In her poignant new memoir, Tari Lang recalls the harrowing morning of October 1, 1965, when as a 14-year-old, she witnessed Indonesian tanks and soldiers invade her affluent neighborhood in Jakarta. Living with her Indonesian father and British mother, she darted to inform her parents of the impending chaos. “They fell silent,” she reflects, “just looking at each other.”
The day prior, a violent coup attempt had unfolded, leading to the kidnapping and murder of six army generals. The military claimed this was a necessary action to protect President Sukarno, but the coup failed. In a brutal response, the army and its supporters unleashed a horrific purge against anyone suspected of being affiliated with the Communist Party of Indonesia, fueled by the geopolitical tensions of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Tari Lang’s family became a part of this tragic narrative, as her parents were among the estimated one million individuals imprisoned during this dark period. Reports indicate that at least 500,000 people were killed or executed, victims of a government that sought to eradicate perceived threats to its power. General Soeharto, who orchestrated the brutal crackdown, succeeded Sukarno as president, ruling Indonesia with an iron fist for the next 33 years.
The 1965-66 massacres represent a profoundly dark chapter in Indonesian history, leaving a legacy of fear and repression. The ideologies of Marxism and communism remain outlawed in the country, often weaponized against government critics, perpetuating a culture of silence and fear.
Despite the magnitude of these atrocities, no one has ever been held accountable for the mass killings. Successive Indonesian governments have made vague promises of justice, yet these commitments have largely gone unfulfilled. In 2023, former President Joko Widodo announced a “non-judicial mechanism” intended to provide reparations to victims or their descendants. However, Bedjo Untung of the 1965 Murder Victims Research Foundation in Jakarta lamented that “not a single 1965 survivor or family could get a court decision to document what they had suffered.”
The situation has not improved under the current administration. Since President Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo assumed office in October 2024, his government has actively sought to rewrite the historical narrative surrounding the anti-communist violence that scarred the nation. This ongoing impunity for past crimes continues to foment human rights violations across Indonesia, perpetuating a cycle of injustice.
Lang’s mother, Carmel Budiardjo, was expelled to the United Kingdom in 1970, where she emerged as a prominent human rights activist. Her father, Suwondo, endured a long separation from his family, only reuniting in 1978. For countless Indonesians, however, the fate of their loved ones remains shrouded in uncertainty, a painful reminder of the past that continues to haunt the present.
Instead of turning a blind eye to the legacy of the massacres, the Prabowo government should prioritize delivering justice and acknowledging the suffering endured by countless families. Sixty years may have passed, but it is never too late to seek truth and accountability. The scars of history demand recognition, and the voices of the victims and their families deserve to be heard.
