Jayapura – A series of terror acts have again befallen Papuan students who are studying in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya.
The students are asking that the latest spate of incidents – the sending of a live lizard, provocative chats and the putting up of posters against Papuan students in Surabaya – be immediately and fully investigated.
Hammam Izzuddin, Suseno, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has provided three critical notes for the National Police (Polri) ahead of its 79th anniversary or Bhayangkara Day on July 1.
Kontras believes that the National Police need to make serious internal improvements. "The police are still ranked first as the institution that commits the most acts of torture", said Kontras Deputy Coordinator for External Affairs Andrie Yunus on Saturday June 28.
Jakarta – Protesters from the Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity held a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Culture building in Jakarta on Thursday June 26 in which they rejected the discourse on awarding the title of national hero to the 2nd President of the Republic of Indonesia, Suharto, and criticised the government's project to rewrite history, which is expected to erase traces of human rights violations during the New Order era.
During the action, the coalition, which consists of a number of organisations such as Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Civil Society Movement to Bring Suharto to Justice (GEMAS), Free Women (Perempuan Mahardhika) and the Jakarta Street Library, held various activities ranging from speeches, reading history books together, theatrical performances and a submission of historical documents to the Ministry of Culture.
Indonesia has a long history of struggle by the oppressed people against colonialism, feudalism, militarism and capitalism. In this struggle, left-wing ideas played a central role as one of the main currents in shaping political awareness, the strategies of struggle and the direction of national development.
These historical traces however have been buried deeply through the systematic eradication of leftist literacy, especially since the events of 1965 and the consolidation of the New Order regime. Since the military coup that gave birth to the New Order regime in 1965-66, Indonesia has entered a dark chapter in its intellectual and cultural history.
Most viewers have dismissed Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's video monolog on youth's crucial role in realising the government's much touted vision of Golden Indonesia 2045 as overly flowery, lacking substance and an exercise in attention seeking.
While there has been considerable public discussion about the problem of online debt (pinjol) and the related problem of online gambling, there has been little said about the level of debt incurred by ordinary households who survive through credit from local shops (pintok), food stalls (pinwar) and neighbours (pintangga).
Sandro Gatra – When things are silent, the state should work. In an uproar, the state must explain. In an echoing silence however, the figure of 984 trillion rupiah revealed by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) as the value of transactions indicated as being corrupt throughout 2024, actually just leaves an irony: the state is silent.
Responding to a series of high-profile cases where judges have been bribed to acquit defendants, the Supreme Court (MA) has announced it will implement a Smart Panel for the automated appointment of judges using a robot or artificial intelligence (AI) system.
President Prabowo Subianto has again highlighted the "Indonesia Gelap" (Dark Indonesia) campaign that has gone viral on social media and was taken up by mass student protests across Indonesia in March. Prabowo claimed to be confused by people who call Indonesia dark saying he believes the opposite, that "Indonesia is bright".
Jakarta – Hundreds of people from the Free Palestine Network (FPN) held a demonstration in front of the United States Embassy in Jakarta on Friday afternoon June 20. This action was a form of protest against Washington's military support for Israeli aggression in the Palestinian territories.
Surabaya – Three students in Blitar, East Java, were arrested during a visit by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka to the area on Wednesday June 18. The three are members of the Blitar Indonesian Islamic Student Movement (PMII) branch leadership.
An advocate for victims of sexual violence against ethnic Chinese women during the May 1998 tragedy, Ita Fatia Nadia, says she has suffered repeated incidents of intimidation after criticising a statement by the Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, in which he said there was no evidence of mass rapes
Taufiq Syarifudin, Jakarta – A group of people held a Defend Palestine solidarity action on Car Free Day (CFD) in Central Jakarta on Sunday June 15 in which they called for Palestinian independence.
In a joint statement the Civil Society Coalition Against Impunity, which is made up of a number of civil society organisations and individuals, strongly condemned a statement made by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, regarding the May 1998 affair.
Surabaya – The East Java Regional Police (Polda) Cyber Directorate has arrested four people suspected of being involved in a same sex network or gay group on social media. The four are MI (21) a resident of Jalan Gubeng in Surabaya, Z (24) from Jalan Tambaksari in Surabaya, FS (44) from Dukuh Pakis in Surabaya and S (66) from Jombang.
