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, but it has never been mentioned in history books. The state has never acknowledged that it banished thousands of prisoners there. They were subjected to slave labour, and because of that Buru now is a main supplier of rice for Eastern Indonesia.

By continuing to talk about and discuss the island, we can remember what happened there and the role of the state in the 1965 tragedy. This island is a place where we can learn, so that history will not be repeated.

Whisnu Yonar
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