Arlina Arshad

Indonesia Bureau Chief

Arlina is The Straits Times’ Indonesia bureau chief. A journalist since 2000, she has covered various issues, from politics and the economy to culture and religion, across South-east Asia. Previously, she was ST’s regional correspondent and Agence-France Presse’s correspondent for Indonesia and Timor-Leste. She considers Indonesia her second home, and the warm people there her family.

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While Trump dances, Asean trips

U.S. President Donald Trump joins the performers in a dance during a welcoming ceremony after arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, to attend the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia October 26, 2025. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/Pool

Political and populist moves make for an assertive, ambitious first year under President Prabowo

Analysts say Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s first year has been defined by strong control, populist ambition and diminishing accountability.

‘Tough man’ Prabowo shines at Gaza peace summit, refutes Israel visit rumours

U.S. President Donald Trump and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto shake hands as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool

Indonesia to bar Israeli gymnasts amid rising tensions over Palestine

People react during a "Stop Starving Gaza Now" protest amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, outside the U.S. embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 27, 2025. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

For South-east Asia, Gaza is no longer a distant story

A woman with a watermelon face paint shouts slogans into a megaphone during a protest in solidality with the Palestinian people in front of the US embassy in Jakarta on November 9, 2023. Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in an unprecedented attack triggering a war declared by Israel on Hamas with retaliatory bombings on Gaza. (Photo by ADITYA AJI / AFP)

Act now to boost trade or there won’t be another Asian miracle, says expert at Jakarta forum

aapanel - Jaime Ho Panel Discussion

Credit: ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION

Prabowo backs Palestine, offers rare security pledge to Israel in bold UN speech

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto gestures during the 80th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 23, 2025. REUTERS/KYLIE COOPER

How a retired general turned security chief strengthens Prabowo’s grip on power

Retired general Djamari Chaniago (left) joins other military figures in Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto’s new Cabinet.

Chicken soup for angry souls: Prabowo’s billion-dollar stimulus soothes Indonesians after unrest

Mr Asep Dadi (left) and woven fabric seller Hery Cristiano (right) are among small business owners and workers are watching the stimulus closely.

Prabowo’s police reforms and democracy on the line in Indonesia after deadly protests

A police blockade during a demonstration against police violence in Jakarta, on Sept 4.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2025 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.