Sania Mashabi, Jakarta – Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Chairperson Asfinawati has revealed several indicators that show the Indonesian government wants to return to the era of Suharto’s New Order regime.

Tsarina Maharani, Jakarta – House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III member Taufik Basari from the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) has criticised the sentences demanded by the Balikpapan state prosecutor in a recent case of alleged makar (treason, subversion, rebellion) over the Morning Star flag being flown by Papuans.

Jakarta – TVRI’s Study from Home (BdR) program produced by the Ministry of Education and Culture will air the film Let the Words Rest (Istirahatlah Kata-kata) about pro-democracy activist and poet Wiji Thukul.

Jakarta – Indonesian Human Rights Watch group Imparsial is asking the government to review the planned involvement of active TNI (Indonesian military) and Polri (Indonesian police) officers in the Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP).

Ali Umar – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo must change the government’s approach in resolving the Papua problem. At the start of his first term in office, Widodo managed to offer a new hope in efforts to find a dignified solution in Papua. He granted amnesty to Papuan political prisoners and guaranteed the upholding of human rights there.

Jakarta – Another hammer-and-sickle flag case has again raised its head after a flag with the communist logo was found in Makassar. Over the years such cases have occurred unintentionally, have related to scholarly studies, hoaxes intended to trigger unrests, criminalisation of activists and the revival of identity politics.

[The following is a translation of a press release issued by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) following the release of five Papuan political prisoners on May 27.]

Jakarta – There has been much discussion on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) of late. This has raised the question of why discussions on the organisation which has been banned in Indonesia since 1966 has emerged in the month of May.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has highlighted regulations in the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation which give the government the authority to evict people and appropriate their land without the complications of dealing with compensation.

Jakarta – The Labour Movement with the People (Gebrak) is urging the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to halt the deliberations on controversial draft laws such as the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation and the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) in the midst of the corona virus epidemic.

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – Indonesian Human Rights Watch Imparsial is warning the government that military training for civilians in the Reserve Component (Komcad) will create new problems, one of which is horizontal conflicts between communities.

Jakarta – Despite supporting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections, the Indonesian Confederation of Prosperity Labour Unions (KSBSI) opposes the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation.

Adrian Amurwonegoro, Denpasar – Scores of people from the Bali Gender Justice People’s Coalition (KRBAG), the majority of which were women, held a peaceful action at the Car Free Day Area in the Renon area of the Balinese capital of Denpasar on Sunday March 8.

Deti Mega Purnamasari, Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) recorded a 300 percent increase in reported cases of sexual violence against women in the cyber world. This is a significant increase from 97 cases reported in 2018 to 281 cases in 2019.

From an op-ed piece titled The Obesity of the ‘Omnibus Laws’ Government Regulations

The government claims that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s so called Omnibus Law on Job Creation will simply some 1,244 articles covering 79 laws making it easier to attract foreign investment, and thereby create more job.

Andi Saputra, Jakarta – The Lokataru Foundation conducted a survey of students on their attitudes towards the policies of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation. The majority of respondents stated that they did not agree with the Omnibus Law because it is neo-New Order (Orba), authoritarian and repressive.

Jakarta – The Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) office in the East Java capital of Surabaya was besieged by scores of people wearing black safari suits from the mass organisation (ormas) Pancasila Youth (PP) and other affiliated groups.

Banda Aceh – Banda Aceh Mayor Aminullah Usman has banned residents from celebrating Valentine’s Day or the day of love on February 14.

Adi Ahdiat, Jakarta – The Pantau Foundation – a Jakarta-based journalism research and training organisation – has given this year’s Oktovianus Pogau Award to Yael Sinaga and Widiya Hastuti, two student journalists from the North Sumatra University (USU) in Medan.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – Aceh Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) Chairperson Afridal Darmi says that responsibility for resolving human rights (HAM) violations during the armed conflict in Aceh is a national issue.