The Contours of Mass Violence in Indonesia, 1965-68 (ASAA Southeast Asia Publications)

The violence directed against the political left in Indonesia from 1965 until 1968 has been the subject of intense speculation. The large number of deaths, brutal interrogations, as well as rape, torture, short- and long-term detention and on-going discrimination inflicted on hundreds of thousands of people make this a compelling topic. However, political sensitivities within Indonesia and a dearth of evidence made serious research on the topic extremely difficult under the New Order regime. The Contours of Mass Violence in Indonesia presents case studies from diverse locations throughout the Indonesian archipelago. The accounts revolve around the impact and interpretations of the September 30th Movement and its aftermath; the roles of military and civilian groups in fomenting and perpetrating violence; short- and long-term detention; and the legacies of the assault on the political Left. Although events unfolded differently in various parts of the country, the violence amounted to a counter-revolution intended to curtail the mass mobilization and popular participation unleashed by the national revolution some twenty years earlier. The goal was to destroy the social bases of President Sukarnos left-leaning Guided Democracy, and to establish a military regime that was authoritarian and pro-Western. Students of Indonesia will learn much from the accounts in this volume, but the discussion will also benefit scholars concerned with the dynamics of mass violence, the Cold War, regime change and counter-revolution. Introduction : the contours of mass violence in Indonesia, 1965-68 / Douglas Kammen and Katharine McGregor The September 30th Movement : the aporias of the official narratives / John Roosa International dimensions of the 1965-68 violence in Indonesia / Bradley Simpson The army para-commando regiment and the reign of terror in central Java and Bali / David Jenkins and Douglas Kammen East Java and the role of Nahdlatul Ulama in the 1965-66 anti-communist violence / Greg Fealy and Katharine McGregor Anti-communist violence and the ethnic Chinese in Medan, North Sumatra / Yen-ling Tsai and Douglas Kammen South Sulawesi : the military, prison camps and forced labour / Taufik Ahmad South Blitar and the PKI bases : refuge, resistance and repression / Vannessa Hearman West Bali : experiences and legacies of the 1965-66 violence / Mary Ida Bagus Mass graves and memories of the 1965 Indonesian killings / Katharine McGregor. A collection of some of the most important studies from diverse locations throughout the Indonesian archipelago, addressing the newly resurgent focus on the violence directed against the political left in Indonesia, from 1965 to 1968.