Sister Fransiska Imakulata was contacted by a woman held captive in a nightclub in Maumere. She and Sikka police freed the victims, who were found without papers. After their release, the women were taken to a safe house run by TRUK-F, an NGO of which the woman religious is president, before they were returned to their families in West Java.
A small Smart Air plane was hit by gunfire after landing on a remote airstrip in Indonesian Papua. The two pilots, wounded while attempting to escape into the forest, died. The incident rekindles concerns over air travel security in the "red zones" of the region’s interior, where armed separatist groups operate.
Indonesia's most important moderate Islamic movement celebrated its centenary. President Prabowo Subianto was present at the event. Nahdlatul Ulama remains committed to peace and interfaith coexistence in the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, built and founded on the principles of compassion and brotherhood.
A delegation from UNIAPAC, which brings together 45,000 entrepreneurs from around the world in the name of the Church's social teaching, is meeting with Catholic colleagues from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam to establish new contacts. The goal is to develop businesses that put people, not profit, at the centre, in places where GDP growth too often fails to address inequality.
Prayers, thanksgiving and a traditional kethoprak performance marked the celebrations for the archbishop's half-century of priesthood. A tribute to local culture and a profound reflection on the mission of a pastor. The Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs was also present, along with hundreds of faithful.
The mass of mud and debris struck about thirty homes in Pasirlangu during the night. The disaster was caused by the collapse of a natural dam, raising questions about poor watercourse control measures and violations of land-use planning regulations. In recent days, Prabowo had revoked the forest exploitation licences of 28 companies after floods in northern Sumatra.
