United News of Bangladesh

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday named retired Gen. Djamari Chaniago as the new coordinating minister for politics and security, moving to stabilize his Cabinet after violent protests left 10 people dead last month. Chaniago, 77, replaces Budi Gunawan, who was removed earlier this month without an immediate successor, fueling days of speculation. Gunawan’s dismissal followed nationwide demonstrations that erupted in late August over lawmakers receiving a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,075) — nearly 10 times Jakarta’s minimum wage. The unrest intensified after the death of ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan, who was struck by a police vehicle. The protests, among the toughest tests for Subianto’s young presidency, forced a Cabinet reshuffle in which five ministers lost their posts, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, a respected former IMF and World Bank official. Local media and analysts said Gunawan was blamed for failing to coordinate with security agencies during the crisis and was absent from key meetings. Concerns over his health also contributed to his removal. Subianto’s decision to elevate Chaniago is seen as part of a broader strategy to reconsolidate power by installing trusted figures in strategic positions. Chaniago, a former army commander, was among seven generals on the Officers Council of Honor in 1998 that investigated Subianto’s role in the abduction of pro-democracy activists during the final days of Suharto’s regime. Subianto was later dismissed from the military for “misinterpreting orders,” though he was never tried, while some of his subordinates were convicted. Analysts say the appointment reflects an effort to mend old divisions. “Prabowo needs broad support, including from senior military figures and elites who once opposed him, to strengthen his government,” said Selamat Ginting, a political and military analyst at the National University. At a ceremony at Jakarta’s Merdeka Palace, Subianto also swore in three other ministers. Erick Thohir, former state-owned enterprises minister and a close ally of ex-president Joko Widodo, was named minister of youth and sports. Thohir, 55, is a businessman and former owner of Inter Milan and D.C. United, and has served as chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia since 2023.

At least 15 people have been killed and 10 others remain missing after flash floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains struck Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province and the tourist island of Bali, authorities said Wednesday. The rains, which began Monday, caused rivers to overflow and unleashed landslides across the two provinces. In East Nusa Tenggara, rescuers on Wednesday recovered the bodies of a mother and her child buried under mud in Mauponggo, the worst-hit village in Nagekeo district, along with a man in the neighboring village of Loka Laba. Earlier, three members of a family were found dead after their house was swept away in Mauponggo, where four others remain missing, officials said. In Bali, rescuers pulled the body of a woman from a flooded area near Badung market in provincial capital Denpasar late Wednesday, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari. Six people are still unaccounted for. Eight other bodies were found earlier, including four who died when a building was washed away in the Kumbasari market area of South Denpasar, said Nyoman Sidakarya, head of Bali’s Search and Rescue Agency. The floods and landslides have affected nine cities and districts in Bali, submerging at least 112 neighborhoods and damaging roads, bridges, shops and houses, according to Bali’s Disaster Mitigation Agency. Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed cars swept away in muddy waters, while soldiers and rescuers used rubber boats to evacuate children and the elderly from rooftops. Bali Governor Wayan Koster said floodwaters reached up to 2.5 meters in places, forcing more than 800 people into temporary shelters. Electricity and water supplies were cut off, prompting hotels, restaurants, hospitals and other facilities to rely on generators, he added. In Nagekeo, flash floods swept away villagers and vehicles, destroyed two bridges, two government offices, a plantation, rice fields and livestock, said local disaster agency head Agustinus Pone. At least six villagers were confirmed dead there, while four others remain missing. Muhari said rescue operations have been hampered by severe weather and rugged terrain. Indonesia frequently experiences floods and landslides during the rainy season, which typically lasts from September to March.

Rescue operations were underway on Thursday to locate 29 missing people after a ferry sank off Indonesia's popular resort island of Bali, leaving at least five dead. According to the National Search and Rescue Agency, 31 people were rescued from the vessel, which had 53 passengers and 12 crew members on board when it sank on Wednesday night. “The ferry is completely submerged, and there’s a chance some people are trapped inside. However, for now, we’re concentrating the search on the water’s surface,” said Nanang Sigit, head of the Surabaya Search and Rescue team. The five recovered bodies will be returned to their families in Banyuwangi, East Java, Sigit added. Authorities said the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry sank roughly 30 minutes after departing Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi for Bali’s Gilimanuk Port, a short 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) journey. Rescue teams deployed a helicopter and 15 boats to search for survivors, assisted by fishermen and coastal residents. Rough sea conditions have complicated the search efforts. Strong waves reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) and poor visibility hindered operations overnight. Although the weather improved Thursday morning, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency reported waves as high as 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) with strong currents and winds persisting in the afternoon. Serbian police detain 79 protesters as dissent persists against populist president “Today’s search is focused on the waters between the accident site and Gilimanuk Port, where initial victims were found,” Sigit stated. An officer at the port reportedly saw the ferry sinking before rescue teams could be dispatched. "The vessel couldn’t be contacted by radio initially, but communication was eventually established with other ships. By then, the ferry was already listing," Sigit explained. Many survivors were found unconscious after drifting for hours in rough seas, Banyuwangi Police Chief Rama Samtama Putra said. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the incident. Survivors reported a leak in the ferry’s engine room. The ferry was carrying 22 vehicles, including 14 trucks. Relatives of passengers gathered at the port, visibly distressed and desperate for news. Those rescued were taken to nearby medical facilities, including Bali’s Jembrana Regional Hospital. Supardi, a 64-year-old survivor, described his harrowing experience. “When the ferry began to tilt, I thought of jumping into the sea, but the ship sank too quickly. I went down with the water, maybe 7 meters deep, before managing to climb to the surface,” he said. He and three others stayed afloat by using life jackets until rescuers arrived. Ferry accidents are frequent in Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of over 17,000 islands, where lax safety standards and overloading often contribute to maritime disasters.  

A natural stones quarry in Indonesia’s West Java province collapsed on several people who were working inside on Friday, killing at least two people and leaving several workers missing, officials said. At least 10 people were trapped in the rubble when the mine in Cirebon district collapsed, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi estimated in a video statement, and rescuers have retrieved at least two bodies. Earthquake off Sumatra damages over 100 homes in Indonesia The exact number of casualties was still unclear as local television reported rescuers were able to pull at least a dozen injured people from the debris and recover bodies during a grueling search effort. Police, emergency personnel, soldiers and volunteers were trying to locate any remaining worker. Their efforts were hampered by unstable soil that risked further slides, the television report said.  

The vibrant streets and bustling shopping malls of Jakarta have come alive with traditional music and dragon puppet dances as Indonesia prepares to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Communities across Asia will mark the Lunar New Year on January 29, with 2025 being the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac. Festivities, including fireworks and parades, aim to dispel misfortune and invite prosperity. In Indonesia, home to millions of people with Chinese heritage, crowds gathered to enjoy performances featuring traditional dragon and lion puppets. These intricate creations, some as long as 65 feet (20 meters), are operated by groups of performers walking underneath interconnected sections, with drummers adding a rhythmic backdrop. Indonesia showcases returned artifacts it had sought for decades from the Netherlands In the weeks leading up to the celebrations, performance troupes rehearse tirelessly in makeshift spaces, such as the back of a small coffee and snack shop. Local residents, including women and children, often stop by to watch these practices. During quieter periods, the puppet heads are stored on shelves. Just days before the Lunar New Year, one troupe loaded their puppets and performers into a truck for a mall performance, with others following on motorbikes. At the venue, hundreds of spectators were captivated by the drumming and puppet dance. Enthusiastic applause accompanied the show, and some audience members presented “angpau” — red envelopes containing money traditionally given during special occasions — by placing them into the puppets’ mouths.

Indonesian rescuers retrieved two more bodies after they resumed their search Wednesday for people missing after floods and landslides on Indonesia’s main island of Java, bringing the death toll to 19. Waters from flooded rivers tore through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province and landslides tumbled onto mountainside hamlets after the torrential rains Monday. Videos and photos released by National Search and Rescue Agency showed workers digging desperately in villages where roads and green-terraced rice fields were transformed into murky brown mud and villages were covered by thick mud, rocks and uprooted trees. National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said flooding triggered a landslide that buried two houses and a cafe in the Petungkriyono resort area. The disasters all together destroyed 25 houses, a dam and three main bridges connecting villages in Pekalongan. At least 13 people injured and nearly 300 people were forced to flee to temporary government shelters. The search and rescue operation that was hampered by bad weather, mudslides and rugged terrain was halted Tuesday afternoon due to heavy rain and thick fog that made devastated areas along the rivers dangerous to rescuers. On Wednesday, they searched in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies and, whenever possible, survivors in worst-hit Kasimpar village, said Budiono, who heads a local rescue office. Scores of rescue personnel recovered two mud-caked bodies as they searched a Petungkriyono area where tons of mud and rocks buried two houses and a café. Rescuers are still searching for seven people reported missing. Read: Landslides, flash floods in Indonesia kill 17, missing 8 Landslides and floods were also reported in many other provinces, Muhari said. On Monday, a landslide hit five houses in Denpasar on the tourist island of Bali, killing four people and leaving one missing. Heavy seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile floodplains. The British Geological Survey defines a landslide as a mass movement of material, such as rock, earth, or debris moving down a slope. Landslides can happen suddenly or slowly and can be caused by rain, erosion, or changes to the slope’s material. Rain adds weight to the slope, making it more unstable. The slope’s steepness or erosion at the base can make landslides more likely. They can be caused by the movement of nearby bodies of water or vibrations from earthquakes, mining or traffic. The types and sizes of the rocks and soils can determine how much water land can absorb before weakening and collapsing. Studies have found that landslides could become more frequent as climate change increases rainfall.

Indonesian rescuers recovered the bodies of at least 17 people who were swept away in flash floods or buried under tons of mud and rocks that hit hilly villages on the country’s main island of Java, officials said Tuesday. Eight people were missing. Torrential rains on Monday caused rivers to burst their banks, tearing through nine villages in Pekalongan regency of Central Java province, as mud, rocks and trees tumbled down on mountainside hamlets, said Bergas Catursasi, who heads the local Disaster Management Agency. He said rescue workers by Tuesday had recovered at least 17 bodies in the worst-hit village of Petungkriyono, and were searching for eight villagers who were reported missing. Eleven injured people managed to escape and were rushed to nearby hospitals, Catursari said, AP reports. Television reports showed police, soldiers and rescue workers using excavators, farm equipment and their bare hands to search through the rubble in devastated villages. Others carried victims on bamboo stretchers or in body bags to ambulances or trucks. Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake in Taiwan Injures 27 “Bad weather, mudslides and rugged terrain hampered the rescue operation,” Catursari said, adding that people who were fishing in the river or taking shelter from the rain were swept away by the floods. The search was suspended Tuesday afternoon due to heavy rain and thick fog and will be resumed early Wednesday, said Budiono, head of the provincial Search and Rescue Office. National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said flash floods swept away villagers and vehicles passing through devastated villages and triggered a landslide that buried two houses. The floods also destroyed two main bridges connecting villages in Pekalongan district. On Monday, a landslide hit five houses in Denpasar on the tourist island of Bali, killing four people and leaving one missing, Muhari said. The landslide also injured three people. Floods were also reported in many other provinces. Smoke from California Lithium Battery Plant fire sparks air quality concerns Heavy seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile floodplains. Last month, a landslide, flash floods and strong winds hit Sukabumi district of West Java province, killing 12 people. In November, a landslide and flash floods triggered by heavy downpours hit North Sumatra province, leaving 20 dead and two missing. A landslide in the region also hit a tourist bus, killing nine people.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday began a trip to Malaysia and Indonesia as part of an effort to strengthen defense and economic ties with Southeast Asia as China's threats grow in the region. The visit, his first for bilateral talks outside of international meetings, shows Japan’s commitment to further those ties even as the US presence in the region may decrease after President-elect Donald Trump takes office later this month. Malaysia and Indonesia are maritime regional powers near vital shipping lanes and are key to Japanese and global security and the economy, and they share concerns over China's increasing assertiveness, officials say. Sri Lanka extends tax relief for 3 int'l airports to attract airlines Ishiba, who will meet Friday with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, hopes to strengthen security cooperation and discuss efforts to ensure stable supply chains with Malaysia, which is chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this year. On Saturday, Ishiba and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will reportedly sign a deal for Japan's provision of high-speed patrol boats. Talks between the two leaders, who are both former defense ministers, are expected to focus on military cooperation and arms transfers.

Two boats carrying over 260 Rohingya refugees, primarily women and children, have arrived on Indonesia's coast, officials confirmed on Monday, reports AP. Police and military personnel, alongside the U.N. refugee agency and the local government in West Pereulak, East Aceh, are gathering details about the refugees, who arrived Sunday evening, while ensuring their safety, according to East Aceh police chief Nova Suryandaru. “We will follow up their presence by coordinating with the UNHCR for further action,” Suryandaru stated. Dhaka discusses with UN modalities for int'l conference on Rohingya crisis Since last February, East Aceh has received more than 300 Rohingya refugees, it said. Approximately 1 million Rohingya, predominantly Muslims, reside in camps in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar, including around 740,000 who escaped a violent “clearance campaign” in 2017 by Myanmar’s security forces, accused of mass rapes and killings. The Rohingya minority faces extensive discrimination in Myanmar and is largely denied citizenship. In response to a significant increase in Rohingya departures from overcrowded Bangladeshi refugee camps since last year, Indonesia has sought international assistance, the report said. Although Indonesia, like Thailand and Malaysia, is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and is not legally required to accept refugees, it typically offers temporary shelter to those in distress. CSCSS Int’l Conference: Impacts of Rohingya crisis, security challenges discussed On Saturday, Malaysian authorities reported turning away two boats carrying nearly 300 Rohingya attempting to enter the country unlawfully. The Maritime Enforcement Agency also noted two additional boats attempting entry after 196 Rohingya landed on Friday on Langkawi, a northeastern resort island, where they were detained.

Indonesian rescuers have recovered 20 bodies and are looking for two villagers who remain missing after flash floods on Sumatra island caused mud and rocks to tumble down mountainsides, officials said Tuesday. Torrential rains over the weekend caused rivers to burst their banks in four hilly districts in North Sumatra province, washing away houses and destroying farms. Four more bodies were recovered Monday evening in Karo Regency, bringing the total there to 10, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement Tuesday. Landslide and flash floods hit Indonesia’s Sumatra island, leaving 16 dead and 6 missing Flash floods also left four people dead in Deli Serdang district, and rescue workers were still searching for two people who were swept away. Earlier, rescuers recovered two bodies in villages in South Tapanuli district, and four members of a family, including two children, in Harang Julu, a mountainside village in Padang Lawas district. Three months after Feni flood 1,718 families left with nothing, struggling for aid Seasonal rain from about October to March frequently causes flooding and landslides in Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near fertile flood plains.