Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb and Indonesian Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana discussed ways to strengthen tourism relations during a meeting on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting in Toledo, Spain, on Thursday, according to a joint statement from their offices.

Indonesia recorded more than 156,000 Saudi visitors in 2025, making the Kingdom the largest Middle Eastern market for Indonesian tourism, officials said.

“Saudi Arabia is one of Indonesia’s key partners in the Middle East, and Indonesia stands ready to further deepen this partnership, particularly in tourism, in a spirit of mutual respect and shared benefit,” Wardhana said.

Saudi travelers are viewed as an important segment of Indonesia’s tourism market, with officials noting that many visitors from the Kingdom tend to travel with families, spend longer periods in the country and visit destinations including Bali and Puncak.

Indonesia aims to attract at least 16 million foreign tourists this year and has promoted its destinations at international tourism events, including the Arabian Travel Market and Riyadh Travel Fair.

The Indonesian tourism ministry said it plans to improve hospitality training to better serve visitors from Arab countries as part of efforts to increase arrivals from Saudi Arabia.

Tourism has also become a key area of cooperation under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, with both countries discussing ways to improve tourism services and strengthen workforce skills.

“Saudi Arabia and Indonesia share a uniquely strong tourism connection through faith and culture,” Al-Khateeb said.

The two sides said they were working to expand tourism exchanges, improve visitor experiences and create opportunities for destinations, businesses and communities.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade has invited Saudi companies to participate in the 2026 editions of Halal Indonesia International Industry Expo (Halal Indo) and Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI), both scheduled to take place in Jakarta.

The push comes as non-oil trade between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia continues to grow, reaching more than $3.9 billion in 2025, up 12% from 2021.

“We invite all members of the Riyadh Chamber to participate and link up with Indonesian businesses,” Zulvri Yenni, trade attache at the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh, said in a statement, describing the events as platforms for expanding business networks between the two countries.

Indonesia has identified Saudi Arabia as a key export market, particularly for sectors such as halal products, consumer goods and modest fashion, while seeking to capitalize on opportunities generated by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy.

Riyadh Chamber official Mansour Al-Ajmi said Saudi businesses were prepared to support and promote Indonesian trade events to encourage greater participation by potential buyers.

Trade Expo Indonesia generated nearly $23 billion in business transactions in 2025 and attracted more than 34,000 visitors, including over 8,000 buyers from 131 countries, according to Indonesian trade officials.

A recent survey by the Center of Economic and Law Studies found that more than 58% of respondents favored stronger economic engagement with Middle Eastern countries, with Saudi Arabia viewed as Indonesia’s most promising trade and investment partner in the region.

Indonesian journalist Rahendro Herubowo said activists were beaten, shocked with tasers and held in overcrowded detention containers after Israeli forces seized the flotilla near Cyprus on May 18-19. He alleged detainees were denied adequate water and medical assistance during their confinement.

Sri Lankan activist and medic Sameera Mahboobdeen said dozens of activists suffered injuries, including suspected fractures and head wounds, while requests for medical treatment were ignored. She also alleged that several women reported sexual assault during detention.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of around 50 boats and 400 activists, was attempting to deliver food and medical aid to Gaza by challenging Israel’s maritime blockade.

Malaysia-based group Sumud Nusantara said it has documented allegations of excessive force, sleep deprivation, restricted access to food and water, and prolonged interrogations. The group is coordinating with Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry to pursue legal action and seek an investigation through the International Criminal Court.

Israeli authorities had not publicly responded to the specific allegations contained in the activists’ accounts.

Yunus, a member of rights group KontraS, suffered severe injuries and lost sight in one eye after two men on a motorcycle threw acid at him in March shortly after he recorded a podcast discussing the military’s role in government.

The four defendants, all members of Indonesia’s Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), are charged with premeditated assault. Prosecutors told a military court in Jakarta that the attack was an act of personal revenge rather than an operation ordered by military superiors.

According to prosecutors, the accused were angered by Yunus and another activist’s protest against revisions to Indonesia’s military law, which expanded the number of government institutions that can employ active-duty military personnel.

