Displaying items by tag: Indonesia

As Indonesia witnesses a leadership transition, its thirty million Christians are cautiously hopeful for positive change under president-elect Prabowo Subianto and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Subianto, a former military general, secured 58% of the vote in this year’s election. Indonesia, the second-largest Muslim country in the world, is home to a Christian minority (11% of the population). While the government allows Christians to worship freely, evangelism remains illegal, and Muslim converts often face social persecution. There are concerns about Subianto’s past support from conservative Islamic groups who might influence his policies. In the past the government has not actively persecuted Christians, but it has not always defended them either, particularly in areas like Aceh, where Islamic law is enforced. Christians are praying that the new leadership will uphold religious freedoms and protect their rights in a predominantly Muslim nation.

Thousands of Indonesians are protesting against their government's attempt to reverse a constitutional court ruling that would allow smaller parties to field candidates without needing 20% representation in regional assemblies. Demonstrations have erupted in Jakarta and other major cities as the parliament, dominated by supporters of outgoing president Joko Widodo, and his successor, Prabowo Subianto, swiftly moved to pass emergency legislation. This would maintain the status quo, favouring the ruling coalition: it would also prevent a prominent critic, Anies Baswedan, from running for the influential post of Jakarta governor. The court also upheld the current minimum age limit of thirty for candidates, which would bar Mr Widodo's 29-year-old son from running in a regional contest in Central Java. Despite widespread condemnation, the government has downplayed the situation as part of the ‘checks and balances’ of governance.

At least 41 people have died in Sumatra due to flash floods and 'cold lava' from Mount Marapi, the island's most active volcano. Heavy rains on Saturday caused torrents of ash and rocks to flow down the volcano, inundating two districts and damaging over 100 homes and public facilities. Seventeen people remain missing. Survivors described fleeing from the 'cold lava' – a mix of volcanic material and pebbles. Rina Devina used her cellphone as a torch to escape, recounting how her neighbour's house was flattened, and four neighbours died. 'Cold lava' or 'lahar' typically has temperatures below 50°C and moves like a slurry, incorporating debris in its path. Rescuers found 19 bodies in Canduang village and nine in Tanah Datar district. Experts blame recurring natural disasters on excessive exploitation of natural resources and poor development practices. Recent events around Mount Marapi include a deadly eruption last December, flash floods in February, and eruptions in April which disrupted flights, closed roads, and forced over 11,000 evacuations.

Former army general Prabowo Subianto, 72, has claimed victory in Indonesia’s presidential election with nearly 60% of the vote, according to unofficial results from state-owned Antara, CNN Indonesia, and Reuters. Prabowo has said, ‘I will nurture, protect and defend all the people of Indonesia, regardless of their background’. He also urged his supporters to remain calm, to prevent a repeat of 2019's deadly riots. Indonesia, home to over 200 million voters, faced logistical challenges due to its vast geography and diverse population. Young voters played a significant role in the election. Prabowo’s military past, linked to alleged human rights violations and ties to Suharto's regime, remains contentious. Despite losses in previous elections, he joined forces with former president Joko Widodo’s son Gibran, a move criticised for potential nepotism. The transformation from military figure to democratic supporter has marked his political career, culminating in this victory and a new chapter in Indonesian politics.

In Indonesia's West Papua, rebel leader Eganius Koyega's group kidnapped New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens on 7 February 2023, demanding impossible conditions for his release. Koyega is a member of the West Papuan National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, which seeks independence. Photos show Mehrtens growing thinner and more unkempt, most often surrounded by fighters armed with guns and bows and arrows. Koyega, known for brutal tactics, has so far evaded Indonesian soldiers despite clashes. TPNPB leaders are urging him to free him for humanity's sake. New Zealand's reluctance to negotiate directly complicates rescue efforts, while Indonesia's military-driven approach has proved ineffective.

Java is not the largest island in Indonesia, but it has the largest population. Praise God that the Church on Java continues to grow. Nearly 50% of Chinese-descent Indonesians and 5% of Javanese are Christian. The many religions of Java historically tolerated each other. But this has changed. Persecution now comes in the form of laws that prevent Christians from building, which sometimes results in the destruction of churches and Christian property. Christians of many traditions now draw together for prayer, worship, and mutual support: and the love among them attracts many Muslims to Christ, despite the persecution. Christian love for the needy and most vulnerable people in society has a powerful effect. Pray for the unreached people groups, including the 34 million Sunda who profess Islam but have underlying animism and traditional beliefs. They are one of the largest unevangelised groups in the world.

Church building in Indonesia is subject to onerous requirements, including the requirement to get signatures from 60 neighbouring households - each of which must be non-Christian - before permission to construct a church building can be granted. Often Islamist groups engage in lobbying local authorities and communities to try to prevent churches from being built, despite the support for religious freedom voiced by the central government. Pray that Christians will be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves in navigating these difficulties (Matthew 10:16). President Widodo’s government successfully dissolved two hard-line Islamist organisations, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia and Islamic Defenders Front. However, a new group has now emerged - the Islamic Reformist Movement, funded by Saudi Arabia. Hostility from Muslims towards Christians varies across Indonesia, a vast country comprising thousands of islands. Even if the central government supports Christians, provincial and local authorities may be hostile.

‘Help me, I am being tortured by my employer. I'm covered in blood every day, help me!’ Meriance Kabu wrote, then folded the note and threw it out of the locked iron gates of the apartment where she worked as a live-in maid. A passer-by found it and took it to a retired police officer. ‘If she had stayed there, she would have died,’ he later said. That same day Malaysian police knocked on the door of the apartment Meriance hadn't left in eight months. ‘I felt as if I was falling,’ she says, recalling when she saw the officers. ‘They said, “Don't be afraid, we are here”. At that moment I felt like I could breathe again. The officers called me closer and I told them the truth.’ Her story contained distressing details. Nine years later she still fights for justice. Recently Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to improve the conditions of Indonesian domestic workers. Indonesia is lobbying for the case against Meriance's employer to be resumed.

Mount Semeru on Java has erupted and sparked 2,500 evacuations, mostly on motorcycles. The volcano’s warning status escalated to the highest level on 4 December. The next day a giant cloud of grey ash engulfed the mountain and surrounding rice paddy fields, roads and bridges, turning the sky black, and a pyroclastic flow of lava, rocks and hot gases gushed down the mountainside. Volcanic ash mixed with monsoon rain fell on six nearby villages, and everyone was evacuated by rescuers. Semeru is the highest and most active Java volcano. Pray for the evacuated who do not know what they will discover when they return from the high alert situation.

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Indonesia, killing 271 with hundreds still missing 3 days later. Around 22,000 houses were damaged. 169,000 people were affected, 1,000+ injured, and 58,000 scattered to evacuee points. One village was buried under a landslide. Landslides and rough terrain blocked roads and damaged bridges, preventing rescuers for 24 hours from reaching survivors with excavators and equipment to move concrete and dig them out. Pray for patients needing immediate treatment or surgery; for the health ministry implementing emergency triage procedures; for frame tents, folding beds for carrying patients, operational kits, medicines, masks for adults and children, and body bags. See Six-year-old Azka Maulana Malik was rescued from the rubble of his family home three days after the earthquake destroyed the area. There are still 151 people missing. Pray that more people, not bodies, will be found in the debris, as monsoon rain hinders rescuers.