Bambang Hari, Jakarta – An employee at the PT Freeport Indonesia gold-and-copper mine in West Papua, Aser Gobai has refuted information that a PT Freeport worker has been taken hostage by an armed civilian group.

Free Papua Organisation (OPM) spokesperson Sebby Sambon denies that his group has acted in a criminal manner by taking hundreds of local people hostage and raping them. According to Sebby, reports making such claims are just propaganda aimed at damaging the OPM’s struggle.

Jayapura – Mimika District Police Chief Assistance Superintendent Victor Dean Mackbon has denied that residents of the Kimbely and Banti villages are being held hostage by an Armed Criminal Group (KKB).

Yakub Mulyono, Jember – Hundreds of students from the Muhammadiyah 5 Vocational High School (SMK) in Jember, East Java, have uninstalled WhatsApp (WA) from their mobile phones as a form of protest because WA can access content that contains pornography.

Ahmad Bil Wahid, Jakarta – The Alumni 212 held a commemoration of the 411 Action at the Al-Azhar Mosque in South Jakarta. Newly elected Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan was also invited but did not attend.

David Oliver Purba, Jakarta – Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) president Said Iqbal says that former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or Ahok had far more courage in setting the provincial minimum wage (UMP) than the current Jakarta governor and deputy governor, Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno.

Bagus Prihantoro Nugroho, Jakarta – The recently enacted Law on Social Organisations (UU Ormas), which was previously the Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2/2017 (Perppu Ormas), was the subject of a discussion between President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and mass media editors.

Amirullah, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi says that the Pancasila Youth (Pemuda Pancasila, PP) are a special social organisation (ormas) and he is calling on the group to be the bulwark of the state ideology of Pancasila.

Bayu Ardi Isnanto, Solo – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attended the keynote event of the Pancasila Youth’s (PP) 58th anniversary in the Central Java city of Solo. The president was given the opportunity to present his greetings and close the event.

Muhammad Nur Abdurrahman, Makassar – The commemoration of Youth Pledge day on Friday October 28 at the Muhammadiyah University (Unismuh) campus in Makassar, South Sulawesi, has ended in a clash between students and police.

During the clash, students set fire to as many as six police motorcycles and threw a seventh into a water drain.

Rakhmat Nur Hakim, Jakarta – Government Regulation in Lieu of Law Number 2/2017 (Perppu Ormas) has finally been passed into law by the House of Representatives (DPR) during a plenary session at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday October 24.

Bimo Wiwoho, Jakarta – The chairperson of the Institute for the Study of the 1965-1966 Massacres (YPKP 65), Bedjo Untung, claims that they have found 10 new mass grave sites containing the bodies of Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) sympathisers who were killed in 1965-1966.

Moh Jumri, Jakarta – The Indonesia Student Union (SMI) held an action at the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Technology Research (Kemenristek-Dikti) in Jakarta on Monday October 23.

Moh. Nadlir, Jakarta – The International People’s Tribunal on 1965 (IPT 65) says that the information revealed in 39 documents on the mass killings following the September 30 Movement (G30S) in 1965 held by the US is nothing new.

Abraham Utama – The Indonesian Military (TNI) says that it will not changes its policies or views on the September 30 Movement (G30S) in 1965 regardless of the release of 39 secret US documents that have been opened to the public and “reveal a number of new facts”.

Moh. Nadlir, Jakarta – The government says there are still groups of social organisations (ormas) and individuals that explicitly want to replace the national ideology of Pancasila.

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.

Joko Panji Sasongko, Jakarta – Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu says he will meet with the US Secretary of State to request an explanation about the publication of secret documents related to the 1965 affair in Indonesia.

Riva Dessthania Suastha, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will check the validity and accuracy of scores of recently declassified US documents on the September 30 Movement affair in 1965 and the army’s plan to overthrow then President Sukarno.

Lowokwaru – Australian writer Max Lane packed out a collegial seminar and book dissertation on his new book titled Indonesia is not Present on this Earth of Mankind (Indonesia Tidak Hadir di Bumi Manusia) at the Malang State University (UNM) social science faculty in East Java on Tuesday October 3.