Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) labour activist Iswan Abdullah A Siata is paying close attention to the communist movement that has begun to reemerge in Indonesia of late.

Nurul Hidayat, Mojokerto – Five members of a local band called Mesin Sampink in East Java have been arrested by the Mojokerto municipal police for playing the song Genjer-Genjer during a music performance.

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).

Siswanto, Welly Hidayat – Islamic demonstrators have protested against the 3rd Asean Literary Festival (ALF) 2016 which is to be held today Thursday May 5 at the Ismail Marzuki Cultural Centre in Central Jakarta.

Pito Agustin Rudiana, Shinta Maharani, Yogyakarta – Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengku Buwono X has defended the Yogyakarta metropolitan police for shutting down an event commemorating International Press Freedom Day held by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) in Yogyakarta on the evening of Tuesday May 3.

Jakarta – Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Haris Azhar has invited the government to examine its findings on mass graves of the victims of the 1965 affair.

Ria Apriyani, Cianjur – Police have shut down a meeting by victims of the mass killings in 1965-66 that was to be held in Cipanas, Bogor, West Java on the grounds that members of the Pancasila Youth (PP) and the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) planned to descend on the meeting.

Jakarta – Signs of the rise or reemergence of communism in Indonesia termed New Style Communism (Komunisme Gaya Baru, KGB) is apparent in a variety of different forms.

Rebecca Henschke – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Padjaitan has accused the organisers of the International People’s Tribunal on 1965 (IPT 65) of being “kurang kerjaan” [someone with not enough work to do so they make things up to keep busy] and juveniles lacking natio

Anas Apriyadi, Bantul – Scores of sets of children’s toy miniature soldiers in Bantul, Yogyakarta, were seized from a number of toy shops by TNI (Indonesian military) soldiers from the Bantul 0729 district military command (Kodim) because they contained communist symbols – pictures of the hammer-and-sickle.

Abdul Azis, Jakarta – The editor of the magazine Lentera (Beacon), Bima Satria Putra, says that the police have asked them to recall the October 10 issue of the magazine from circulation.

Shinta Maharan, Yogyakarta – A book discussion on the works by Professor Saskia Eleonora Wieringa from the University of Amsterdam has attracted sympathy from many circles at the Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University (UIN) Student Centre building on the evening of October 9.

Riky Ferdianto, Jakarta – The Palu municipal government in Central Sulawesi will issue an official apology to families of the victims of the 1965 mass killings. The move is being taken to resolve the process of reconciliation for families of victims.

Jakarta – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is certain that past incidents such as the rebellion by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) will not be repeated in Indonesia. Nevertheless, he is calling on all parties to be on guard against the emergence of movement groups such as this.

Hari Tri Wasono, Blitar – Thousands of members of the Islamic mass organisation Nahdlatul Ulama’s (NU) paramilitary youth wing Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser) demonstrated in front of the Blitar regent’s office in East Java on Wednesday September 30 to commemorate the bloody September 30, 1965 affair

Jakarta – Former Army Strategic Reserves Command (green berets) Chief of Staff (Kaskostrad) Kivlan Zen claims that the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) is trying to rebuild its forces in order to reestablish a presence in Indonesia.

Defense minister Ryamizard Ryacudu says that the government does not need to apologise to the families of former Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) members, saying that the PKI killed seven generals and organised a coup in Indonesia.

Hery H Winarno – Hundreds of people took to the streets to demonstrate in front of the Grahadi building in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya on the afternoon of Thursday August 13. During the action, the protesters also set fire to red hammer-and-sickle flags.

Finally, in the midst of rumours about the rise of the new PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) during the era of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, a delegation from the Central Advisory Board of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) met with the Jakarta Military Commander (Pangdam Jaya) Major General Agus Sutomo at the Jakarta Regional Military Command H

Aulia Bintang Pratama, Jakarta – A national meeting of the Institute for the Study of the 1965-1966 Massacres (YPKP 65) that was to be held mid next week in the Central Java city of Salatiga has been postponed following death threats against organising committee members.