2016 in Indonesia

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See also:	List of years in Indonesia

This is a list of events in 2016 in Indonesia.

Incumbents

• Ridwan Mukti - Governor of Bengkulu
• Rohidin Mersyah - Vice Governor of Bengkulu
• Zumi Zola - Governor of Jambi
• Fachrori Umar - Vice Governor of Jambi
• Muhammad Sani - Governor of Riau Islands
• Nurdin Basirun - Vice Governor of Riau Islands
• Sahbirin Noor - Governor of South Kalimantan
• Rusdi Resnawan -Vice Governor of South Kalimantan
• Irwan Prayitno - Governor of West Sumatra
• Nasrul Abit - Vice Governor of West Sumatra

Events

January

• January 1 - A low explosive device exploded under a local television TVOne van outside Bandung's mayor house. No one was injured.
• January 4 - A young female doctor with her child went missing in Yogyakarta. Her disappearance went viral in social media as she left a note that she will "fight for Allah".
• January 6 - After the disappearance of Dr. Rica, another five people went missing in Yogyakarta, the youngest was a high school student.
• January 11 - Dr. Rica and five other missing people were found by the police in Pangkalan Bun, West Kalimantan. Two other people were arrested in connection to the disappearance as police thought they were "recruiter".
• January 12 - After the discovery of Dr. Rica, reports of missing person spiked to 15 people in Yogyakarta alone.
• January 13 - More than 33 people reported to be missing in Yogyakarta after the discovery of Dr. Rica. It was suspected that they joined an Islamist group called 'GAFATAR'.

A damaged police station in Sarinah due to grenades in Jakarta attacks

Video of the 2016 Jakarta Attacks

• January 14 - 2016 Jakarta Terror Attack; Terrorist attacks a Starbucks cafe and a policebox in Jakarta, killing 4 civilians (one fatalities occurred few days after the attack) and wounding a total of twenty four people. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria claimed responsibility in the first ISIS attack in Southeast Asia
• January 15 -
  • Three people were arrested in Cirebon in connection with the Jakarta attacks.
  • Numbers of missing people, possibly joining GAFATAR, kept rising.
• January 19 - Ex-GAFATAR barrack was found by locals in Mempawah, West Kalimantan. Outraged, they burned it to the ground as the mayor watches and cry.
• January 20 - Yogyakarta Regional Police will send 100 personnel from their division to Mempawah to pick up ex-GAFATAR and 'would be' GAFATAR members.
• January 21
  • President Joko Widodo announced the construction of bullet train with its starting route from Jakarta to Bandung, the first in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
  • A total of 92 people missing in Yogyakarta alone. Police stated that 300 people were missing across Indonesia to join the organization.

February

• February 6–19 people, mostly students from Papua, intoxicated to death in Sleman, Yogyakarta after drinking a bootleg liquor.
• February 7 - Death toll from bootleg liquor in Yogyakarta rises to 21 people. Few hours later, a total of 24 people were killed due to the bootleg liquor.
• February 8 - Death toll from bootleg liquor in Yogyakarta kept rising and tops a total of 25 people.

An Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano similar to the one involved in the crash in Malang

• February 10 - A Super Tucano operated by Indonesian Air Force crashed into a crowded neighborhood in Malang, killing a woman. One person was pronounced missing. The pilot was found in a paddy field in critical condition. It was the second Indonesian Air Force aviation accident in just two months. President Joko Widodo called for an audit program immediately.
• February 12
  • President Joko Widodo inaugurated a total of 10 elected people as governors and vice governors of Bengkulu, Jambi, Riau Islands, South Kalimantan, and West Sumatra.
  • Indonesian National Police announced that a total of 22 people were arrested in connection to Jakarta attacks.
• February 16 - Death toll from bootleg liquor tops 26 people. At the same time, Yogyakarta police found that a total of 37% of methane and some insecticide were added to the liquor.
• February 18 - Rio Haryanto becomes the first Indonesian racer to join the Formula One

March

• March 3 - A shallow, magnitude 7.9 earthquake rocks Mentawai Island. A tsunami warning was issued throughout Sumatra, but later cancelled. No reports of damage and casualties.
• March 4
• Video of MV Rafelia capsizing Another angle of MV Rafelia capsizing
  • A roll on roll off vessel, MV Rafelia, carrying 76 people and 25 cars and trucks tilted and capsized in Bali Strait while en route to Ketapang. Most passengers didn't aware that the vessel was tilting as the vehicle kept moving forward. A total of 5 people were found dead. One body was found steering the wheel, later identified as passengers, not the Captain. The incident was caught on camera.
  • The largest jazz music festival in Southeast Asia, the 2016 Java Jazz Festival, began in Jakarta.
• March 6
  • The High Conferention Meeting of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation began in Jakarta, opened by President Joko Widodo. President Joko Widodo announced that Indonesia strongly support the independence of Palestine and will open a consulate in Ramallah.
  • A total of 7 people were killed and several others injured in Bojonegoro when an Elf carrying 15 people collided with a Honda Mobilio.
• March 8 - Three orangutans were found burned to death in Bontang, East Kalimantan. Their deaths went viral in social media and known as "Orangutan Tragedy".

