Jayapura – The Papua provincial government has explicitly refuted a statement by the Papua regional police chief that residents have been taken hostage by an Armed Criminal Group (KKB) in the villages of Banti and Kimbely near the PT Freeport Indonesia mine in Tembagapura district, Mimika regency.

Erwin Dariyanto, Jakarta – Following the September 30 Movement (G30S) movement in 1965 there were tensions between the military and then Indonesian President Sukarno.

In mid-October the issue of an army coup d’etat emerged and became the subject of serious discussions within foreign embassy circles in Jakarta at the time.

Arif Hulwan Muzayyin, Jakarta – Efforts by the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) to set history straight with regard to the alleged September 30 Movement-Indonesian Communist Party (G30S-PKI) coup in 1965 are being seen by some as resurgence of communist ideas and a violation of the law.

Teacher: Now children, this is what used to be called a farmer (plaque reads: already threatened with extinct)

With only around 10% of government spending being allocated to maintain and repair the country's dilapidated irrigation systems and improve farmers' capacity by providing farm equipment, seed and fertilizers, President Widodo's much touted goal of making Indonesia self-sufficient in food production and end its dependency on imports (Impor) is fa

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.

Anggi Kusumadewi, Jakarta – Animal names and racist insults could be heard shouted at midday on Friday July 15. The shouts originated from members of social organisations besieging the Kamasan I Papua student dormitory on Jalan Kusumanegara in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta.

Shinta Maharani, Yogyakarta – Students and activists at the Papuan student dormitory in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta have been besieged by hundreds of security personnel from the Yogyakarta regional police and the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) paramilitary police.

Jakarta, Indonesia – The government sponsored national symposium on 1965 was held in April although reverberations over the forum, which for the first time brought together victims and perpetrators of the bloody 1965 tragedy, are still being felt to this day.

Man on cow: Independence! Truck reads ‘Imports’

Politician: 2016 self-sufficiency in rice!

Farmer: So where’s the water?

Rochimawati, Arie Dwi Budiawati – Although the nominal wage of agricultural and urban informal workers increased in 2015, their real wages declined.

The nominal wage of agricultural workers nationally increased by 1.15 percent from 46,386 rupiah a day in May to 46,458 a day in June 2015.

Kid: Rastik, plastic rice.... Raskin, lots of rice weevils...

Man: Fortunately there’s still Raskin... which is complete with a high protean side dish right!

Despite the souring cost of rice on the market, the price of unhusked rice (gabah) produced by local farmers has fallen to around 0.37 US cents per kilogram.

Edzan Raharjo, Yogyakarta – International Labour Day in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta was commemorated by thousands of workers from various different organisations who came together under the “People’s Movement” (Gerakan Rakyat) to hold a rally in the Malioboro shopping district on Friday May 1.

Palmerah – The number of farming households over the last 10 years has declined by 5.04 million. Over the same period, the number of agribusinesses has grown by 1,475 companies. Meaning a formalisation (formalisasi) has taken place. What is alarming however is that the number of marginal farmers is increasing.

Sherr Rinn – Between 2010-12 there was an awakening of the Indonesian labour movement that can be seen in the writings of people such as Danial Indrakusuma, Rahmat, Tarikh, Hidayah and Rekomendasi.

[The following is a joint statement by the Yogyakarta Working People’s Association-Political Organisation Congress (KPO-PRP), the Politics of the People (PR) and the People’s Liberation Party (PPR).]

Cart reads Prices.

Critics warn that Indonesia’s food supplies are currently under the control of a politically connected “food mafia”, who are taking advantage of market liberalisation to throttle supplies and jack up prices, and have little concern about empowering farmers or contributing to food security.

Agrarian rights activists say that the government’s policy of trade liberalisation and implementing an almost zero-tariff policy has led to a flood of imported food into the country and is impoverishing more than 44 million farmers who depend upon the land for their survival.