Gerwani Archive
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GA-02041 1965-11-07 The Straits Times rel A

The Straits Times, 7 November 1965: Suicide squad women crushed by army tanks

Straits Times, 7 Nov 1965: suicide squad women crushed by army tanks

Straits Times, 7 Nov 1965 (world round-up, lead only). An army bulletin claimed a 'suicide squad' of Communist women, nine 'suicide members' of Gerwani, were killed trying to block army tanks in a Central Java town. Army-sourced propaganda framing of Gerwani women.

GA-03336 1965-11-07 Berita Harian rel A

Aidit di-kepong oleh ahli2 Tentera di-Jawa Tengah (Gerwani 'suicide squad' in Solo)

Aidit surrounded by army in Central Java: Gerwani 'suicide squad' in Solo (Berita Harian, 1965)

Berita Harian, 7 November 1965, p. 1: reports Aidit surrounded in Central Java (Col. Jasir) and, from army broadcasts, that nine 'suicide' members of Gerwani blocked tanks in Solo, jeered at paratroopers and were killed when they would not move. The text does not say how; the account is army-sourced and unverified. Als

GA-03337 1965-11-07 Berita Harian rel A

Wanita hamil belasan tahun mengaku (Lubang Buaya): PKI women members tell the story of the cruel killing

Pregnant teenager confesses: PKI women tell of the cruel killing at Lubang Buaya (Berita Harian, 1965)

Berita Minggu/Berita Harian, 7 November 1965, p. 10, UPI: the 'confession' of Jamilah, 15 and pregnant, a Pemuda Rakyat member, reported from Angkatan Bersenjata. She says about 100 Gerwani women among 500 at Halim were given knives, struck first, and hacked a blindfolded general's genitals. A core Lubang Buaya slander

GA-03350 1965-11-07 The Straits Times rel A

Suicide squad women crushed by army tanks

Suicide squad women crushed by army tanks (Straits Times, 1965)

The Straits Times, 7 November 1965, p. 7, world round-up: an army bulletin says nine 'suicide members' of Gerwani blocked army tanks in Solo, were 'gently asked' to move, jeered at paratroopers, and were killed by the troops when they refused. Same army-sourced story as Berita Harian's 7 November report; unverified. He

GA-02017 1965-11-15 Berita Harian rel B

Berita Harian, 15 November 1965: Wanita Komunis ditahan di Sumatra Utara

Berita Harian, 15 Nov 1965: communist woman detained in North Sumatra

Berita Harian, 15 Nov 1965 (UPI/Antara, lead only). North Sumatra authorities detained a woman, said to be a Gerwani member, accused of attempting a murder and bearing a 'secret mark' on her thigh. The 'secret mark' trope echoes slander about Gerwani women.

GA-03328 1965-11-15 Berita Harian rel A

Wanita Komunis ditahan di Sumatra Utara (Communist woman detained in North Sumatra)

Communist woman detained in North Sumatra (Berita Harian, 1965)

Berita Harian, 15 November 1965, p. 3 (clipping lacks its headline), Antara via Medan: a Gerwani member is detained near an Islamic scholar's house; police say a 'secret mark' was found on her thigh and she confessed she was assigned to kill the cleric. A typical 1965 propaganda item on Gerwani as assassins and 'marked

GA-02042 1965-12-08 The Straits Times rel B

The Straits Times, 8 December 1965: Almost overlords yesterday, almost outlaws today (Dennis Bloodworth)

Straits Times, 8 Dec 1965: almost overlords yesterday, almost outlaws today (Dennis Bloodworth)

Straits Times, 8 Dec 1965, by Dennis Bloodworth (lead only). Analysis of how Indonesian Communists, implicated in the 'ruthless but abortive' 1 October coup, miscalculated their moment, strength and strategy, and the army's savage determination. Matched on Gerwani and PKI; lead does not name Gerwani.

GA-03352 1965-12-08 The Straits Times rel A

Almost overlords yesterday, almost outlaws today: What happened to the PKI? (Dennis Bloodworth)

Almost overlords yesterday, almost outlaws today: what happened to the PKI? (Bloodworth, Straits Times, 1965)

The Straits Times, 8 December 1965, p. 12, analysis by Dennis Bloodworth on why the PKI failed. In passing it repeats the Lubang Buaya slander as fact: 'six leading generals were done to death, horribly mutilated by doe-eye girls of the PKI's Gerwani women's movement'. It then covers Sukarno's weakness, Nasution's esca

GA-02018 1965-12-09 Berita Harian rel B

Berita Harian, 9 Disember 1965: Wanita yang dipenjarakan (Kurnipi, UPI)

Berita Harian, 9 Dec 1965: imprisoned woman (UPI photographer's scene)

Berita Harian, 9 Dec 1965 (UPI photographer Kurnipi, lead only). First-person scene with an imprisoned woman crying that her children are at home and asking why she is held and for how long. Matched on Gerwani; the lead does not name her organisation.

