Indonesian Genocide
ILAS 225
November 29, 2011
The Indonesian Genocide
To this day, the story of the Indonesian Genocide is still relatively unknown. It is only partially told, and partly visible through a thick haze of trickery and deception. Between October 1965 and 1966, it is estimated that between 500,000 and 3,000,000 people were killed throughout various Indonesian islands, including Java, Sumatra, and Bali (the actual number will never be known for sure). The events that unfolded during this period were terrifying, disturbing, and make one wonder where the value of human life may have been misplaced. It all began with the Indonesian National Party (PNI) and the Communist Party (PKI). After gaining independence from the Dutch East India Company in 1949, the PNI and the PKI shared power with several other small parties in Indonesia. The President at the time, Sukarno, was known for his “Guided Democracy.” Under this type of rule, Sukarno was portrayed as being tolerable of the PKI and did nothing to bring an end to their communist movements. Right off the bat, it is obvious that there would be a great struggle for power between the two main parties. On September 30, 1965, some young, middle-ranking officers in the PKI attempted a coup to overthrow the existing Army (PNI) high command. They may have suspected that the Army was going to stage their own coup and wanted to prevent this by striking first. The kidnapping was botched, and six of the seven generals were killed by the PKI. A rumor was instantly fabricated by the PNI that an organization of communist women known as the Gerwani (which had about 3 million members) killed the generals. It was also said that the Gerwani women sexually teased these men, tortured them, gouged their eyes out, and castrated them before finally executing them. Pictures of the generals being killed and tortured circulated in Indonesia. This lie played a large role in the resentment toward the PKI, and sparked the killing
November 29, 2011
The Indonesian Genocide
To this day, the story of the Indonesian Genocide is still relatively unknown. It is only partially told, and partly visible through a thick haze of trickery and deception. Between October 1965 and 1966, it is estimated that between 500,000 and 3,000,000 people were killed throughout various Indonesian islands, including Java, Sumatra, and Bali (the actual number will never be known for sure). The events that unfolded during this period were terrifying, disturbing, and make one wonder where the value of human life may have been misplaced. It all began with the Indonesian National Party (PNI) and the Communist Party (PKI). After gaining independence from the Dutch East India Company in 1949, the PNI and the PKI shared power with several other small parties in Indonesia. The President at the time, Sukarno, was known for his “Guided Democracy.” Under this type of rule, Sukarno was portrayed as being tolerable of the PKI and did nothing to bring an end to their communist movements. Right off the bat, it is obvious that there would be a great struggle for power between the two main parties. On September 30, 1965, some young, middle-ranking officers in the PKI attempted a coup to overthrow the existing Army (PNI) high command. They may have suspected that the Army was going to stage their own coup and wanted to prevent this by striking first. The kidnapping was botched, and six of the seven generals were killed by the PKI. A rumor was instantly fabricated by the PNI that an organization of communist women known as the Gerwani (which had about 3 million members) killed the generals. It was also said that the Gerwani women sexually teased these men, tortured them, gouged their eyes out, and castrated them before finally executing them. Pictures of the generals being killed and tortured circulated in Indonesia. This lie played a large role in the resentment toward the PKI, and sparked the killing