9 March 2016 total solar eclipse seen from Balikpapan

• March 9 - The 2016 Total Solar Eclipse; The 2016 total solar eclipse occurred and could be seen in every Southeast Asian countries. The totality could only be seen in West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Jambi, Bangka Belitung, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, West Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi and North Maluku. Festivals and celebrations were held around the country, particularly in the area the total eclipse would hit.
• March 14 - The head of Ogan Ilir Municipality, Noviadi Marwadi, has been detained by authorities due to drug abuse. He was caught while having a drug party. He just had sworn in by President Joko Widodo a month earlier. Two civil staffs accompanying him were also detained.
• March 16 - Four construction workers were shot dead when gunman opened fire in Papua. One person survived the carnage by fleeing the scene, and later reported the incident to local police.
• March 17 - A laser was shot to an aircraft while taking off in Yogyakarta Adisucipto International Airport. This caused a widespread concern to aviation safety in Indonesia. Police chief of the Indonesian Police ordered a manhunt for the shooter.
• March 19
  • Due to massive reports of illegal fishing, Government of Indonesia finally stated that they would blow up every ship that caught doing illegal fishing in their territory. A Chinese fishing boat named MV Fey was caught doing this and the Indonesian army tug the boat to the "sinking" site. However, possibly outraged, the Chinese coastguard rammed into the Indonesian army boat. Furious, Minister of Maritime and Fishery Susi Pudjiastuti asked China to explain their action that defend the illegal fisher, claiming that they support illegal fishing.
  • A total of 32 cities and municipalities in Indonesia, participated in an event to switched all the lights off for a total of one hour. Lights in famous landmarks in Indonesia, including Prambanan and Borobudur, were switched off.
  • A controversial video made by Red Bull, which was showing a foreign man jumping on Borobudur, were condemned, cursed, and mocked by netizens in Indonesia and residents lived in the area. Red Bull then put the video down from its Facebook page.
• March 20
  • An Indonesian Air Force helicopter Bell 412 crashed in Poso, Central Sulawesi, killing all 13 people on board. All of them were General, Lieutenant General, Army Officers, and several high profile military people. Witnesses stated that a lightning struck the helicopter, causing it to crash. President Joko Widodo sent his sincere condolences to the victims and the next of kin. He later stated that an immediate investigation is needed.Australia also sent their sincere condolence to the crash. The helicopter crashed while the army conducted a manhunt for a famous, local Islamist militant called Santoso. This particular group usually attack several police station and threw grenades at them. Search and rescue team found that the plane was totally destroyed by the force of impact.
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi condemned China's action to stop the sinking of their ship that was caught doing illegal fishing in Indonesian territory, MV Fey. In a press conference, she had already called the ambassador of China to Indonesia and stated three violations of China's action.
• March 22
  • As three coordinated bomb exploded in the city of Brussels, Belgium, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi quickly gathered about the whereabouts of Indonesians in Brussels. Later on, it was revealed that 3 Indonesian were injured in Zaventem International Airport explosion. Retno Marsudi, on behalf of the Indonesian Government and people, condemned the attack.
  • An anarchist demonstration took place in Jakarta, where thousands of taxi drivers walked down the streets and protesting about the legality of Uber and other online transportation in Indonesia. They damaged other taxis, beaten a Go-Jek driver, smashed the windows of a bus, and set tires on fire. Most netizens responded their actions negatively and created some memes to insult them.
• March 25 - Malabero Jail, a jail located in the province of Bengkulu, caught fire. The fire, raging throughout the structure, destroyed the building. A total of 257 prisoners were evacuated. As few prisoners tried to escape, gunshots fired to the air. 5 prisoners burned to death. Witnesses reported that several explosions were heard inside the jail before the fire, indicating a possible short circuit.
• March 26 - Philippines terrorist group Abu Sayyaf hijacked two Indonesian ships carrying 7.000 tonnes of coal. A total of 10 Indonesian crews were held hostage. The perpetrators asked for a ransom worth 50 million Philippines pesos.
• March 29 - A massive blast occurred in Haluoleo University in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. Four people were killed and eight others were injured. The blast occurred when the university conducted a police training to "evacuate an explosive device". The device had faulty wiring, and thus, exploded while police officers demonstrate on how to evacuate the device.
• March 31 - Philippine refused Indonesian offer to help its military rescuing the 10 Indonesians held hostage by Abu Sayyaf.

