Indonesia Highlights: President Jokowi Talks Coal | US to Discuss Indo-Pacific Strategy | Bali’s Honeymoon Award | Indonesia's Cinemas Reopen

KOMPAS.com – Heading into the weekend, movie theaters in Indonesia opened to an enthusiastic crowd, giving Indonesians a chance to temporarily escape the ongoing nationwide protests and an endless epidemic battle.

Indonesia is facing another day of protests over the Job Creation Law as the public remains defiant in their demand to have the law revoked.

Adding fuel to the fire, administrative and aesthetic revisions to the Omnibus Law pushed the total number of pages of the document to 1,187 pages from a previous 812 pages.

Furthermore, one clause concerning the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas) had been removed, but the government insists that the content and substance of the law remain the same.

As for the nearly 400 additional pages on Indonesia’s Omnibus Law, State Secretary Minister Dini Purwono said that the fifth version of the Omnibus Law is the same as the one first proposed to President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo.

Another problem that continues to rage in Indonesia is Covid-19 as the national caseload approaches 400,000 following the confirmation of 4,369 new infections on Friday, October 23.

News about a familiar face in Indonesia’s Covid-19 battle, Achmad Yurianto, made rounds on Friday after it was reported that he stepped down from his position as the Ministry of Health’s Disease Control and Prevention Director-General.

Yurianto will continue to have a role in Indonesia’s health ministry although next time, it will be as its Expert Staff of the Health Care Technology and Globalization Agency.

Here are the top news in Indonesia today.

1. Movie Theaters in Indonesia Reopen to Delighted Moviegoers

The global film and entertainment industry has taken a massive hit after the Covid-19 virus outbreak halted operations, sending the likes of Regal Cinemas, Cineworld, and AMC Theaters into bankruptcy.

While movie theater operators in Indonesia have not faced such a dire fate, their recent reopening amid the ravaging virus outbreak gives it an opportunity, though challenging, to make up for the months-long closure.

Movie theater operating companies in Indonesia, CGV and Cinepolis, reported many excited moviegoers filling up studios.

Though both companies have not released the number of people who visited their cinemas since operations restarted, their representatives are thrilled about the initial response.

Cinepolis’ Brand Marketing and Partnership Manager Indriana Listia Rahmawati and rival CGV’s Public Relations Hariman Chalid confirmed the reports.