The wRap Indonesia: Jokowi won’t apologize, Japan angry about railway bidding

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The wRap Indonesia: Jokowi won’t apologize, Japan angry about railway bidding
The President says the government won't apologize for the mass killings in the 1960s, Japan is angered by Indonesia's ambiguous bidding process, and other top news from Indonesia and around the world

JAKARTA, Indonesia – From the President refusing to apologize for mass killings of alleged communists to Japan angered by Indonesia’s ambiguous bidding process for their $5-billion railway project, here is today’s top news to start your day.

1. No apology

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo asserted that the Indonesian government would not apologize to the family members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) for the events that led to the massacre of alleged communists 50 years ago, on September 30, 1965.

“There are no thoughts about apologizing. Until this moment nothing in that direction,” said Jokowi. At least 500,000 people died in the killings across the archipelago that started after General Suharto put down a coup, which the authorities blamed on communists. Security forces supported local groups in conducting the massacre over several months. Read more.

2. Japan angered by ambiguous bidding

RAILWAY PROJECT. Japan, known for its safe and efficient trains, is angered by Indonesia's railway project bidding process. File photo of Japan train from Shutterstock

Indonesia defended the chaotic bidding process for its first high-speed railway after months of mixed messages ended with China being chosen over a furious Japan for the $5-billion project. 

Beijing and Tokyo had long been vying to build the line linking the capital Jakarta with the mountain-fringed city of Bandung, some 160 kilometers (100 miles) away. Japan’s chief government spokesman said that an Indonesian envoy had been sent to Tokyo to tell him Jakarta had changed its mind again – and China’s original bid for a high-speed train had been accepted – angering Japan. Read more.

3. Missing from hajj stampede

SORROW. Families of missing pilgrims comfort each other after their loved ones have yet to surface after the hajj stampede. Photo by EPA

Hundreds of people were still unaccounted for a week after a hajj stampede killed hundreds more, with national tallies of the dead far exceeding figures provided by Saudi Arabia.

The missing includes 74 from Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-populated nation, where the official death toll reached 59. There, frustration has risen with Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, who is in Mecca, saying this week that Jakarta sent a diplomatic note to Riyadh asking that Indonesian medical teams be able to directly check bodies being unloaded from containers. Read more.

4. Indonesia refuses help

STOP THE HAZE. Protesters in Malaysia demand action from Indonesian President Joko Widodo to do something about the haze. Photo from EPA

Indonesia’s disaster chief defended the country’s efforts to fight forest fires that have blanketed Southeast Asia in choking haze, and said he believed rains would arrive within a month to finally douse the blazes. 

“Are we able to manage the fires? The answer is clearly a yes… we are not overwhelmed, we can manage it and there is progress,” National Disaster Management Agency chief Willem Rampangilei told reporters. Malaysia, Singapore and large expanses of Indonesia have suffered for weeks from acrid smoke billowing from fires on plantations and peatlands that are being illegally cleared by burning. Read more.

5. Student shooting

SHOOTING VICTIMS. One high school student is dead and another is in critical condition after being shot at by security forces in West Papua. Photo from Shutterstock

Investigate the shooting of two West Papuan high school students by police officers.

This was the demand of Minority Rights Group International (MRG) on Wednesday, September 30 from the Indonesian government, after a 17-year-old died and another was critically wounded from being shot by security forces in Timika earlier this week. MRG said perpetrators must be held accountable. Read more.

6. Singapore concedes to FIFA

FIFA CONCESSION. Singapore agrees to amend its football constitution after FIFA demands no political appointments. File photo by EPA

Singapore‘s football association has vowed to amend its constitution next year after FIFA demanded an end to political interference in the appointment of the national body’s council members.

Singapore’s decision to comply comes about 5 months since FIFA suspended Indonesia, after the Jakarta government sought to oust the country’s football association. In a statement, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said it will work closely with FIFA on amendments that will “ensure alignment” of its election process with the statutes of the sport’s global governing body. Read more. – Rappler.com

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