Women take part in a football match organised by local youths as part of a celebration held to mark the upcoming Indonesian 78th Independence Day, in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on August 13, 2023. (Photo by Muchtamir Zaide/AFP Photo)





Owls for sale outside a cage at the bird market in Malang, East Java Province, Indonesia on August 14, 2023. Around 75 million birds are kept as pets in Java, threatening to wipe out some wild bird populations. Wild birds are smuggled illegally and traded on the black market to meet the demand for the pet trade, collectors, consumption, belief-based use, and even for bird fighting. Birds are one of the most traded groups with over 3,000 species, a third of all surviving species, reportedly affected by the trade. (Photo by Garry Andrew Lotulung/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)





Indonesian President Joko Widodo, wearing traditional attire from Tanimbar Islands of Maluku province, takes his seat before delivering his State of the Nation Address ahead of the country's Independence Day, at the parliament building in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, August 16, 2023. (Photo by Adek Berry/Pool Photo via AP Photo)





Boys run in a field with flags of Indonesia during an event of traditional games on the eve of Indonesia's 78th Independence Day at the Nusa tourism village, Aceh province, on August 16, 2023. (Photo by Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP Photo)





A participant celebrates after reaching the prizes during a greased-pole climbing competition held as a part of the Independence Day celebrations at Ancol Beach in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, August 17, 2023. Indonesia is celebrating its 78th independence from the Dutch colonial rule. (Photo by Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)





Children take part in a pillow fight during celebrations to mark Indonesia's 78th Independence Day in Banda Aceh on August 17, 2023. (Photo by Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP Photo)





Participants attempt to climb greasy poles to collect prizes at the top during celebrations marking Indonesia's 78th Independence Day in Jakarta on August 17, 2023. (Photo by Bay Ismoyo/AFP Photo)





Children take part in a traditional sack race during celebrations on the eve of Indonesia's 78th Independence Day at the Nusa tourism village, Aceh province, on August 16, 2023. (Photo by Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP Photo)





Indonesian soldiers perform during a ceremony marking the country's 78th anniversary of independence at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, August 17, 2023. (Photo by Achmad Ibrahim/AP Photo)





Firefighters attempt to extinguish fire that razes through a peatland field in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Indonesia, late Thursday, August 17, 2023. Forest and land fires in Indonesia are an annual problem that have strained relations with neighboring countries as the smoke from the fires could blanket parts of Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand in a thick noxious haze. (Photo by Muhammad Hatta/AP Photo)





People look at an art installation created by American artist Brian Donnelly, also known as Kaws, at the Prambanan Temple, one of the largest Hindu temples in Southeast Asia and a UNESCO World Heritage, in Yogyakarta on August 19, 2023. (Photo by Devi Rahman/AFP Photo)





A child walks next to a polluted river in Jakarta on August 23, 2023. (Photo by Bay Ismoyo/AFP Photo)





A police officer from an explosive disposal unit takes part in a security drill ahead of next year's general election in Sidoarjo, East Java, on August 23, 2023. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto/AFP Photo)





This picture taken on August 29, 2023 shows a group of Chinese nationals who were arrested during a police raid on suspicion of running an online love scam syndicate that ensnared hundreds of victims in China, at a building of the Kara Industrial Park in Batam, in Indonesia's Riau Islands province. Acting on a tip-off from their Chinese counterparts, Indonesian police arrested 83 men and five women. (Photo by AFP Photo/Stringer)





Newly hatched sea turtles make their way into the sea after leaving a conservation center in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, 29 August 2023. Conservationists released 320 newly hatched baby turtles on 29 August 2023. The sea turtle conservation efforts in Kuta have been conducted since 2002 to protect sea turtles. (Photo by Made Nagi/EPA/EFE)





Ethnic Chinese people throw imitation money known as 'hell money' to be burned as offerings, during the Hungry Ghost Festival in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, August 30, 2023. The festival is celebrated during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, when prayers are offered to the dead and offerings of food and paper-made models of items such as televisions and cars are burned to appease wandering spirits as it is believed that the gates of hell are opened during the month and the souls of dead ancestors return to visit their relatives. (Photo by Binsar Bakkara/AP Photo)





Ethnic Chinese people burn a “King of ghost” effigy during the Hungry Ghost Festival in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, August 30, 2023. The festival is celebrated during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, when prayers are offered to the dead and offerings of food and paper-made models of items such as televisions and cars are burned to appease wandering spirits as it is believed that the gates of hell are opened during the month and the souls of dead ancestors return to visit their relatives. (Photo by Binsar Bakkara/AP Photo)





An ethnic Chinese woman throws imitation money known as “hell money” to be burned as offerings, during the Hungry Ghost Festival in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, August 30, 2023. The festival is celebrated during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, when prayers are offered to the dead and offerings of food and paper-made models of items such as televisions and cars are burned to appease wandering spirits as it is believed that the gates of hell are opened during the month and the souls of dead ancestors return to visit their relatives. (Photo by Binsar Bakkara/AP Photo)





People carry “Ogoh-ogoh”, sculptural works of art in Balinese culture when they attend a carnival during the Saparan Bekakak Tradition event in Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia on September 1, 2023. The cultural carnival was closed with the “Bekakak” slaughtering procession which was manifested in the form of a bride and groom named “Tirto Dono Jati” and “Tirto Nyi Mayangsari” made from a mixture of rice flour and glutinous rice flour to ask for the safety of residents to avoid disasters. (Photo by Angga Budhiyanto/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)





A child passes the art decorated statue depicting male Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), named Jacky, during his 46th birthday at Bali Zoo, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia on September 04, 2023. Jacky is the oldest orangutan in Bali and his birthday celebration also mark the Cinta Orangutan (Love Orangutan) campaign. The campaign aims to protect Indonesia's endangered orangutan species by addressing the issue of illegal logging in Gunung Palung National Park, located in West Borneo. The campaign provides sustainable livelihoods to woodcutters through the 'Chainsaw Buyback' program. (Photo by Johannes P. Christo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)