[The following is an abridged translation of a statement by the United Socialists (Perserikatan Sosialis, PS) in response to Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's January 11 public statement in which he officially acknowledged that gross human rights violations have taken place in Indonesia and expressed his regret over these incidents.]

Kadek Melda Luxiana, Jakarta – The sole defendant in the Paniai gross human rights violation case trial being heard in the Makassar District Court in South Sulawesi, retired Infantry Major Isak Sattu, has been found not guilty.

Jakarta – The families of victims of the 2014 Paniai massacre in Papua have sent a letter to the United Nations (UN), which has its head office in Geneva, Switzerland.

Markus You, Nabire – The process of uncovering the alleged gross human rights violations that took place in the Bloody Paniai case on December 8, 2014, has failed to reveal the senior officer who allegedly gave the command to shoot into the crowd, which resulted in five people being killed and 11 others being injured.

Reza Agustian, Jakarta – Trisakti University students held a commemoration of 24 years since the Trisakti tragedy on May 12, 1998, which was held near the Arjuna Wijaya or Horse Statue in Central Jakarta on Thursday May 12.

Jakarta – The latest exchange of fire between the Indonesian military (TNI) and a Papuan armed criminal group in the Gome district of Puncak regency, Papua, has again claimed lives. In total, as many as three TNI personnel were killed during the armed contact as of Thursday January 27.

Reiner Brabar, Sorong – The Maybrat branch of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) has denied involvement in a September 2 attack on a sub-district military post (Posramil) in Kisor, South Aifat district, Maybrat regency, West Papua Province.

Jakarta – Opposition by Tambrauw regency residents in West Papua province against the establishment of the Tambrauw 1810 District Military Command (Kodim) has attracted support from a number of different parties.

Jakarta – Residents of Tambrauw regency in West Papua province are opposing the establishment of the Tambrauw 1810 District Military Command (Kodim) which was officially inaugurated on Monday December 14.

Sabrina Asril, Jakarta – The practice of obstructing press freedom has happened again.

Toyiban, Manokwari – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has approved a program to recruit 1,000 Special Autonomy non-commissioned officers  (Bintara Otsus) which was proposed by the West Papua/Kasuari/XVIII Regional Military Command (Kodam).

A 27-year-old man with the initials “JS” in Payakumbuh city, West Sumatra, has been arrested for wearing a red T-shirt with a hammer-and-sickle logo – the symbol of communism – displayed on it.

Jakarta – The Jayapura municipal police have declared 20 people accused of being Free Papua sympathisers as suspects on charges of makar (treason, subversion, rebellion). The 20 are part of a group of 34 Free Papua sympathisers who were arrested by a joint team from the Jayapura municipal police on Saturday November 30.

Rivki, Jakarta – On January 8 officials from the Padang public prosecutor’s office and the TNI (Indonesian military) seized several books alleged to contain the teachings of the banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) from a bookshop in West Padang.

Jeka Kampai, Padang – The owner of the Nagare Boshi bookshop in Padang, Yanto Tjahaja, says he has been left deeply traumatised by the raid by a team from the TNI (Indonesian military) and the Padang public prosecutor’s office who seized books deemed to contain ‘communist’ ideas from his place of business on Tuesday January 8.

Jeka Kampai, Padang – A joint team from the District Military Command (Kodim) and the Padang Attorney General’s Office have seized a number of books alleged to contain communist ideas.

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.

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.

Jakarta – Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has reaffirmed his commitment to realising a national defence movement.

Dwi Renjani, Bandung – Scores of people from the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) joined workers demonstrating in front of the governor’s office at the Gedung Sate building in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung on Friday May 1.