The case drew national attention after BAIS chief Yudi Abrimantyo stepped down following the arrests. Rights groups have called for the proceedings to be moved to a civilian court, citing concerns about transparency and accountability.

The court is expected to continue hearing arguments before delivering a verdict.

Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdurrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al-Thani met in Jakarta and signed a memorandum of understanding as a precursor to a broader defense pact.

The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation in military training, education and the defense industry. Indonesia’s Defense Ministry said the partnership would involve army and navy personnel from both countries.

Officials described bilateral relations as strategic and voiced support for deeper defense collaboration in the future.

In a report titled “Building up Imaginary Enemies,” Amnesty said Indonesian authorities, including elements of the military, had amplified false narratives portraying journalists, academics, protesters and human rights activists as “foreign agents” working against national interests.

The rights group said the tactic had become more pronounced during the 18 months since Prabowo assumed office, describing online disinformation as a systematic tool used to suppress dissent and narrow public debate.One of the cases highlighted in the report involved Indonesian activist Andrie Yunus, who suffered severe injuries in an acid attack in March that left him blind in one eye.

Amnesty said Yunus, 27, had been outspoken against what critics describe as the military’s growing role in civilian governance and was attacked shortly after recording a podcast discussing the issue.

According to Amnesty, online abuse and accusations labeling critics as agents of foreign influence frequently preceded physical intimidation and violence.The organization also criticized major technology platforms, including about meta, tiktok, x and youtube , alleging they failed to adequately remove harmful disinformation targeting activists and government opponents.

AFP reported that requests for comment were sent to Indonesian authorities and the technology companies named in the report.

Responses were not immediately available.In statements included in Amnesty’s report, TikTok said it continued working with global safety partners to strengthen content moderation systems, while Meta said it regularly updated its human rights reporting and platform oversight measures.

Amnesty regional researcher Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong said the investigation identified state-linked actors involved in amplifying false accusations, including members of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party and at least one presidential staff member.

“Under international human rights law, the government has an obligation to refrain from spreading disinformation,” Chanatip told AFP, adding that authorities also had a responsibility to prevent and address coordinated campaigns targeting critics.

Prabowo, a former military general, has faced scrutiny from rights groups for alleged past abuses linked to Indonesia’s authoritarian era, allegations he has repeatedly denied.

Indonesian immigration chief Hendarsam Marantoko said the government was reassessing visa waiver arrangements following a surge in cases involving foreign nationals allegedly engaged in cyber fraud, online gambling and other illicit activities.

Authorities last week detained more than 500 suspects in two separate operations targeting an online gambling syndicate in Jakarta and a scam network in Batam in the eastern Riau Islands province, officials said.

Those arrested included nationals from Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos and Myanmar, all of which currently benefit from Indonesia’s 30-day visa-free entry scheme. Chinese nationals were also among those detained, although China is not covered by the waiver policy.

“Cases of foreigners involved in illegal activities, including those coming from countries granted visa-free entry facilities, give rise to evaluation” of existing policies, Hendarsam said in a statement released by immigration authorities.

Investigators found that many suspects linked to the Jakarta gambling operation had entered Indonesia either under visa-free arrangements or through permits issued on arrival, according to officials.

Indonesia has intensified immigration enforcement in recent weeks as authorities seek to curb transnational cybercrime and illegal online betting operations, which have proliferated across parts of Southeast Asia.

Hendarsam said immigration authorities had conducted more than 6,700 administrative enforcement actions in recent weeks, including over 2,000 deportations and revocations of residence permits tied to immigration violations and criminal investigations.

Southeast Asian governments have faced mounting pressure to crack down on cross-border scam compounds and online gambling syndicates, many of which operate through regional networks involving foreign workers and digital financial transactions.

The suspects were detained at an office building in the Indonesian capital after police investigations linked the group to an online gambling enterprise that had allegedly operated for the past two months, officials said at a press conference.

According to Wira Satya Triputra, director of the Indonesian police force’s crime investigation unit, those arrested included 228 Vietnamese nationals, 57 Chinese citizens, 13 people from Myanmar, 11 from Laos, five from Thailand and three from Cambodia.

