2018 in Indonesia

During that year, Indonesia held multiple international sporting events, including the 2018 Asian Games and the 2018 Asian Para Games. The Indonesian government designated 16 national holidays and 5 religious holidays in 2018.
Indonesia also suffered major incidents and major natural disasters throughout the year. A string of terrorist attacks occurred throughout Indonesia on May, with the most serious incident occurred in Surabaya from 13 to 14 May. In terms of natural disasters, the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management recorded a total of 1,999 natural disasters throughout the year, with more than 4,000 deaths. Month of September saw the largest loss of life due to the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami, the deadliest earthquake in Indonesia in more than a decade.
Multiple major transportation disasters also occurred on that year. The second deadliest aircraft disaster in Indonesia occurred in October when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed shortly after taking off from Tangerang. One of the deadliest ferry disaster in North Sumatra occurred on June when MV Sinar Bangun sank at Lake Toba. There were also at least two bus disasters that caused more than 20 deaths in 2018.

Incumbents

President and Vice President

Ministers and Coordinating Ministers

Coordinating Ministers

Ministers

Resigned ministers

Events

January

January 1
* A speedboat carrying at least 39 people capsized near the shoreline in Tarakan, North Kalimantan. It reportedly struck a tree prior to its sinking. At least 31 people were rescued and 8 others were killed in the accident.
* At least 31 people suffered food poisoning due to consumption of contaminated tapai in Purwakarta, West Java.
January 11 – More than 30 elementary schools students in Bandung suffered food poisoning after consuming contaminated street foods.
January 12 – Regent of Talaud Islands Regency Sri Wahyu was deactivated from duty for at least three months due to unauthorized trips to the United States.
January 15 – A mezzanine floor collapses at the Indonesia Stock Exchange building, injuring 77 people.
January 16
* Jakarta's Maritime Museum in North Jakarta caught fire, workers and visitors in the museum were evacuated. No casualties.
* A measles outbreak was declared in Asmat, Papua. Further investigation revealed that multiple families had suffered from malnutrition.
* Government officials were targeted with harsh criticism after the revelation of mass malnutrition among Asmat tribe, prompting public outcry and protests.
January 17
* Indonesian President Jokowi reshuffles cabinet.
* Minister of Social Affairs Khofifah Indar Parawansa sent her resignation letter after she stated that she would enter the race for the 2018 Indonesian local elections as the governor of East Java.
January 23
* A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the southern coast of Java. The epicenter of the quake was near Lebak, Banten at depth of about 60 km. Two people died of heart attacks and 32 were injured. Hundreds of buildings including dozens in the capital Jakarta were damaged.
* The Argo Parahyangan executive train traveling from Jakarta jumped the railway track as it entered Bandung station. No fatalities or injured in incident.
January 29 – At least 25 houses were damaged after freak tides struck Sukabumi, West Java.
February
February 2 – Former actor and Governor of Jambi Zumi Zola was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission due to suspected gratification of several projects in Jambi worth of Rp 6 billion rupiah.
February 4
* Regent of Jombang, Nyono, was arrested by KPK due to suspicion of corruption.
* At least 4 construction workers were killed after a crane collapse in Jatinegara, Jakarta.
February 6
* Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency of Yogyakarta reported that at least 11 sinkholes were detected in Gunungkidul.
* Governor of West Java, Ahmad Heryawan, declared a state of emergency for the province due to threats of landslides and floods.
February 9 – At least 16 houses were damaged after a tornado struck a village in Mojokerto.
February 10
* At least 27 people have died after a bus plunged from a hill on West Java. 18 other people were injured.
* National Narcotics Board seized a Singaporean vessel in Philips Strait after the vessel allegedly carried 1.1 tonnes of methamphetamine.
February 15 – KPK announced that 19 government officials, including members of Central Lampung Regional House of Representatives and the Regent of Central Lampung Regency, Mustafa, were arrested for allegations of bribery of a project worth Rp 300 million rupiah in Lampung.
February 17 – General Elections Commission declared that 4 newly formed political parties have qualified for the 2019 Indonesia General Elections.
February 18 – KPU officially draws the number of each political parties for the 2019 election.
February 19 – Mount Sinabung erupted, spewing ash 5 km into the sky. At least 4 districts were affected due to the eruption.
February 22 – At least nine people have been killed and 13 are still missing after a landslide cascaded down the terraced slopes of a rice field on Brebes, Central Java.
February 23 – Indonesian Police arrested 28 crew members of a Taiwanese vessel which reportedly carried methamphetamine.
February 24
* Commissioner of the General Elections Commission of Garut was arrested by KPK due to allegations of bribery.
* An 80 meter long cracks caused panic among residents in Banjarnegara, sparking evacuation.
February 28 – A Rp3.5 trillion rupiah yacht, named Equinimity, was seized by the Indonesian National Police and FBI after international investigation concluded that the owners were involved in 1MDB case.
March
March 1 – Mayor of Kendari, Adriatma Dwi Putra, was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission for alleged bribery.
