Syahdan Alamsyah, Sukabumi – Indonesian military (TNI) chief General Gatot Nurmantyo says that the simultaneous 171717 events that are to be held nationwide on August 17 at 5pm, which are being initiated by the TNI, will be a love and affection (kasih saying) action that will involve all religious elements, particularly Muslims as the majority r

Muhammad Nur Abdurrahman, Makassar – A candlelight vigil for Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama in front of the Stella Maris Hospital in Losari Beach, Makassar, was forcibly broken up by members of the South Sulawesi Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and Makassar Islamic Students Association (HMI) on the evening of Saturday May 13.

Sukma Indah Permana, Bantul – An exhibition displaying the art works of Andreas Iswinarto in the Bantul regency of Yogyakarta province has been closed down by the social organisation Pancasila Youth (PP).

Agus Setyadi, Banda Aceh – Workers in Indonesia’s northern-most province of Aceh commemorated May Day with a convoy around the main streets of the capital Banda Aceh on Monday May 1. They also gave speeches in front of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque and the Aceh Regional House of Representatives (DPRA).

Edzan Raharjo, Yogyakarta – International Labour Day or May Day was commemorated by a number of different groups with rallies in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta. The main location for the protests was the Jl. Malioboro shopping district and the zero kilometre point in front of the central post office.

Prins David Saut, Denpasar – Workers in Bali enlivened May Day by demanding increases to the provincial minimum wage (UMP) and dancing as they read out their demands.

Ngadri, Pontianak -- The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has called on all parties to protect the rights of women, rights that they have yet to gain.

Edzan Raharjo, Yogyakarta – International Women’s Day in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta was commemorated by several different organisations with a long-march through the Jl. Malioboro shopping district.

Noval Dhwinuari Antony, Jakarta – Jakarta gubernatorial candidates Anies Rasyid Baswedan has held a dialog with the hijab community (hijabers) in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. The problem of discrimination for women who wear hijabs, veils or jilbabs was one of the issues discussed in the dialogue.

Edward Febriyatri Kusuma, Jakarta – I Love the Fatherland (Aku Cinta Tanah Air, ACTA) deputy chairperson Ali Lubis is suing Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama over the campaign speech he made at the Thousand Islands in late September.

Yudhistira Amran Saleh, Jakarta – Hundreds of Papuan demonstrators from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) demanding independence for West Papua have been taken to the Metro Jaya regional police headquarters.

Aditya Mardiastuti, Nusa Dua – Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has emphasised that the sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) cannot be challenged.

Ryacudu made the remark at a meeting with Australian government representatives during the 2+2 Meeting in Bali on Friday October 28.

Melbourne – Gadjah Mada University (UGM) historian Dr Abdul Wahid has put forward a hypothesis that intellectual genocide occurred in Indonesian tertiary education institutions following the 1965 affair.

This was marked with the dismissal and exclusion of thousands of lecturers and students who were accused of being leftist.

Rina Atriana, Jakarta – Retired Major General Kivlan Zen says that the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) has already been revived and has formed an organisational party structure and has prepared as many as 15 million supporters.

Mei Amelia, Jakarta – The Kebayoran Baru sectoral police have questioned a clothing trader in the Block M shopping district of South Jakarta for selling T-shirts with pictures of the hammer-and-sickle.

Based on the results of the questioning, no indications were found that the trader was spreading treason (maker).

Sukma Indah Permana, Yogyakarta – A film showing of the documentary Buru Island My Homeland (Pulau Buru Tanah Tanah Air Beta) at the offices of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) in the Umbul Harjo area of the Central Java city of Yogyakarta has been closed down by police.

Tia Agnes, Jakarta – A monolog performance titled Tan Malaka: I am a Red Haired Deer should have been held by a theater group from the West Java provincial capital of Bandung at the Main Theater at the Bandung Francaise D’Indonesie Institute (IFI) on Jl. Purnawarman Bandung on March 23-24.

Ahmad Masaul Khoiri, Jakarta – House of Representatives (DPR) Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon from Prabowo Subianto’s Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) has had frequent discussions with DPR colleagues and Indonesian Metal Workers Federation (FSPMI) chairperson Said Iqbal over the recent wave of mass layoffs.

Elvan Dany Sutrisno, Jakarta – People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Zulkifli Hasan says he agrees with Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir who said recently that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups should be banned from campuses because they are not in accordance with Indonesian cultural val

Lani Pujiastuti, Bogor – Currently there are 10,922 companies holding Mining Business Permits (IUPs) in Indonesia. Of this total, only 29 percent pay tax.