KSAD: No Instructions to Disband Pesta Babi Film Screenings

General Maruli Simanjuntak, the Head of the Indonesian Army (TNI), said that the disbanding of the ‘Pesta Babi’ film screenings and discussions by soldiers in several regions was carried out with security considerations for the region in mind. He claimed the decision was not automatically made by the TNI, but based on the assessments and security risks identified by local governments.

Officials in the region reportedly perceived a risk of unrest, so there was no direct instruction, Maruli told reporters at the DPR, MPR, and DPD Complex on Tuesday, 19 May 2026. The former commander of the Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) emphasised questions over the film’s funding, produced by director Dandhy Dwi Laksono and Cypri Paju Dale, noting that the filming of interviews in Papua appeared costly: