Sleman, Yogyakarta – Local authorities have seized thousands of history school textbooks over reported factual inaccuracies concerning the Indonesian Communist Party.

Employees of the Sleman Education Office have since Monday been seizing books from schools across the city, and plan to continue the operation through the end of the month.

Officials say the operation is in response to a memo from the Attorney General's Office, dated March 5, 2007, reminding authorities of the ban on history textbooks that follow the now changed 2004 national curriculum.

The disputed history books do not discuss the involvement of the Indonesian Communist Party in the 1948 Madiun rebellion and the Sept. 30, 1965, failed coup.

"We have not counted the total number of seized books, but we were able to confiscate 1,400 books on Monday. We will continue the operation until the end of May," Suwarti, head of curriculum and quality control, at the education office, said Tuesday.

She said her office was removing 22 history textbooks from circulation. The seized books will be turned over to the local prosecutor's office for destruction.

"Teachers should be creative and find other historical sources to replace the books being pulled," said Suwarti.