After Gestapu

In Indonesia the word is not Gestapo but Gestapu. It stands for “Gerakan September Tiga Puloh” or “30th of September Movement,” the effort of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) to “abduct” a not too unwilling Sukarno, to establish a Communist dictatorship under Aidit, and to stage a huge massacre in three installments. The list of those to be rubbed out has gone from hand to hand; it was, among other things, a roster of the religious leaders of the nation—ulemas, priests, and ministers. These extermination lists invited severe retribution from the armed forces under the leadership of generals Nasution and Suharto. No exact number of victims exists but rumor has it in six figures.

The mass of the population seems to have turned against the Communists, if grafitti (some of it in English) are any indication, and the middle classes have regained their courage. HMI, the Muslim Student Organization banned under PKI pressure, has been reconstituted. The old colorful anti-colonialist, anti-American posters have disappeared; and the big gates of the vast Red Chinese Embassy compound in the heart of the Chinese sector of Jakarta are firmly locked.

RB

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Richard D. Benson

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In Indonesia the word is not Gestapo but Gestapu. It stands for “Gerakan September Tiga Puloh” or “30th of September Movement,” the effort of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) to “abduct” a not too unwilling Sukarno, to establish a Communist dictatorship under Aidit, and to stage a huge massacre in three installments. The list of those to be rubbed out has gone from hand to hand; it was, among other things, a roster of the religious leaders of the nation—ulemas, priests, and ministers. These extermination lists invited severe retribution from the armed forces under the leadership of generals Nasution and Suharto. No exact number of victims exists but rumor has it in six figures.

The mass of the population seems to have turned against the Communists, if grafitti (some of it in English) are any indication, and the middle classes have regained their courage. HMI, the Muslim Student Organization banned under PKI pressure, has been reconstituted. The old colorful anti-colonialist, anti-American posters have disappeared; and the big gates of the vast Red Chinese Embassy compound in the heart of the Chinese sector of Jakarta are firmly locked.