Former UGM Student Body Chair Finds Tracking Device on His Car
Former Chair of the Gadjah Mada University Student Executive Body (BEM UGM) Tiyo Ardianto was allegedly trailed by an unknown individual using a tracking device. Tiyo said the device, called a PBX Finder, was found beneath the chassis of the car he was driving.
The incident came to Tiyo’s attention shortly after he participated in a demonstration with student elements and civil society movements in Gejayan, Yogyakarta, on Saturday, 13 June 2026. “I only just realised there was an important and urgent notification, namely that a tracking device called a PBX Finder was found moving along with me,” he stated in an Instagram post caption.
Subsequently, Tiyo inspected parts of the vehicle. He found one tracking device underneath the car. He said the car belonged to his sibling, which he had borrowed recently because he felt less safe travelling lately.
“I do not know who installed the tracking device,” said the former undergraduate Philosophy student at UGM. Tiyo then informed several close contacts about the incident. They, he said, directed him to submerge the tracking device in water.
Tiyo stated that the alleged stalking via a tracking device by an unknown person is not normal. He highlighted the regime’s method of frequently terrorising citizens who criticise government policies.
Recently, Tiyo received news from his colleagues at BEM UGM who were also harassed through messages from an unknown sender. Tiyo said dozens of messages had been received by his friends from the same number since 13 June. “It has not been fully tallied, but likely around 30,” he said.
He deplored the use of terror and intimidation tactics to suppress members of the public who are vocally critical. Yet, Tiyo argued, criticism from civil society is aimed at improving the nation.
Such criticism, Tiyo continued, is carried out on the basis of sincere love for the homeland. However, he said this concern is instead met with threats and danger.
He analogised criticism as medicine for a government currently afflicted by illness due to policies that are not pro-people. “How dangerous it is to be an Indonesian who loves their nation. We give medicine for its illnesses, but it instead tries to poison us,” he said.