Jakarta – The 2019 Press Freedom Index in Papua is still in the lowest position out of Indonesia’s 34 provinces. The Press Freedom Index for Papua stands at 66.56 or “slightly free”, or only one level above “almost free”.

Racism by the ruling class through the security forces and reactionary civil militia groups against the Papuan people has triggered a fight back. The siege and attack on the Papuan student dormitory in the Central Java city of Surabaya on August 16 triggered a wave of anti-racist protests in Papua and across Indonesia.

Wahyu Setiawan, Valda Kustarini, Jakarta – Amnesty International believes that resolving cases of human rights violations in Papua is more important than creating a new province. Amnesty Executive Director Usman Hamid says that this is not the right solution for Papua at the moment.

From an oped piece titled This is Bahasa Indonesia.

The betrayal of the mandate of reformasi – the political reform movement that began in 1998 – has angered Indonesia’s youth, students and the ordinary people.

Surabaya – A protest action by the United People’s Struggle Alliance (APPR) to commemorate Youth Pledge Day at the East Timor governor’s office in the provincial capital of Surabaya was joined by various labour and student organisations as well as protesters from the Surabaya Papua Student Alliance (AMP).

Jakarta – Scores of students from the University and High-School Student Action Alliance (Ampera) arrived at the Arjuna Wiwaha Monument or Horse Statue in Central Jakarta on the afternoon of October 28 to hold a protest action.

Alfian, Makassar -- The momentum of Youth Pledge Day on Monday October 28 was used by students and local people in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar to again take to the streets to voice their demands.

Surabaya – Hundreds of workers and student from various different organisations calling themselves the United People’s Struggle Alliance (APPR) held a demonstration at the East Java governor’s office on Jl Pahlawan in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya.

Lightning reads: Oligarchy

Man: I hope you’ll weather the storm.

Reza Gunadha, Eleonora Padmasta Ekaristi Wijana – Lawyer and human rights activist Veronica Koman has been awarded the Sir Ronald Wilson Human Rights Award by the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).

The ACFID presented the award to Koman at its annual conference in Sydney on the evening of Wednesday October 23.

Walda Marison, Jakarta – On Tuesday October 22 a lawyer from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) submitted a pre-trail suit against the Metro Jaya regional police over the arrest of six Papua activists who were charged with treason for flying the Morning Star independence flag in August.

Jakarta – Activist and human rights lawyer for Papuan affairs, Veronica Koman, has met with Australian parliamentarians in Canberra. She said that during the meeting she asked the government of the Kangaroo Country to play a more active role in ending the bloodshed in Papua.

Sydney – Veronica Koman, who is currently on the Indonesian police’s wanted persons list, met with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Australia on Tuesday October 8.

Jakarta – Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) spokesperson Surya Anta, who has being detained at the Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Depok since September 1, is reportedly ill and is not receiving proper treatment. Anta is said to be suffering from an ear infection and cannot hear out of his right ear.

Jakarta – Trisakti University Student President Dino Ardiansyah is urging President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to issue a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to annul the recently revised Corruption Eradication Commission Law (UU KPK).

Jakarta – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo says that he doesn’t have any problems will a proposal that he meet with pro-referendum Papuan figures, including those in the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and the West Papua National Committee (KNPB).

Jakarta – Journalist, filmmaker and founder of the production house Watchdoc, Dandhy Dwi Laksono, was arrested by police on charges of violating Article 28 Paragraph (2) of the Electronic Transaction and Information (ITE) Law on the night of Thursday September 26.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has cancelled a meeting with student representatives who have been holding protest actions against the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) and the revised Corruption Eradication Commission Law (UU KPK).

September 24 marks the commemoration of National Farmers Day. Every year, thousands of farmers take to the streets to demand the justice and prosperity that seems to have been forgotten by the government.