March 7 – At least 62 people were treated for food poisoning after allegedly consuming contaminated food from a wedding.
March 8 – A boat carrying 11 santri capsized after being struck by multiple high waves near Sapeken Island. At least 2 people were killed.
March 9 – Acting Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Fadli Zon reported Secretary General of Indonesian Solidarity Party and activist Faisal Assegaf to the police for disinformation.
March 10 – At least 2 people were killed after an accident involving an M113 APC in Purworejo.
March 12 – In line with international regulations, the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation issued an announcement to ban passengers from bringing battery charger into the cabin of an aircraft.
March 13 – Indonesian Supreme Court put a judge from Tangerang High Court on administrative leave due to alleged bribery.
March 16 – Corruption Eradication Commission announced that a candidate for governor of North Maluku Ahmad Mus was declared as a suspect in an airport corruption case.
March 18 – Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture assured that a viral video claiming "fake eggs" in Indonesia was a hoax.
March 19 – Fierce backlash after Prabowo Subianto made a speech of Indonesia breaking apart in 2030.
March 20 – A propeller aircraft crashed while performing an aerobatic show in Cilacap. The sole occupant of the aircraft, the pilot, was killed in the accident.
March 24 – At least 600 hectares of crops were damaged or destroyed due to toxic fumes from Ijen crater.
March 29 – Former Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Setya Novanto was charged with 16 years in prison due to the corruption of at least US$7.3 million in the E-KTP case.
March 30 – More than 1,200 people were displaced after a massive inferno tore through densely populated residential area in West Jakarta.
March 31 – At least 2 people were killed after two landing craft tank vessels collided off the coast of Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.
April
April 2 – Daughter of former Indonesian president, President Sukarno, Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, was reported to the police for her Ibu Indonesia poem.
April 4 – The Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology issued a warning of a possible 57 meters tsunami in Pandeglang in the future.
April 7 – At least 1 person was killed after a train collided with a truck in Ngawi, East Java.
April 11 – Prabowo Subianto announced his bid as a presidential candidate for the 2019 Indonesian general elections.
April 12 – A total of 42 people died due to the consumption of bootleg liquor in West Java.
April 16 – A wall collapsed onto students who were practicing gamelan in Cirebon. At least 7 students were crushed to their deaths.
April 19 – A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck Banjarnegara Regency in Central Java. At least 3 people were killed and more than 300 structures were damaged. At least 27 people were injured by the quake.
April 20 – Seven Banyuwangi residents died after drinking bootleg liquor.
April 24
* Former Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Setya Novanto was sentenced to 15 years in prison after judges found Novanto guilty in e-KTP corruption case.
* At least 47 houses and 2 campus buildings were damaged after a tornado struck Yogyakarta.
25 April – At least 28 people were killed and 30 people were injured after an oil well explosion in East Aceh.
May
May 9 – 2018 Mako Brimob standoff – At least 5 police officers were killed after a standoff in Mako Brimob. There were reports of multiple shootings inside the complex. The incident was regarded as a terrorist attack and the deadliest terrorist attack on police officers in Indonesia.
May 11 – A phreatic eruption occurred on Mount Merapi. The eruption spewed ash as high as 5 km into the sky.
May 13–14 – Surabaya bombings
* Three churches across Surabaya were attacked by suicide bombers. A total of 15 people were killed in the blasts and dozens more were wounded in the attack. The perpetrators were identified as a family from Surabaya.
* On the evening, a bomb exploded inside an apartment complex near Surabaya, killing 3 people and wounded 3 others. The victims were terrorists and the blast was deemed as accidental. They planned to detonate the bomb the next day in churches.
* On the morning of May 14, the Surabaya Police Headquarters was attacked by a family of suicide bombers. They detonated the bombs while they were being stopped by policemen. 10 people were wounded in the attack.
May 15 – In response to the terrorist attacks in Mako Brimob and in Surabaya, Indonesian police conducted multiple crackdowns on suspected terrorists throughout Indonesia
May 16 – At least 5 people, including 4 terrorists, were killed in an attack on a police station in Riau, Another 4 people, including journalists, were injured in the attack.
May 18 – Indonesian extremist Aman Abdurrahman was sentenced to death for creating the extremist group Jamaah Ansharut Daulat, which was responsible for multiple terrorist attacks in the past two years.
May 20 – At least 12 people were killed after a truck ploughed into crowd of people in Brebes, Central Java.
May 21 – Hundreds evacuated after another phreatic eruption on Mount Merapi.
May 24 – Kertajati International Airport, the largest international airport in West Java, was officially opened by Joko Widodo.
May 25 – In response to the multiple terrorist attacks across Indonesia in the past few days, the Indonesian House of Representatives passed a new stronger and tighter anti-terrorism law. The law will grant law enforcers and the Indonesian military more power to conduct anti-terrorism operation.
May 30 – At least 8 people were killed after a fire tore through a boarding house in Surabaya.