tedi Brahmanca.
In response, the local government said it would allow limited disposal of waste at Suwung as a temporary measure until the end of July.
But from August, the government has vowed to end all open landfills nationwide, though it is unclear what alternatives will be in place by then.
‘People need guidance’
Nur Azizah, a waste management expert at Gadjah Mada University, told AFP the Suwung landfill received about 1,000 tons of waste per day and has been overcapacity for years.
Up to 70 per cent is organic waste that “is dangerous because over time it generates methane, which could explode and cause landslides”.
This has happened several times, including a March collapse at Indonesia’s largest landfill outside Jakarta that buried trucks and food stalls, killing seven people.
Nur said the only long-term solution was a mass campaign to educate people on managing organic waste, mainly through composting.
Yuvita agreed.
“People need guidance. It’s like when someone cannot swim, they shouldn’t be told to jump right in,” she said.
The head of Denpasar’s environment and forestry agency Ida Bagus Wirabawa told AFP the government has been running awareness campaigns since last year, and handing out composting containers.
Indonesia’s 284 million people produce more than 40 million tons of rubbish per year, nearly 40 per cent of its food waste and nearly a fifth plastic, according to the environment ministry.
Only about a third gets “managed”, meaning recycled or processed, according to Nur.
The rest ends up in nature.
Fewer than a third of the country’s 485 landfills have shuttered since the ban on open dumping came into force on paper about 13 years ago.
“We have not been managing waste properly, resulting in an emergency in all cities and regencies,” then-environment minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq told reporters recently. He has since been replaced.
The government aims to break ground on several waste-to-energy projects in June, including one in Bali that could process about 1,200 tons of waste daily, but these could take years to come online. — AFP
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