Despite fewer crossings, Batam is experiencing a surge in Singaporean visitors, who are flocking to the island to stock up on groceries and everyday goods as prices back home continue to climb.

The suspect forged signatures on documents to apply for loans without knowledge or consent from victims who handed over their promotion decrees as collateral.

Videos of the procured vehicles have recently circulated widely on social media, fueling public backlash and raising questions over the urgency of providing motorcycles to kitchen heads, as well as the effectiveness of the program’s large budget.

The measure aims to address widespread noncompliance with post-divorce financial obligations, which he said has left many former spouses and children without adequate support.

The Batam city administration aims to reduce the city budget burden in providing public services to nonresidents.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has foiled an attempt to smuggle food commodities from the Netherlands into Riau in an operation that has sparked concerns over potential military overreach into civilian affairs.

Acting on tips from the public, the Riau Islands Police have solved three separate cases of theft targeting municipal equipment, netting six suspects and two fences, with one suspect still at large, who face maximum sentences of between four and seven years if convicted.

Amsal’s case attracted widespread public attention, with critics arguing that authorities were criminalizing the videographer over the pricing of his work. 

Floods and landslides have struck multiple regions across Indonesia following days of heavy rain, leaving at least one person dead and forcing hundreds to flee, as authorities warn of more extreme weather during the seasonal transition.

Easter celebrations took place in Batam while pilgrims flocked to Larantuka in East Nusa Tenggara to participate in the Semana Santa procession, a 500-year-old tradition dating back to the era of Portuguese rule.

Suspect Andi Hakim Febriansyah and his wife Camelia Rosa were arrested upon arrival from Malaysia by immigration officers.

The replacements are part of the fallout of the alleged extortion of foreign tourists at Batam Center International Ferry Terminal, which has gone viral in the past few months.

Prosecutors charged Amsal Christy Sitepu for allegedly putting marked-up budgets on his proposal to make profile videos for 20 villages in Karo regency, North Sumatra, from 2020 to 2022. 

At least one person was killed after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the Maluku Sea rocked North Sulawesi and North Maluku and triggered tsunami waves that reached up to 0.75 meters in height.

Investigators found that the victim had repeatedly asked his parents for school supplies, but the requests could not be fulfilled due to financial constraints.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the tremor hit at a shallow depth of 35 kilometres in the Maluku Sea between the Sulawesi and Maluku island groups in the early morning.

The Riau Islands regional office of the Immigration Directorate General has acknowledged there are indications of illegal fees being levied by officers and brokers and alleged extortion of foreign tourists at the Batam Center ferry terminal.

Bali Police’s General Crime Director Sr. Comr. I Gede Adhi Mulyawarman said the suspects, 35-year-old Darlan Bruno Lima Sanandana and 28-year-old Kalyl Hyorran, were identified through CCTV footage, GPS data and witness statements.

The illegal business had been running for two years with a turnover of Rp 7 billion (US$411,798) in three rented rooms in an apartment building.

Ahmad Munawir, a conservation official at the Forestry Ministry, said the dragons will be sent to iZoo in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan’s largest reptile and amphibian-focused zoo, which houses over 400 species and 2,000 animals.

The videographer, Amsal Christy Sitepu, was named a suspect in November last year after authorities accused him of inflating production costs, allegedly causing state losses of Rp 202 million.

A prolonged dry season has led to drought, driven not only by water scarcity but also by rampant forest and peatland fires on Bintan Island.

Tourists must take precautions to prevent sexual violence by avoiding leaving night clubs after midnight and dressing appropriately, the police said.

Immigration authorities are investigating officers from Batam Immigration Office over reports that they have been extorting up to S$250 (US$194.50) from ASEAN passport holders in exchange for entry into Batam.

The victims were a Chinese national, whose cellpone was also stolen by the rapist, an an Australian national.

The birth of Pesek's seventh child is testament to the successful orangutan conservation program at TNGL.

Officials estimate that around 1.5 tonnes of illegal drugs circulate in the province each month, with a total market value of approximately Rp 1.5 trillion.

Efforts to extinguish fires have been hampered by a scarcity of water because of a drought caused by the long dry season in both provinces.

Since March of last year, seven animals at the zoo, including a pelican and a binturong, have reportedly died amid the ongoing management conflicts. 

At present, only two troupes in the Riau Islands continue to practice Mak Yong, with just one still actively performing, placing the survival of this centuries-old art form at risk for future generations.