World News for Students of English

01-06-2026 07:00

Indonesian officials are stopping people from watching a new film called Pestabby. The film shows how the government takes land from local people in Papua.

The government wants to clear big forests to build large farms for growing rice and sugar. However, these forests are the home of Indigenous Papuans who depend on them for survival, and their sacred sites are located there. Since the film came out, the filmmakers have faced serious threats, and secret police have been watching them. The military stopped screenings at universities because they said the topic was too sensitive and could cause trouble. Papua remains a politically sensitive topic, and the Indonesian government strictly limits access to the region for international media and human rights groups. But because the government tried to stop the film, it became very famous.

The government’s attempts to ban the documentary have generated massive publicity, which has led to sold-out screenings across the country.

Difficult words: survival (staying alive or continuing to exist, especially in a difficult situation), sacred (connected to God), publicity (attention from the public, newspapers, television, or social media).

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