Report from East Java
Mar 28th, 2011, in Featured, History, by Patung
A particularly striking part of “Report from East Java”, which was written by a military intelligence officer in November 1965, where he details the progress of the “crushing actions” against the Communist Party:
In Kediri some of the killings were “joint action”s [E] with the military (sometimes in civiele [D: civilian dress], sometimes officially as military). Killings of this kind may have a boomerang effect, in that they can also be utilized by the PKI itself. The effect upon economic life will also be felt. Small traders are now afraid to sell their wares. Peasant farmers are afraid to go to the rice fields. And many do not want to work on the Plantations, for example on the
tea and sugar plantations, because corpses are spread everywhere.By way of clarification, several events are explained below: In the Paree (Kediri) area there is a village in which the lurah [village headman] and Ansor together took the initiative to protect the [PKI] peasant farmers—who were only taggers-on—by giving them badges as members of Ansor or NU. They were gathered together, and coincidentally, there happened to be an operation by the military and Ansor going on. Seeing many people gathered together, the soldiers and Ansor asked the lurah who all these people were. The lurah, nervous and panicked, responded that they were PKI.
Before he had finished speaking, every one of the approximately 300 people was killed, and their families were not permitted to remove their bodies so that they were buried where they lay. This shocked the people, and within Ansor itself mutual mistrust arose.
Another event occurred in Wates, where approximately 10,000 members of the PKI and its Mass Organizations gathered together. They were going to make a “long-march” [E] to Madiun, destroying factories along the way.
This was discovered by the military, which initiated a “joint-action” [E] together with Ansor. When they were sommeer [sic] [D: called upon] to surrender they refused, and so they were crushed. The victims totaled 1,200.
In an incident in Ponggok, a soldier who was disseminating information was killed by the Pemuda Rakyat [People’s Youth]. In represaille [D: reprisal] the military attacked, killing about 300 people.
The wave of killings is still continuing, and many of those who are being killed are followers who did not know much. Many excesses have emerged, and it could happen that the PKI will join in so that they can attract “public opinion” [E] to their side.
The bolded bit I know off by heart now as it keeps coming into my head for some reason. The sting is in its tail, the last detail that they didn’t allow the families to recover the bodies, in the cultural-religious context it strikes as the most astonishing vicious spite; the dead people don’t know whether they get a proper burial or not, but it’s a kind of twisting of the knife in the people who are left.
No doubt many have seen it already, for those who haven’t the whole “Report”, which is fascinating, can be read here.
164 Comments on “Report from East Java”
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Stevo says:
“Well Rossy (do give away the pretense, it just plan sad) lets try again.”
(I am not Rossy.)
“How does being against mass murder by anyone make someone a communist? ”
(It does not and I never made that claim.)
“A what number does the lessor evil(e.g 50,000 – 500,000) become an equal evil if ever?”
(I have already remarked its hard to quantify suffering. But clearly it would be worse if Indonesia had a Mao or Stalin style purge. I sort of agree with you otherwise.)
“What would it take for someone like you to acknowledge what happened in 65 had lot more to it that knocking off 1/2 dozen reds?”
(Consider it acknowledged. I have made comments saying much the same, in this very thread.)
“At what cost to Indonesia was the rise to power of the military and their robber baron friends?”
(That’s not really relevant to my remarks, but generally ‘robber barons’ are considered a bad thing. So is Malaria though. Are you suggesting Indonesia would be a socialist paradise had the communists prevailed? Based on what?)
“Now even the most amongst us could see those questions having everything to do with the discussion although granted bit harder to answer than a transposed green beret script.”
Yeah it did look a bit corny, I will give you that one. However, exactly what part of it do you not agree with? (don’t bother with reading more into it than what I actually said)
The trouble is you get all shrill and upset yourself, by painting a mental picture that goes well beyond what I have said. I hate war and it saddens me that so many are lead into it by self serving politicos and religious leaders whos only real concern is furthering their own ends. Do you disagree with that also ?
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Lairedion I was not suggesting I am going to religion (God help me !!)
The trouble with Ideology is that people pursue it even when its not working. The communist ideology is great, but clearly does not give the promised benefits.
It seems like the ideologically inclined see the idea as an end in its self, rather than a means to an end. The result is an intellectual concept taking precedence over people. Silly stuff!
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So we can get the thrilling ‘you’re Ross’, ‘no I’m not’ stuff over with I will come down with a definitive judgement on the matter – Steve is not Ross.
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timdog says:
And can someone tell me why, in 2011, explaining to school kids that “The PKI were people who didn’t believe in god; that’s why we killed them” is “perceptive” and a fine reflection of Indonesia’s approach to itself, and full of beaming promise for the intellectual well-being of the coming generations, and their attitudes to all sorts of things?