Wira said 275 of the detainees were being investigated under Indonesia’s criminal code provisions on gambling, which carry a maximum prison sentence of nine years. He added that most of the suspects were aware they had entered Indonesia to participate in online gambling activities primarily targeting customers outside the country.

Online gambling is prohibited in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, where authorities have stepped up enforcement efforts against digital gambling platforms and cross-border criminal syndicates amid concerns over financial fraud and illicit online operations.The arrests marked the second major enforcement operation involving foreign nationals in two days.

On Friday, Indonesian immigration authorities detained 210 foreigners on Batam island in Riau Islands province over allegations they were involved in online investment scams operating from an apartment complex near Singapore.

Interpol Indonesia official Untung Widyatmoko said there had been a recent shift in regional online gambling operations from Cambodian cities into Indonesia, reflecting changing enforcement patterns across Southeast Asia.

The latest raids underscore growing regional concern over organized cybercrime networks that have increasingly used Southeast Asian countries as operational hubs for online gambling, fraud and investment scams targeting international victims.

Mount Dukono, located on Halmahera island in eastern Indonesia, erupted on Friday morning, sending volcanic ash as high as 10 kilometers into the atmosphere, according to Indonesia’s volcanology authorities.

Local police said the victims included two Singaporean nationals and one Indonesian hiker who were inside a restricted exclusion zone near the crater when the eruption occurred. Indonesia’s search and rescue agency has continued to classify the three as missing while recovery efforts remain underway.Seventeen other climbers, including additional Singaporean nationals, were evacuated safely from the mountain on Friday.

The search operation was temporarily suspended late Friday because of continued eruptions and unstable conditions around the crater area. Authorities resumed the mission on Saturday with more than 100 personnel, including police officers, soldiers and drone operators.“We are racing in this search.

When the situation and condition is safe, we will approach the crater, and when an eruption occurs, we must secure all search personnel,” rescue official Iwan Ramdani said in a statement recorded near the Dukono monitoring station in Mamuya village.

Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said the volcano erupted several more times on Saturday, including one blast that produced an ash column reaching around three kilometers above the summit.

National disaster mitigation agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said preliminary information indicated the bodies of the two Singaporean hikers were located approximately 20 to 30 meters from the crater rim. The location of the Indonesian hiker remained unknown.

Singapore’s foreign ministry said it was coordinating with its embassy in Jakarta to assist affected citizens and their families, according to local media reports.Authorities said the hikers had entered an area subject to a four-kilometer exclusion zone imposed around the crater since December 2024.

The restriction remains in place because of persistent volcanic activity at Mount Dukono, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes.The volcano has remained at level two on Indonesia’s four-tier alert system since 2008. Officials said warning signs and public advisories had instructed visitors to avoid the restricted zone.

Indonesia sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region of intense seismic and volcanic activity caused by shifting tectonic plates. The archipelago has nearly 130 active volcanoes and experiences frequent eruptions and earthquakes.

The statement, submitted by Indonesia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Umar Hadi, called for strengthened protection measures for peacekeeping forces amid escalating security risks. It also urged an end to violence and a return to negotiations to secure a peaceful resolution in Lebanon.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said the safety of UN personnel was “non-negotiable,” stressing the need for the Security Council to use all available mechanisms to safeguard troops deployed in volatile environments.

The appeal follows a series of explosions in southern Lebanon in late March that killed three Indonesian peacekeepers serving under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and wounded several others, including personnel from France, Ghana, Nepal and Poland.

A separate blast inside a UN facility less than a week later injured three more Indonesian soldiers.The incidents prompted Jakarta to demand accountability and enhanced security guarantees for peacekeeping missions.

The Foreign Ministry described the attacks as “unacceptable” and called for an urgent meeting of troop-contributing countries to review safety protocols and operational conditions within UNIFIL.

President Prabowo Subianto condemned the attacks, saying such acts undermine peace efforts and result in the loss of lives of Indonesian personnel deployed abroad.

The UNIFIL mission, established to monitor hostilities and support stability in southern Lebanon, operates in a region that has seen renewed tensions in recent weeks, raising concerns over the safety of international peacekeepers.