GA-03341 1965-12-09 Berita Harian rel A

Wanita yang dipenjarakan (Tears at Bukit Duri), photo story by Kurnipi, UPI

Women in prison: tears at Bukit Duri (photo story, Berita Harian, 1965)

Berita Harian, 9 December 1965, p. 4: UPI photographer Kurnipi visits Bukit Duri women's prison, Jakarta (about 110 detainees), among them Gerwani leaders and MPs Salawati Daud and Umi Sardjono, plus Emi binti Madali, 20, who 'confessed' to killing General Yani, and two small children jailed with their mothers. Women p

GA-02019 1966-02-13 Berita Harian rel B

Berita Harian, 13 Februari 1966: Wanita Komunis peguam bela Untung dan Njoto

Berita Harian, 13 Feb 1966: woman lawyer to defend Untung and Njoto

Berita Harian, 13 Feb 1966 (lead only). A woman lawyer, Dr Tien Sunito, described as a PKI member, was appointed to defend Lt Col Untung and Njoto, whose trials were due Monday. Not about Gerwani directly, but about women's roles in the 1965 trials.

GA-02043 1966-09-15 The Straits Times rel B

The Straits Times, 15 September 1966: Students open new assault on Hartini

Straits Times, 15 Sep 1966: students open new assault on Hartini

Straits Times, 15 Sep 1966 (lead only). The Bandung and Jakarta chapters of the Indonesian Action Front (KAMI) demanded that President Sukarno resign and answer before a special military tribunal, with an attack on Hartini. Matched on Gerwani; lead does not mention it.

GA-02020 1966-12-21 Berita Harian rel A

Berita Harian, 21 Disember 1966: Isteri Aidit ditangkap

Berita Harian, 21 Dec 1966: Aidit's wife arrested

Berita Harian, 21 Dec 1966 (UPI, lead only). Reports the arrest of D.N. Aidit's wife, described as a leader of the women's wing Gerwani, who had been under intelligence watch since the coup and was a very active communist.

GA-02026 1966-12-21 Eastern Sun rel A

Eastern Sun, 21 December 1966: Wife of Aidit captured

Eastern Sun, 21 Dec 1966: Wife of Aidit captured

Eastern Sun, 21 Dec 1966 (UPI, lead only). Aidit's wife, a leader of Indonesia's communist women's organisation, was captured; intelligence agents had watched her since the coup and described her as a dedicated Communist.

GA-03331 1966-12-21 Berita Harian rel A

Isteri Aidit ditangkap (Army seizes Aidit's wife)

Army seizes Aidit's wife (Berita Harian, 1966)

Berita Harian, 21 December 1966, p. 1, UPI: the wife of D.N. Aidit, described as a leader of the communist women's section (Gerwani), is arrested; per the paper 'Harian Perang' she had been watched since the coup and stayed very active as a fugitive. Short item; she is not named in the text.

GA-02045 1967-06-22 The Straits Times rel A

The Straits Times, 22 June 1967: Woman Red gets life sentence

Straits Times, 22 Jun 1967: woman Red gets life sentence (Palembang)

Straits Times, 22 Jun 1967 (lead only). A special military tribunal in Palembang sentenced Mrs Suwardiningsih, a local communist leader, to life imprisonment for complicity in the 1965 coup attempt; she was the first woman tried by that tribunal.

GA-03326 1967-07-11 Berita Harian rel A

Ketua Komunis Jawa Barat di-tawan dekat Bandung (Gerwani members arrested)

Communist leader in West Java captured near Bandung: Gerwani members arrested (Berita Harian, 1967)

Berita Harian, 11 July 1967, p. 3, Reuters: the army announces capture near Bandung of Yakob Margolang, who allegedly tried to form a new Communist party in West Java; several women believed to be members of Gerwani, 'the secret organisation of Communist women', were also arrested. Context: army warnings against pro-Su

GA-02027 1967-12-13 Eastern Sun rel B

Eastern Sun, 13 December 1967: Detained Communists build their own prisons

Eastern Sun, 13 Dec 1967: detained communists build their own prisons

Eastern Sun, 13 Dec 1967 (by Soeharjono, lead only). Thousands of detained Communists are building brick-and-bamboo prisons because of acute prison-space shortage and lack of funds to feed some 60,000 rounded up after the coup. Lead does not mention Gerwani; matched on a query about Aidit's wife.

GA-02021 1968-10-07 Berita Harian rel B

Berita Harian, 7 Oktober 1968: Puan Hartini tidak ditahan

Berita Harian, 7 Oct 1968: Hartini not detained

Berita Harian, 7 Oct 1968 (Reuters, lead only). Presidential secretary Col. Sutikno denied that Hartini, Sukarno's second wife, had been detained or recently questioned; the last interrogation was about 18 months earlier. Matched on Gerwani though lead does not mention it.

GA-02028 1968-10-07 Eastern Sun rel B

Eastern Sun, 7 October 1968: Hartini not detained, says Sutikno

Eastern Sun, 7 Oct 1968: Hartini not detained, says Sutikno

Eastern Sun, 7 Oct 1968 (Reuters, lead only). Presidential secretary Col. Sutikno denied that Hartini, Sukarno's second wife, was detained or recently interrogated; the last questioning was about 18 months earlier. Matched on Gerwani though the lead does not mention it.