(I could have told you Steve wasn’t Ross, by the way; very different writing style, and Ross has never struck me as someone who could modify his syntax, even for the purpose of subterfuge…)
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Well in fact, credit where credit is due.. I am not even sure I am speaking to the same person anymore. Curiously,
so many are lead into it by self serving politicos and religious leaders whos only real concern is furthering their own ends
Is pretty much my point, and whole lot closer to the truth than the masses rising in defence of their realm against the communist, godless hordes coming over the hill.
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We were never that far apart on this Oigal. Polemics are such fun.
I am now searching the site for this Ross entity……………. -
Lairedion says:
The trouble with Ideology is that people pursue it even when its not working. The communist ideology is great, but clearly does not give the promised benefits.
The way I see it, ideologies are there to fulfill the needs of those asking for it (and I regard religion an ideology). They are not fit to run a state. Communism is an example but so are Christianity, Islam. We have also witnessed too many killings, injustice and cruelty in the name of god.
In Indonesia’s case Pancasila is a better option compared to an Islamic state. But I still disagree with the first chapter (believe in one god). If Indonesia truly wants to become a democracy it should also abandon Pancasila.
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Arie Brand says:
What baffles me is this continuous suggestion by some that Indonesia, by the massacre of 1965/66 and subsequent draconian measures, escaped a very dark future indeed. How could it have been, for millions, any darker than it actually was?
Read the Amnesty International Report of 1977 which specifically deals with the fate of Indonesia’s political prisoners. Many pages appear to have been blacked out by agents unknown but what remains offers harrowing reading. The total arbitrariness, cruelty and general lawlessness of the proceedings against them make one think of the worst ‘people’s republics’.
The comparison has been made with Vietnam and the fact that the ‘boat people’ risked their lives in leaky boats was adduced as a clear sign of the terror that drove them unto the high seas. But does one think that the victims of Kopkamtib and the military in general wouldn’t have done the same if they had had half a chance? They of course didn’t have that chance. Apart from the fact that they were often arrested before they had any inkling that they too would be targeted who would have had them? The Vietnamese boat people were acceptable refugees because they were escaping from a communist state, mainly to countries that had participated in the Vietnam wars. Indonesian refugees would have been escaping from a state that was regarded as recently having performed a great service for the West. Australia alone took about 140,000 Vietnamese refugees. Would it have opened its door to that number of Indonesian escapees from the tender mercies of the Indonesian military – no way.
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Odinius says:
David said:
Steve is not Ross.
So which former regular is he? Too many Ross overlaps, too many rehashes of old conversations that Ross was a central part of, to be a coincidence. If he’s not Ross, he’s making an explicit reference to him.
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Lairedion said:
The way I see it, ideologies are there to fulfill the needs of those asking for it (and I regard religion an ideology). They are not fit to run a state. Communism is an example but so are Christianity, Islam. We have also witnessed too many killings, injustice and cruelty in the name of god.
I’ll start by saying that I’m not fan of either ideocracy or theocracy, for the reasons you mention. But just to muck the waters up a bit, there are gradations too. Some communist regimes weren’t as bad as others, while some were definitely worse at specific times.
For example, Titoville in the 1970s was actually a pretty nice place to live, or visit. Joeburg in 1933, by contrast, was not. Completely different beasts. Both claimed to be “real” communism. Would prefer a solid democracy over either, by a longshot, but a normal life in socialist Yugoslavia at its peak beats the same in all but two of its successor states. That’s in large part because the successor states replaced one ism (socialism) with another (ethnonationalism), to disastrous effect. Even Croatia, which has finally turned the corner, had a very long, very slow, very painful march back to the 1990 standard-of-living baseline.
But yeah, generally speaking I do agree with you…it’s just that most people who go out on the streets campaigning against a given ism have another one in mind, and it’s not always better.
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Just have a quick glance at any bit of his prose, and then go and track down an old Ross post (or wrap yourself in protective wear and have a quick dip into his current corner 😉 ); you’ll see that they’re not the same person.
Except for the bit about the Nazis and the Iranians, and what they taught that little girl at school being all fine and dandy, Stevo has a rather firmer grip on himself (snigger).I’m more inclined to believe that he’s a replicant rather than a returnee, if you know what I mean…
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Just seems awfully familiar, and we’ve got loads of characters here over the years who have just, well, disappeared.
Sort of miss the bules masquerading as Indonesians…and sort of don’t.
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Oh we’re incestous here…. like timdog said, the writing style is not like Ross; also there are certain technical reasons which make it not possible which I probably shouldn’t go into all that much.
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would those technical reasons have to so with an IP address that Stevo seems to share with someone else? Oh go on David, toss us a little hint! 😉
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His technical particulars are quite unique.
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Interesting…
Posting from inside the Peoples Republic of North Korea, is he?
There, or the US embassy in Jakarta? -
Laugh..Oops, honest I never meant to derail the thread 🙂 Techinal issues..is it the Klan?
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No way Ross would have said the following:
The communist ideology is great, but clearly does not give the promised benefits.
