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Unpaid and overworked: Inside the exploitative world of student internships
It wasn’t exactly the start to the professional life Agus dreamed of. For the past three years, the 23-year-old struggled to obtain college credits via his internship program, having toiled without pay at three different companies.
The demons of conversion therapy in Indonesia
Carolyn* can never get out of her head the memory of her parents bringing her to conversion therapy. The transwoman from South Sulawesi was 13 then, and society expected her to...
Kpop, an eruption, and an arowana: The most popular Coconuts Jakarta stories of 2020
Whether it counts or not, we have finally reached the end of 2020 -- which calls for us at Coconuts Jakarta to revisit the year’s most popular stories.
Terror victims in Indonesia recount life-altering attacks as struggle for support continues
On the Saturday night of October 12, 2002 in Bali, Gatut Indro Suranto was driving home with his coworkers after a business dinner. As they rolled in front of Sari Club in Kuta,...
Kwitang neighborhood offers Jakarta protesters safe refuge from harm
On the evening of Oct. 8, Sandi Pulungan found himself hiding near an empty plot of land. The 29-year-old kept his head low, occasionally looking up to check his surroundings. At...
For Jakarta’s COVID-19 case tracers, each gruelling day blends right into the next
Aulia hasn’t had the time to take a breather during what she has described as an exhausting months-long marathon. Ever since Indonesia officially recorded its first COVID-19...
Drug decriminalization in Indonesia is not easy, but necessary
Bambang Yulistyo Dwi Mulyanto aka Tedjo, 48, has dealt with the judicial system more times than he would’ve liked as a drug user. It started when he was a senior high school...
Islamic boarding school finds strength in spiritual pursuit, community, and physical distancing
It had been four months since the santri (Islamic boarding school students) of An Nuqthah in Tangerang, Banten last studied, ate, slept, and lived with each other. In late June,...
For Jakarta’s informal workers, the pandemic brings more uncertainty than ever for the future
Jakarta's informal workers had it rough before the pandemic. With COVID-19, survival is on the line.
Tracing the Infected: How far can COVID-19 mass surveillance work in Indonesia?
Can COVID-19 mass surveillance curb the spread of the disease in Indonesia?