Foundation probes 1968 Blitar massacre

JAKARTA: The Kasut Perdamaian Foundation said on Wednesday that it was conducting an investigation into the massacre in South Blitar, East Java, that happened between 1965 and 1968 as part of its peace efforts.

Ester Jusuf, the chairman of the investigative team, said that starting Aug. 12, eleven workers would remove the rocks at the Luweng Tikus cave that had buried the massacred victims -- people killed by the military because they were alleged to be communists.

The remains of those killed would be removed from the caves, and would be buried. The total cost of the program is around Rp 36.2 million.

After that, the foundation will initiate the construction of a museum or a monument of peace to remember those massacred. --JP