7 Comments on “Pogroms in East Java 1965-66”

1. Felis Says:
   January 12th, 2006 at 3:08 am

   Thanks Patung.
   Very informative.

2. David Says:
   January 14th, 2006 at 3:11 am

   I found this site, http://www.syarikat.org/, which is interesting because it’s a Nahdatul Ulama site and they made it to try to say “sorry” for their role in the massacres.

3. Felis Says:
   January 14th, 2006 at 3:11 am

   I remember a few Indonesian students doing their degrees in Warsaw, who were sponsored by the Communist government in Poland.
   They were from families with radical-left background.
   Obviously there must’ve been many more in USSR at the time.
   When the massacres occurred, it seemed to me that “our”, communists authorities were taken by complete surprise.
   The media started blaming the US and other lackeys of imperialism of course.
   I couldn’t help for feeling sorry for the students, who were ordered by the Indonesian Embassy to return immediately (their passports were revoked).
   They did return.
   I don’t recall anybody asking for political asylum.
   I suppose their families were still there and so they felt they would endanger them if they decided to stay.
   I never learnt what happened to those kids (19-22).

4. Glennis Says:
   January 15th, 2006 at 3:12 am

   Chinese, Commies, I have no idea what these wackos think at the time.

5. David Says:
   April 23rd, 2006 at 4:22 am

   Felis actually there’s a good chance they survived. I think about a million people were imprisoned, most of them for not too long, and most survived it. After that their ID cards were stamped with a code for ex-political prisoner and this would limit their choices in life vis-a-vis employment and marriage, etc.

6. Robert Says:
   December 28th, 2006 at 5:31 pm

   Felis, I do know that some people never returned to Indonesia, some became exiles in the former USSR, China and Europe. Hereafter a couple of them left the USSR and China and spent the last part of their life in the Netherlands.

   What made it extra bitter for them that some of them were involved in the struggle for independence against the Dutch in the years 1945-1949, and that they weren’t able to return to the country which they love and used to fight for.

   In the Netherlands the exile-issue became actual again because it was adressed by the the new Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr. J.E. Habibie, a couple of months ago. He said that the exiles could return to Indonesia now, because there isn’t any risk anymore of being prosecuted.

   However these exiles mention that former PKI-members and suspected-to-be-communists have been blacklisted from many occupations including government jobs and are still not being treated as “normal” citizens. So -for some of the exiles- living in Indonesia is not a realistic option, without apologies and/or rehabilitation. Also having started a new life abroad makes it also difficult to live to Indonesia again.

7. rustyprince Says:
   November 11th, 2010 at 10:13 am

   Grim reading here, and its a wonder how anyone can seek to condone the atrocities by the ‘Conservative’ groupings when among them, the mostly benign/pluralistic, Nahdatul Ulama now seek to atone for their involvement.
   I have no deep realization of the Javanese and neighboring Balinese character but it seems they are less than candid about the ‘post coup’ round-up and slaughter. Images which must be still vividly ingrained in their memories as neighbors/colleagues even family members and friends diseappeared. So why the continuing ‘omerta’, is it shame based, or just a flippancy in the character to move on, the past is the past, ‘time is money’ nonsense?
   And just one further query, did the surviving PKIs, their offspring, play any role in the ‘Reformasi’ movement who finally made Suharto’s steward-ship untenable or in the continuing radical student demonstrations? Were they just over-representative?
   Any affirmative to these queries might suggest a plausible explanation for the authorities unwillingness to disband FPI and other sectarian firebrands.

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