Torrential rains on Indonesia's Sulawesi island caused landslides, resulting in the deaths of at least 14 people and leaving three others missing in the Tana Toraja district of South Sulawesi province. Rescue efforts were hampered by downed communications lines, bad weather, and unstable soil. The region is known for its popular tourist attractions, including traditional houses and wooden statues in caves. Seasonal downpours lead to frequent landslides and floods in Indonesia, a country consisting of 17,000 islands where many people live in mountainous or flood-prone areas.
Indonesians are traveling in record numbers to their hometowns for the Eid al-Fitr festival, with an expected 193 million travelers, marking a significant increase from last year's 124 million. This annual tradition, known as mudik, sees a mass exodus from urban areas to rural hometowns to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Jakarta, the capital, is experiencing overcrowded bus and train stations as more than 1.1 million people leave for their hometowns. The festive period is a significant cultural event in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
Two Papuan separatist leaders, Abubakar Tabuni and Natan Wanimbo, were killed in a shootout between security forces and the West Papua Liberation Army near the Grasberg gold mine in Indonesia's Papua region. The clashes took place near the mining town of Tembagapura, with rebels targeting the mine as a symbol of Indonesian rule. The area has a history of insurgency dating back to the 1960s when Indonesia annexed the region after a controversial UN-sponsored ballot.
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