April

• April 2 - A shallow, 13 kilometers deep, magnitude 4.7 earthquake jolted the Island of Lombok, damaging a total of 44 structures including houses and community services building. No one was killed in the incident.
• April 4 - Batik Air Flight 7703, a Boeing 737 registered as PK-LBS, collided with a TransNusa Air Services ATR 42, registered PK-TNJ in Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta. The Boeing 737's wingtip sliced off the ATR 42 tailfin and its winglets. The Boeing 737's wing burst into flames. No one was killed. Several peole were injured.
• April 8 - Only a few months after been sworn in by President Joko Widodo, the Governor of Riau Islands, Muhammad Sani, took his last breath in Jakarta's Abdi Waluyo Hospital. He died on 03.00 p.m after an intensive care in the hospital. He was planned to meet Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla to discuss several things. President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla later visited his body in Jakarta.
• April 9 - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla to discuss the fate of the 10 Indonesians held hostage by Abu Sayyaf.
• April 11 - A shallow, 16 kilometers deep, 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocked the province of Bengkulu, damaging a total of 27 houses and even Bengkulu's Meteorological Office. No one was killed in the earthquake.
• April 15 - Indonesian Government stated that a total of 2 Indonesian citizens studying in Japan were injured in after a large, massive earthquake rocked Kumamoto, Japan. More than 300 Indonesian citizens were evacuated as the result of the quake, 19 of them to Fukuoka. Indonesian consulate in Japan later assisted the Japan's Search and Rescue Team to help the victims of the disaster.
• April 16
  • As a massive earthquake rocked Ecuador killing hundreds and injuring thousands, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi urged all Indonesians to stay calm while receiving information from Ecuador about the safety of Indonesian citizen in Ecuador due to the quake. She later received a statement that no Indonesian were killed or injured in the quake.
  • Philippines' terrorist group hijacked another Indonesian ships carrying 10 Indonesian citizens while returning home to Tarakan, North Kalimantan. However, this time, the Malaysian police took act, and rescued a total of 6 Indonesian citizen, one of them got a shot wound in the leg. The remaining four Indonesians were took hostages by the group. Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged to tighten the security in the Philippines' Southern Sea.
• April 16–20 - A total of six people were shot by a mysterious person in Chinatown in Magelang, Central Java. All the of the victims were women, and stated that most of them had just walked for about ten steps from a shop until they were attacked by the man.
• April 19 - 4 Indonesians held hostages by Philippines terrorist group Abu Sayyaf were moved to the Island of Tawi-Tawi.
• April 22 - Samadikun Hartono, a suspect for a corruption scandal that had been searched for 11 years, finally arrested by Indonesian police. He was caught while watching the Formula One in Shanghai.
• April 23 - A riot broke out in Banceuy Prison in Bandung, West Java. The riot started when a prisoner found his fellow prisoners hanging himself in his room. The prisoners then set fire to the Guard Room and overturning several cars.
• April 25 - A gashing incident occurred in the city of Yogyakarta when a man with its motor gashed three women randomly in the street with cutter, one of them was an elementary school student. One of the victims had deep cut wound due to the gashing. Police stated that the suspect might be related with the shooting in Magelang.
• April 26 - President Joko Widodo invited the General and the Foreign Minister of Malaysia and Philippines to talk about the safety in the Philippines South Sea.
• April 27
  • Nahdlatul Ulama condemns the taking of 14 Indonesians by Abu Sayyaf and held hostages.
  • Total victims shot by mysterious man in Magelang rise to 13, most of them were women. Police stated that the incident might be related with the gashing incident in Yogyakarta.
• April 29 - Suspected Magelang shooter finally arrested by Indonesian National Police in Magelang. He was caught while in effect with drugs. They later conducted a manhunt for his brother possibly involved in the shooting.
• April 30 - After the arrest of the suspected Magelang shooter, another shooting occurred. This one in Bantul when four people, using an air soft gun, shot two teenagers in a warong. The four suspect then fled the scene. Both teenagers were

May

• May 1 - After being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf since March 26, 10 hostages were freed on May 1. They were returned to Indonesia, arrived in Halim Perdanakusuma Airport and hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo for a dinner in his house. Subsequently, all of them were returned to their families. But 4 Indonesians remained held hostage by Abu Sayyaf since April 16.h
• May 22 - Mount Sinabung volcano erupts, killing seven people.

Predicted and Scheduled Events

• August 5–21 - 10 athletes from Indonesia will compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil