It was common in numerous Indonesian companies and sectors to discourage colleagues or coworkers in one company to marry each other. Usually, when Indonesians sign a contract to start a new job at a company, one of the requirements that is set in the contract is that employees are prohibited from marrying a colleague (in the same company). In case two colleagues would fall in love and decide to marry, then one of them would have to leave their job at the company.

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A group of Islamic activists in Indonesia, called the Family Love Alliance (in Indonesian: Aliansi Cinta Keluarga, or AILA), are pushing for an amendment of an existing Indonesian law that criminalizes sexual acts between adults and minors of the same gender. AILA activists filed for a judicial review of this law at Indonesia's Constitutional Court and want authorities to include sexual acts between adults of the same gender. The existing law mandates a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

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Despite fierce international criticism, Indonesia will go-ahead with the executions of 14 convicted drug traffickers, including 10 foreigners (from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, India and Pakistan). According to local media coffins have already arrived at the Nusa Kambangan prison island (Central Java) where executions usually take place, while the families of those who face imminent executions have already been informed. The executions, by firing squad, are expected to be conducted tonight or tomorrow (traditionally around midnight).

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San Francisco-based environmental organization Rainforest Action Network (RAN) released a report last week that claims Indonesian workers - including children - at North Sumatran palm oil plantations are being exploited. On two palm oil plantations owned by PP London Sumatra Indonesia, a unit of the Indonesian Indofood Group, researchers of RAN found evidence of child labor, unethically low wages, as well as other forms of worker exploitation. The report also links American multinational food and beverage firm PepsiCo Inc's products to the exploitation.

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Over the past two days more than 900 migrants (believed to be Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladesh) have been rescued from overcrowded wooden boats near the coastal area of Indonesia’s Aceh province at the northern tip of Sumatra. After being spotted by local fishermen, these boats were towed to Acehnese shore. Meanwhile, in Malaysia more than 1,000 migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh were found in shallow waters near Langkawi after being abandoned by human traffickers.

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This week Indonesia’s police arrested a foreign national in Jakarta in connection to the discovery of 2.2 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (meth) in a boarding house in Srengseng (West Jakarta). Jakarta Police spokesman Budi Widjanarko said that police action was taken based on intelligence about a syndicate that smuggles crystal meth into Indonesia from Nigeria. Reportedly, this syndicate is led by a Jakarta prison inmate. Recent history shows that Indonesian authorities are very strict on drug-related crimes.

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On Monday evening (09/06), the first debate between Indonesia’s two presidential candidates (joined by their running mates) was held and broadcast live on national television by various Indonesian television stations. This debate is the first in a series of five debates in which both teams - Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and Jusuf Kalla vs Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa - are able to share their vision and mission to the Indonesian electorate. The debate immediately became a trending topic on social media.

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After five foreigners and one Indonesian citizen were executed by firing squad on early Sunday morning (18/01), diplomatic tensions have risen. Despite international appeals from Brazil and the Netherlands, the Indonesian government decided to go-ahead with the execution of six convicted drug traffickers, involving four men (from Brazil, the Netherlands, Malawi and Nigeria), and two women (from Indonesia and Vietnam). Brazil and the Netherlands have recalled their ambassadors from Jakarta.

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When campaigning, presidential candidates will always promise a bright future in order to gain votes. It is particularly easy for a new presidential candidate to promise golden mountains as opposed to the incumbent president who needs to be more cautious making promises as people can point to the (failed) results of his promises during the presidential term. The 2014 Indonesian presidential election was particularly interesting as we saw two new presidential candidates and, thus, the ‘inflation of promises’.

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