Do not repeat 1965 massacre: Gerwani<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A former executive of Gerakan Wanita Indonesia
\n(Gerwani), a women's group associated with the now defunct
\nIndonesian Communist Party (PKI), has called on Indonesia's
\nyounger generation not to repeat the mistakes of their
\npredecessors who in 1965 massacred tens of thousands of people
\nlinked to PKI.<\/p>\n
"Learning from history, Indonesian youths should not let such
\nmassacres happen again in the future," Sulami, former deputy
\nsecretary-general of Gerwani, said at the launch of her book
\ntitled Women: Truth and Jail at Gedung Joang '45 in Central
\nJakarta on Friday.<\/p>\n
Present at the launch of the 104-page autobiography were
\nFeisol Reza, deputy chairman of Democratic People's Party (PRD),
\nEsther I. Jusuf, a lawyer from the Foundation of the Indonesian
\nLegal Aid Institute (YLBHI) and Sutomo Pradopo and Sudibyo, both
\nmembers of president Sukarno's 100-minister Cabinet in late 1965.<\/p>\n
The 73-year-old Sulami said the young generation should learn
\nthe truth behind the massacre.<\/p>\n
"The youth should know the truth behind the 1965-1966
\nmassacre, when soldiers and the people ran after PKI members and
\nactivists of its affiliated organizations, following the murder
\nof six Army generals and one captain," she said.<\/p>\n
The seven Army officials were brutally killed before dawn on
\nOct. 1, 1965. A group led by Col. Untung, a senior official of
\nCakrabirawa presidential guards, was believed to have executed
\nthe officials.<\/p>\n
The murder peaked the political rivalry, which had been
\npresent for years, between the progressive revolutionary camp
\nbacked by PKI and the Army camp.<\/p>\n
The murder stirred anger among the military and non-communist
\ncamp, who then struck back at the communists, who were unprepared
\nfor the assault.<\/p>\n
The Cornell Paper, a well known reference of the tragedy
\nwritten by US scholar Ben Anderson, quoted president Sukarno as
\nsaying in a 1965 speech that some 87,000 had been slaughtered.<\/p>\n
The 1991 international edition of Encyclopedia Americana said
\nabout 250,000 PKI members and sympathizers were killed.
\nMeanwhile, the New Order government in its Sept. 30, 1965, White
\nBook, published by the State Secretariat in 1994, did not give a
\nfigure for the deaths, merely saying, "the government has
\nconducted intelligent operations, field operations and court
\ntrials to sentence PKI members and sympathizers".<\/p>\n
Sulami denied Gerwani was part of PKI.<\/p>\n
"Only two Gerwani executives, Salawati and Mudigdo, were also
\nPKI members," she said, saying the New Order government had no
\ngrounds to jail Gerwani members.<\/p>\n
Feisol Reza hailed the launching of the book, saying that it
\nhad become one of the "artifacts" of the Indonesian history.<\/p>\n
"The book will broaden the people's understanding on the 1965
\nabortive coup of PKI, amidst various versions of the story
\ncirculated in the community," he told participants.<\/p>\n
Esther criticized the way the military and non-communist camp
\narrested and killed the PKI members and sympathizers.<\/p>\n
"They unlawfully arrested PKI members and sympathizers as they
\nfailed to show warrants," she said, adding that the non-communist
\ncamp also killed people who were not involved in the murder of
\nthe seven officials. (asa)<\/p>",
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