During a meeting hosted by the Indonesian Bishops' Conference, representatives of the country's main faiths expressed strong concern about the violence and restrictions suffered by religious minorities and called for a review of the 2006 decree on places of worship and decisive action by the government.
The president granted amnesty to Hasto Kristiyanto, secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), and pardoned former minister Thomas Lembong in a sign of rapprochement with the opposition. Activists and lawyers slam a dangerous precedent and accuse the president of political opportunism, while PDIP leader Megawati Soekarnoputri announces support for the administration in parliament.
Indonesian Christians are concerned after intolerant Muslim neighbours attacked a house where Sunday prayers were underway last Sunday. The local mayor claims it was merely a "misunderstanding" among residents. In an open letter to President Prabowo, Rev Fu Kwet Khiong writes that the incident was an attack on the “nation’s conscience,” calling for “religious tolerance” to be “a real policy, not just rhetoric.”
Over 20,000 faithful participated in the grand celebration for the anniversary of the archdiocese, cradle of spiritual and social initiatives that have become a model for the entire Church in Indonesia. Cardinal Suharyo thanked those who worked in Semarang ‘for its living legacy of service and mission.’
President Prabowo Subianto announced yesterday that the small atolls will pass from North Sumatra to Aceh, putting an end to a long-standing dispute. The issue concerns rich gas deposits discovered off the islands, the governor of the conservative region admitted. Prabowo is seeking greater support in the region.
The reference is to the ‘national tragedy’ that mainly affected Chinese-Indonesian women and ended with the resignation of then-President Suharto. For Fadli Zon, the allegations of sexual violence are ‘unproven’. Protests at home and abroad. The Commission recalls the findings of the investigation, which are ‘official documents’ of the state.
