The Army and the Indonesian Genocide

Mechanics of Mass Murder: A Case for Understanding the Indonesian Killings as Genocide

“…Indeed, as new data gathered during my research reveal, 145 this would be the major way in which the killings were justified at the time, both by the military in its public announcements and by civilian participants. This aspect of the military's targeting of the "PKI" has, to date, remained largely unexplored.…”

“…This name appears to have become the official codename the military used to describe the genocide in Aceh. 39 …”

“…41 However, once Dwikora was enacted, the Pantja Tunggal acted to subsume the provincial or district government under military control, effectively implementing a form of de facto martial law. 42 The meeting then proceeded to produce a series of documents. The first was a "Declaration of the Pantja Tunggal for Aceh Special Region," which was signed by members of the Aceh Pantja Tunggal.…”

“…From this time, the majority of PKI members and adherents of Indonesian communism identified both with Marxism and "Red Islam", a distinct stream of Islam articulated by the "Red Haji," Haji Mohammad Misbach, who preached that Islam and communism were compatible. 151 It is thus possible to argue that victims of the 1965-66 killings were, in part, identified for destruction as a religious group, both because this is how the military identified this group (as "atheists") and because this is how this group self-identified (as adherents of "Red Islam"). Similarly, as per Cribb's argument, it is possible to argue that victims of the 1965-66 killings were targeted as members of an ideologically constituted national or subnational group as part of Indonesia's "communist group."…”

“…Djuarsa was in Langsa, East Aceh during the morning of 1 October. 54 By chance, on the morning of 1 October Djuarsa along with Aceh's entire military and civilian leadership had been in Langsa for a "mass meeting" to mark the arrival of Indonesia's deputy prime minister Soebandrio and national PKI Politbureau member Njoto, who had conducted a week-long "socialization" tour of Sumatra.…”