Several events with high level media coverage occurred during the year, including the first ISIS-related terror attack in Southeast Asia in Indonesian capital Jakarta on January. The murder of Mirna Salihin was dubbed as the nation's "trial of the century" as public viewership of the trial reached a record high. Mass protests in the middle and late on the year, which erupted after controversial remarks from incumbent Governor of Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, were both noted by observers as a prelude of the rising religious intolerance in Indonesia.
Incumbents President and Vice President PresidentVice President Joko WidodoJusuf Kalla
Ministers and Coordinating Ministers Coordinating Ministers Photo Position Name Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan Coordinating Minister of Human Development and Culture Puan Maharani
Ministers Photo Position Name Minister of State Secretariat Pratikno Minister of Home Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi Minister of Defence Ryamizard Ryacudu Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto Minister of Trade Enggartiasto Lukita Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti Minister of Manpower Hanif Dhakiri Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono Minister of Health Nila Moeloek Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Sofyan Djalil Minister of Social Affairs Khofifah Indar Parawansa Minister of Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin Minister of Communication and Information Technology Rudiantara Minister of Research and Technology Mohamad Nasir Minister of Cooperatives and Small & Medium Enterprises Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Puspayoga Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Yohana Yembise Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Asman Abnur Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Eko Putro Sandjojo Minister of National Development Planning Bambang Brodjonegoro Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Rini Soemarno Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Arief Yahya Minister of Youth and Sports Imam Nahrawi
Reshuffled Ministers Photo Position Name Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Rizal Ramli Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (1st) Sudirman Said Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (2nd) Arcandra Tahar Minister of Finance Bambang Brodjonegoro Minister of Industry Saleh Husin Minister of Trade Thomas Trikasih Lembong Minister of Transportation Ignasius Jonan Minister of Education and Culture Anies Baswedan Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Ferry Mursyidan Baldan Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Yuddy Chrisnandi Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Marwan Jafar Minister of National Development Planning Sofyan Djalil
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 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 with the disappearance, as police thought they were "recruiters". January 12 - After the discovery of Dr. Rica, reports of missing persons spiked to 15 people in Yogyakarta alone. January 13 - More than 33 people were reported missing in Yogyakarta after the discovery of Dr. Rica. It was suspected that they had joined an Islamist group called 'GAFATAR'.
Video of the 2016 Jakarta Attacks January 14 - 2016 Jakarta Terror Attack; a terrorist attacked a Starbucks cafe and a police box in Jakarta, killing four civilians (one fatality occurred a few days after the attack) and wounding 24. 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 - An ex-GAFATAR barrack was found by locals in Mempawah, West Kalimantan. Outraged, they burned it to the ground as the mayor watched and cried. January 20 - Yogyakarta Regional Police sent 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 a bullet train with its starting route from Jakarta to Bandung, the first in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. A total of 92 people went 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, died of alcohol poisoning in Sleman, Yogyakarta after drinking bootleg liquor. February 7 - The death toll from bootleg liquor in Yogyakarta rose to 21 people. A few hours later, the number rose to 24. February 8 - The death toll from bootleg liquor in Yogyakarta reached 25 people.
February 10 - A Super Tucano operated by the 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 ten elected people as governors and vice governors of Bengkulu, Jambi, Riau Islands, South Kalimantan, and West Sumatra. Indonesian National Police announced that 22 people were arrested in connection with the Jakarta attacks. February 16 - The death toll from bootleg liquor topped 26 people. At the same time, Yogyakarta police found that a total of 37 percent of methane and some insecticides had been added to the liquor. February 18 - Rio Haryanto became the first Indonesian racer to join Formula One.
March March 3 - A shallow, magnitude 7.9 earthquake rocked 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 weren't aware that the vessel was tilting, as it kept moving forward. A total of five people were found dead. One body was found steering the wheel, later identified as a passenger, 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 supports the independence of Palestine and will open a consulate in Ramallah. Seven 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 on social media and were known as the "Orangutan Tragedy".
March 9 - The 2016 total solar eclipse 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 hit. March 14 - The head of Ogan Ilir Regency, Noviadi Marwadi, was detained by authorities due to drug abuse. He was caught while having a drug party. He had been just sworn in by President Joko Widodo a month earlier. Two civil staff members accompanying him were also detained. March 16 - Four construction workers were shot dead when a 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 at an aircraft while taking off from Yogyakarta Adisucipto International Airport. This caused widespread concern about aviation safety in Indonesia. The chief of the Indonesian Police ordered a manhunt for the shooter. March 19 Due to massive reports of illegal fishing, the government of Indonesia finally stated that they would blow up every ship that was caught doing illegal fishing in their territory. A Chinese fishing boat named MV Fey was caught doing this and the Indonesian army tugged the boat to the "sinking" site. However, possibly outraged, the Chinese coastguard rammed into the Indonesian army boat. Furious, the Minister of Maritime and Fishery Susi Pudjiastuti asked China to explain their action that defended the illegal fisher, claiming that they support illegal fishing. A total of 32 cities and municipalities in Indonesia participated in an event to switch 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 showed a foreign man jumping on Borobudur, was condemned by netizens in Indonesia and residents of the area. Red Bull then pulled the video from its Facebook page. March 20 An Indonesian Air Force helicopter Bell 412 crashed in Poso, Central Sulawesi, killing all 13 people on board. They were generals, lieutenant generals, Army officers, and high-profile military people. Witnesses stated that lightning had struck the helicopter, causing it to crash. President Joko Widodo sent his sincere condolences to the victims and their next of kin. He later stated that an immediate investigation was needed. Australia also sent their sincere condolences. The helicopter crashed while the army conducted a manhunt for a famous local Islamist militant Santoso. This particular group usually attack police stations and threw grenades at them. A 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 bombs exploded in the city of Brussels, Belgium, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi quickly gathered whereabouts of Indonesians in Brussels. Later, it was revealed that three Indonesians were injured in the Zaventem International Airport explosion. Retno Marsudi, on behalf of the Indonesian government and people, condemned the attack.