First the earthquake, hitting 7.5 on the richter scale, and then the tsunami with waves up to 6 metres high struck the Indonesian coast. The city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi was devastated; homes, businesses and hospitals were flattened. Hundreds have been confirmed dead with hundreds more reported missing or injured.
A hundred thousand people living around the Mount Agung volcano on Bali have been told to evacuate their homes – as experts warned that a large eruption could be imminent. The mountain has been spewing large clouds of volcanic ash thousands of feet into the sky for several days – but Indonesian authorities have now…
Jonathan Miller
The director of the world’s first and only Islamic boarding school for transgender women has confirmed that her madrassa has been forced to close following violent death threats.
Jonathan Miller
The transgender madrasa, tucked away down an alleyway behind a large mosque, was founded in 2008, after an earthquake in which many waria died. It offers an oasis of hope and dignity and operates koranic instruction in defiance of more conservative imported strands of Islam which have gained prominence in recent years.
Isis claims responsibility after six explosions are followed by gun battles in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Five attackers are believed to be among the dead.
Malaysian authorities discover signs of torture and graves with multiple bodies in more than two dozen abandoned camps linked to human trafficking.
As odious as the business of smuggling people across the Andaman Sea is, the traffickers and the “boat people” fleeing Burma and Bangladesh share a common cause.
The mystery of the ‘green boat’ was solved this morning when 400-odd occupants of a rickety fishing trawler turned up on the Indonesian coast in the early hours of this morning.
Indonesia and Malaysia agree to end their policy of pushing migrants boats back out to sea, and instead say they will provide temporary shelter to thousands stranded at sea.
UN agencies urge Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to stop pushing migrant boats back out to sea, as fears grow for those stranded with dwindling food supplies.
Up to 8,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants are thought to be stranded at sea as Indonesia and other south Asian governments prevent them from coming ashore.
The execution of eight convicted drug traffickers by Malaysia is a demonstration of the underlying weakness of the country’s President.
The pending executions of nine Indonesian and foreign nationals on drug offences have strained the country’s relations with the international community and, in particular, Australia.
Eight drug traffickers are reportedly executed by firing squad in Indonesia after pleas for clemency from around the world were rejected – but a Filipino woman is spared the death penalty.
The man was found staggering around the tarmac at Jakarta airport after surviving a near two-hour, high-altitude flight from Sumatra in thin air and sub-zero temperatures.
