by admin | Aug 20, 2025 | English
Political prisoners in Indonesia were a varied bunch. Some were farmers, or blue-collar labourer who just happened to be in the wrong place at an unfortunate time, then somehow got arrested and exiled. Some were real politicians whose political party happened to be...
by admin | Aug 20, 2025 | English
When my father was detained, he was given this number.Three, One, Nine, Six. His name and identity were taken from him.Nothing more than an object, to be disposed of.Ken Setiawan#1965setiaphari #living1965
by admin | Aug 20, 2025 | English
More than twelve thousand political prisoners of the New Order were exiled to the island Buru. Some of them died because they were tortured cruelly. The blood and sweat of political prisoners changed this barren island full of wild swamps: it became a main supplier of...
by admin | Aug 20, 2025 | English
From Ambon, it takes a night to get to Buru Island with a ferry. Its broad savannas are a feast for the eyes. But behind that beauty, lies a story of cruelty, perpetrated by the state against thousands of political prisoners. This island was used as a natural prison,...
by admin | Aug 20, 2025 | English
A friend asked me, “where is Buru island?”. I was surprised at his question. I never expected a question like that from a highly educated friend, who even studied abroad. Apparently, an education like that does not ensure people know about history. The more so, when...
by admin | Sep 30, 2017 | English
My mother once told me a story from early 1960s, which I always remember. This happened when President Soekarno and my father, the Central Commitee leader of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) Dipa Nusantara Aidit, was visiting Cuba. There, they met with Fidel...