The House of Representatives’ budget committee is claiming ignorance over an alleged plan to increase the House’s budget allocation and use some of it to construct a new building.

Chanry Andrew Suripatty, Jayapura – A peaceful rally by thousands of protesters from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) in Waena Abepura, Jayapura, rejecting the August 15, 1962 New York Agreement and demanding the right to self-determination Papua has ended in a clash.

Indonesian youth and Papuan students have protested in several cities condemning the fatal shootings in Deiyai, West Papua. The Deiyai shootings occurred on August 1 when a joint unit of Mobile Brigade (Brimob) paramilitary police shot into a crowed of civilians in Oneibo village, South Tigi, Deiyai.

Scores of people from the Pancasila Youth (PP) paramilitary group have shut down a film showing and discussion about radical poet Wiji Thukul at the Lintas Kemukus Retreat in Sirau Village, Paduraksa, Central Java, on Sunday August 6, at around 11pm.

Satya Adhi – An event held to discuss human rights violations that occurred in 1965-1966 has again been closed down by government officials. This time it was an evaluation and planning workshop on human rights violations in 1965-1966 held by the International People’s Tribunal (IPT ‘65) in Klender, East Jakarta, on Tuesday August 1.

The following is a joint statement by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and 15 Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) offices across Indonesia on the recently enacted Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 2/2017 on Social Organisations.

On Monday May 8, Coordinating Minister for Politics, Security and Legal Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Wiranto, Justice and Human Rights Minister (Menkumham) Yasonna Laoly, Home Affairs Minister (Mendagri) Tjahjo Kumolo and National Police Chief (Kapolri) General Tito Karnavia issued a statement at the security affairs ministry on the dissolution of th

Arbi Sumandoyo – “Jakarta is filthy. We have to be macho. Jakarta is filthy. It must be cleaned up... must be cleaned up”, shouted a speaker through a loudspeaker from a command vehicle on May Day in front of the Jakarta City Hall.

“So make a pile. All in one place. We’ll clean the City Hall of these unclear messages...”

Almost 1 thousand women workers from the IndustriALL Indonesia Council Women’s Committee commemorated International Women’s Day (IWD) along the length of the road in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on Wednesday March 8.

Jakarta – As many as 240 workers from nine trade unions took part in a group viewing of a film about Wiji Thukul titled “Let the Words Rest” (Istirahatlah Kata-Kata) at the Cineplex 21 film theater, Taman Ismail Marzuki cultural centre, Jakarta.

Jakarta Gubernatorial candidate Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama occupied his weekend watching the film Let the Words Rest (Istirahatlah Kata-Kata). Ahok said that the film about poet Wiji Thukul is an important part of the history of Suharto’s New Order regime.

Surya Anta – The term red trade union is perhaps one that seems rather odd and worthy of debate. But the use of the term red trade union is indeed a reality in Indonesia.

Isyana Artharini – Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab delivered a sermon during Friday prayers at the National Monument in Central Jakarta on December 2.

Jakarta – Using the momentum of Youth Pledge Day on Friday October 28, the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (Pembebasan) held commemorations to mark the historic day in Jakarta and other cities around the country.

Jakarta action

M Andika Putra, Jakarta – Some 27 victims of human rights violence from the ‘65 Forum visited the Social Affairs Ministry (Kemensos) to convey their opposition to former President Suharto being made a national hero.

Yogya – An event organised by the MAP Corner-Klub MKP in the lobby of the Public Administration Master’s Program at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta proceeded in an unexpected manner on Tuesday October 4.

Surya Anta – Increasingly broad mobilisations by the Papuan people in recent years shows that there must be a new assessment of West Papuan as an entity. An entity that should be, must be, recognised as a nation.

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.

Muslim AR, Jakarta – Former Army Strategic Reserves Command (green berets) Chief of Staff Major General Kivlan Zen made a surprising statement during the anti-PKI symposium not long ago. He said that the PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) will soon be revived and that it already has an office in the Senen area of Central Jakarta.

Ahmad Mustaqim, Yogyakarta – Pro-democracy activists in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta have called for a campaign against militarism during a commemoration of 18 years since the fall of former President Suharto’s New Order dictatorship.