Indonesia's Military Cuts Office Days to Offset Mideast Fuel Crisis

(MENAFN) Indonesia's Defense Ministry and armed forces have rolled out a remote work policy permitting staff to work from home one day per week, as Jakarta joins a growing list of governments scrambling to curb fuel consumption in the face of an energy crisis fueled by the escalating Middle East war, state media reported Tuesday.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Rico Ricardo Sirait said the measure is consistent with President Prabowo Subianto's standing directive to bolster national efficiency — particularly in the management of strategic resources — according to the Antara news agency. Under the arrangement, select functions will transition from a standard five-day in-office schedule to a four-day one, with the fifth day designated for remote work. The scheme follows direct presidential authorization for the weekly work-from-home rotation, set to take effect following the Eid holiday period.

Separately, Hong Kong has escalated its travel warnings for Iran and Israel to black — the territory's highest-tier alert, denoting a "severe threat" — as fighting in the region shows no sign of subsiding. Amber-level advisories, one step below, have been extended to six additional Middle Eastern nations: Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, media reported.

The alert upgrade is already reshaping air travel across the region. Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific announced the cancellation of all flights to and from Dubai through May 31, 2026, citing the deteriorating security environment.

The cascading economic and logistical fallout across Asia reflects the deepening consequences of a conflict now in its fourth week. The joint US-Israeli military offensive against Iran, which began February 28, has killed more than 1,340 people — among them then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran has since unleashed waves of drone and missile strikes against Israel and Gulf states hosting US military forces, while also seizing effective control of the Strait of Hormuz — the jugular vein of global energy supply and the primary conduit through which oil and gas reach much of Asia.

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