Jakarta – Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) General Pramono Edhie Wibowo said today that vigilance must be maintained against communists so that the September 30, 1965 (G30S) affair, which was carried out by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), is not repeated.

Jakarta – For two years now, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has ignored the House of Representatives’ (DPR) recommendations on the forced abduction and disappearance of 13 activists in 1997-1998. There were four recommendations issued by the DPR on September 30, 2009 in relation to the case.

Jakarta – State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Sutanto has refuted a leaked Jakarta United States Embassy diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks.

Jakarta – Jayapura district police have been accused of torturing 15 witnesses who were initially suspected of being members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) in a violence related case in Abepura.

Jakarta – Cases of human rights violations during the conflict in Indonesia’s northern-most province of Aceh must be investigated and resolved in accordance with the Helsinki peace agreement and the Law on Aceh Governance (UU PA). This is extremely important in order to provide justice to the victims and to ensure future peach in Aceh.

Jakarta – The government is being urged to prioritize dialogue over a militaristic approach in resolving the Papua problem. It is precisely this militaristic approach that is provoking continued violence. Because of this therefore, violations of civilian human rights must stop.

Jakarta – The political elite in this country should use the holy fasting month of Ramadan as a moment for introspection and evaluation, to ask whether their policies side with the ordinary people or not.

Manokwari – Residents of Manokwari, West Papua, held a protest on Tuesday August 2 by marching through the city’s major streets.

Manokwari – Thousands of Papuan civilians in Manokwari, West Papua, took to the streets on Tuesday August 2 to demand a referendum. The participants at the action are convinced that a referendum is the middle road to resolve the political status of West Papua.

Jakarta – The People’s Liberation Party (Partai Pembebesan Rakyat, PPR) has slammed the arrest of comrade Suryanta Ginting (a PPR member) by the Metro Jaya Regional Police when he was giving a solidarity speech during an action by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) in front of the State P

Jakarta – Out-dated perspectives on viewing security problems are being strengthened through the Draft Law on National Security (RUU Keamanan Nasional).

Democracy in South-East Asia is currently under attack. After the Thai Embassy in Jakarta was the target of a demonstration on June 27 because the Thai government arrested Red Shirt activist leaders, today it was the turn of the Malaysian Embassy on Jl. HR Rasuna Said in Kuningan, South Jakarta, to be the target of demonstrators.

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta has been ‘attacked en masse’ by scores of labour and youth activists condemning the arrest of 30 Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) activists by the Malaysian government.

Iwan Taruna, Makassar – A protest action by hundreds of students rejecting the Draft Intelligence and State Secrecy Law (RUU Intelijen) at the South Sulawesi Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building on Thursday June 23 ended in a clash.

Samarinda – Scores of students from the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN, formerly LMND-PRD) held a protest at the East Kalimantan Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) yesterday calling on the assembly to reject the Draft Law on Intelligence and State Security (RU

Medan – Protesters from the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN, formerly LMND-PRD) in the North Sumatra capital of Medan oppose the enactment of the Draft Law on Intelligence and State Secrecy (RUU Intelijen) because it will muzzle the people’s democratic rights and ema

Yogyakarta – Scores of students from the Student Struggle Centre for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN, formerly LMND-PRD) held a protest action in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Thursday against the enactment of the Draft Law on Intelligence and State Security (RUU Intelijen) saying it w

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Students and workers have again demonstrated against the draft law on state intelligence (RUU Intelijen Negara), this time by covering their bodies with white paint and chaining their hands together to symbolise the shackling of freedom should the draft intelligence law be ratified by the House of Representatives.

Jakarta – The government is still dealing with problems by military means (securitisation, use of extraordinary means in the name of security) in attempting to overcome problems in Papua. But instead of resolving the Papua problem, securitisation is instead the trigger for even more widespread human rights violations.

Jakarta – The number of floating voters is tending to increase. This can be seen not just from the decline in participation levels in elections between 1999 and 2009, but the political parties in general would be unable to hold on to their constituents if an election was held today.