My opinions are far way from Ross’s but I gotta admit, he does not play hide and seek. Better than all those bules masquerading as Indonesians….
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Instead of clucking away like a bunch of old women you should just take Davids word for it. He can see my email address, which is less than cryptic.
I have not previously posted on this site and have only ever posted on any site a handful of times in my life.
What prompted me, on this occasion, was the possible suggestion that a communist regime may have worked out ok for Indonesia. This flies in the face of available evidence. The shocking part was seeing the likes of Timdog & Oigal not tearing that to pieces, as they are normally better considered in their views. I generally agree with their comments.
Great site by-the-way. I had tears of laughter rolling down my face, while reading some of it.
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What prompted me, on this occasion, was the possible suggestion that a communist regime may have worked out ok for Indonesia.
You and BB insisted on reading this in the posts by a gradual transformation of the proposition: “BB you got it all wrong about that massacre.”
We just don’t know what would have happened if that hadn’t taken place. What we do know was that the ascendancy of the army led to endless misery for millions. Suharto-Indonesia might not have looked like Vietnam but it did look a lot like Burma with a more open door. Take your pick.
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“What we do know is“. Sorry, early morning
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I did take my pick AB.
Oigal is now on about me and the KKK. I have no idea how he gets these remarkable ideas/visions, but I will happily take the bait………
I would love to join the Klan but seeing that I am not an American and my partner is Chinese from a political communist family, I am not sure I would meet the criteria. Rather ironic as she holds, by a considerable margin, some of the most racist views I have ever heard. She is particularly dreadful in her views about Indonesians and other South East Asians. We have had some rather heated ‘chats’ around this topic! I actually think the Klan would find her a little harsh. Bless her cold, heathen, commie heart.
What is even more ironic is my previous partner was from Eastern Europe and was raised a bright eyed, card holding, young pioneering, commie. Yet remarkably the only place I have encountered a real commie has been amongst western liberals. (the term –liberal- being an insult to those of us who actually are). It seems that those who have, lived the dream, are less enthusiastic. Just a personal observation. -
ET says:
Rather ironic as she holds, by a considerable margin, some of the most racist views I have ever heard. She is particularly dreadful in her views about Indonesians and other South East Asians.
Not only the Chinese. Ask a Thai if he/she is an Indonesian, then cover your face.
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I did take my pick AB.
I will charitably assume that you gave your choice as much consideration as you did the content of our letters.
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Stevo, Relax …It was a joke..I thought we have moved on, no I don’t really think you are Klan and if offended I withdraw that particular one…?
The shocking part was seeing the likes of Timdog & Oigal not tearing that to pieces, as they are normally better considered in their views.
Well, as the history of 1965 is at best damn near impossible to know the truth of just how many innocents died. I can only go on what I know and see. It is shocking to me to see people in various forms say well “sure a few people died but it was worth the price”
Now as someone who spent a lot of time (both pre and post) in East Timor those kind of comments tend to raise my blood pressure. The figure is bandied about that at least 20% of the population went missing as they were being “saved from the communists”, from my experience that would conservative. The people themselves with few exceptions were marginalized. The “recreation” camps still represent evil at its finest.
How much worse would it have been before the urgers called enoughSo you see when people start saying “what’s the problem, well it could have been worse, You have to stand up for what you believe in” I find that hard understand what exactly the little kid with the machete scars down his legs was standing up for on your behalf. Of course he was lucky his mother threw her own body on top of him so only his legs were cut, she of course died.
Now for someone to tell me she was a communist in waiting and deserved it is just sad. Now Java, Bali not so much personal experience but I have seen nothing that convince me things were any different.
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After considering all the available facts, the choice kinda made it’s self AB.
Military dictatorships are not the only alternative to a communist dictatorship. In fact you would be hard pressed to find many examples where the former did not back up the later. They tend to go hand in hand. You picked a poor example to make your point. I will be charitable and assume you have a point.
I thought you may have read between the lines by now, but it looks like I will have to spell it out for the benefit of you and others……… I am against any totalitarian regime, regardless of its ideological basis (That applies to both religion and politics). I believe that even in the most progressive countries we should regard authority with a healthy degree of skepticism. History shows us why this is a good approach.
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I do really withdraw the Klan comment, it was meant to light hearted but upon reflection uncalled for considering the discussion.
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Stop it Oigal, you are making me all misty eyed !
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Military dictatorships are not the only alternative to a communist dictatorship.
Who said they were? You seem to have a penchant for knocking down straw men.
The fact is that Indonesia had a military dictatorship as an alternative to a communist dictatorship that never was and of which only the apologists for the massacre are sure that without all that bloodletting it would have come about.
Comment on “Report from East Java”.
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No, not back to religion. Assuming you are bule and grew up in a democracy you do understand a democracy cannot have an ideology/religion attached to it. You will run into trouble with that.