Pravda, c. 27 Oct 1965: The Situation in Indonesia
Pravda, c. 27 October 1965 (No. 300), 'The Situation in Indonesia': two short TASS dispatches from Jakarta dated 26 October. They report Sukarno and Subandrio on the 30 September Movement and ongoing repression of the PKI. Gerwani is mentioned once, among organisations banned by military authorities in North Sulawesi a
Pravda, 1965: bans on the PKI and Gerwani in the regions (excerpt)
Pravda no. 300, 1965 (excerpt; TASS dispatch dated Jakarta, 26 Oct). Reports Sukarno ordering police and army to fire on those destroying Communist property, and military bans on the PKI, SOBSI and BTI in East Java and East Sulawesi; in North Sulawesi the ban also covers Gerwani. Rest is unrelated (OAU, Rhodesia, econo
Pravda, 23 Nov 1965: the situation in Indonesia, mass arrests
Pravda no. 327, 23 November 1965 (full issue). Page 1 TASS item 'The situation in Indonesia' (Jakarta, 22 Nov): arrests of 1,600 in South Kalimantan; in Central Java 1,630 (Wonogiri), 820 (Sragen), 711 (Boyolali), over 2,200 (Klaten), said by ANTARA to be members of PKI, Gerwani, Pemuda Rakyat, BTI, Partindo; Subandrio
Pravda, 23 Nov 1965: the situation in Indonesia, mass arrests (excerpt)
Pravda no. 327, 23 November 1965 (excerpt of the page). Page 1 TASS item 'The situation in Indonesia' (Jakarta, 22 Nov): arrests of 1,600 in South Kalimantan; in Central Java 1,630 (Wonogiri), 820 (Sragen), 711 (Boyolali), over 2,200 (Klaten), said by ANTARA to be members of PKI, Gerwani, Pemuda Rakyat, BTI, Partindo;
Backgrounds of the rebellion in Djakarta (conclusion)
Algemeen Handelsblad (1965-10-09), concluding part of 'Backgrounds of the rebellion in Djakarta': surveys PKI under Aidit, PNI infiltration (including its women's movement), PKI campaign against village ulama, the banned BPS and the army's rising role under Nasution. Names S.K. Trimurti as wife of Sajuti Melik and chai
Java ruled by the army
Friese Koerier ANP/Reuters wire report (11 Oct 1965, p.1) on the situation in Java after the 30 September coup attempt: 90% of rebels reportedly arrested, Muslims looting the homes of Aidit and Njoto and the Gerwani headquarters. It adds that among arrested communists are Gerwani members 'said to be responsible for the
Courrier de Genève, 11 October 1965: In Jakarta, Muslims ransack the home of the Indonesian communist leader
Courrier de Genève, 11 Oct 1965, AFP report 'In Djakarta, Muslims ransack the home of the leader of the Indonesian communists': per the daily Mimbar Revolusi, crowds sacked the homes of Aidit and Njoto and the headquarters of 'Gerwani'. Also: 86 rebels captured near Brebes, mass demonstrations in Malang, and an analysi
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 12 October 1965: Normalisation in Indonesia
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 12 Oct 1965, 'Normalisation in Indonesia' (Reuter/UPI wire digest). Items: armed Communists fleeing into Central Java mountains, Antara placed under military management, evacuation of American embassy families, and a Swiss ambassador's credentials. Relevant here: Malaysian radio, citing Radio Jaka
Thurgauer Zeitung, 12 October 1965: The anti-communist wave in Indonesia
Thurgauer Zeitung wire digest, 12 Oct 1965, on the anti-communist wave in Indonesia: Communists fleeing in Central Java, an angry crowd burning Gerwani premises in Aceh (per Radio Djakarta), Untung's capture, Antara placed under Army control, and Sukarno's remarks on 'imperialists'. Gerwani appears only in one sentence
Anti-communist
Nieuwsblad van het Noorden, 3 November 1965: reports a 100,000-strong demonstration at the Chinese consulate in Medan demanding Subandrio's resignation, and, per Antara, that the PKI's women's organisation Gerwani has been expelled from the Indonesian women's congress (Kowani), chaired by Mrs Hurustiati Subandrio, the
Straits Times, 3 Nov 1965: Subandrio's wife expels women Reds
Straits Times, 3 Nov 1965 (lead only). The Indonesian Women's Congress (Kowani), headed by Foreign Minister Subandrio's wife Hurustiati Subandrio, expelled the PKI women's auxiliary (Gerwani), per Antara; a consultative board statement addressed to President Sukarno. Shows Gerwani's isolation after the coup.
Neue Berner Zeitung, 3 November 1965: Anti-communist demonstration in Sumatra; Kowani expels Gerwani
Neue Berner Zeitung, 3 Nov 1965 (UPI/AFP): anti-communist demonstration in Sumatra; Sukarno tells ministers to act 'bravely'; 100,000 demonstrators at the Chinese embassy in Medan; gold and silver mines nationalised; 57 PKI parliamentarians removed. Key for Gerwani research: the Indonesian women's congress (Kowani, OCR
Freiburger Nachrichten, 8 November 1965: Indonesia - the hunt for communists continues
Freiburger Nachrichten, 8 Nov 1965, 'Indonesia: hunt for Communists continues' (Reuter/AFP). Citing the Army newspaper, paratroopers killed nine women described as 'suicide fighters of Gerwani' who tried to block army tanks near Solo, shot after warning shots; also arrests in Cilacap, suspensions in Kalimantan, a 'holy
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.
Pravda, 17 Nov 1965: The Situation in Indonesia
Pravda, 17 November 1965 (No. 321), 'The Situation in Indonesia': TASS dispatches of 16 November on the removal of 62 MPs, a purge operation in Jepara (315 arrests), a curfew in Makassar and a planned army purge. Gerwani is named once, among left-wing organisations (with SOBSI and BTI) banned in the Moluccas by Brig. G
Pravda, 16 Nov 1965: Indonesia, Gerwani banned in the Moluccas (excerpt)
Pravda no. 321, 16 November 1965 (excerpt). TASS dispatch from Jakarta: 62 MPs (about 25 per cent) removed for alleged involvement in the 30 September Movement; the Moluccas commander Brig. Gen. Busiri temporarily bans the PKI, SOBSI, Gerwani and BTI; 315 arrested near Jepara; curfew in Makassar; planned army purge. Ot
Dutch woman sole defender
ANP report in Algemeen Dagblad (1966-02-15) on Dutch-born lawyer Trees Sunito-Heyligers, the only Indonesian jurist willing to defend PKI/SOBSI leader Njono before the special military tribunal. Her husband Sunito was jailed after the coup and she was dismissed from the state bank. No Gerwani mention; context for the 1
Military Trial: Woman Named (Suwarti, PKI Central Committee), The Press, 19 Nov 1966
Short NZPA-Reuter dispatch in The Press (Christchurch), 19 Nov 1966, citing Antara: the first woman member of the banned PKI to face trial will appear before a special military court in South Sumatra. She is named only as Suwarti, a Central Committee member. The sweep tentatively identifies her as Suwarti Bintang Surad
Mrs Soenito from Zwolle arrested in Indonesia
Friese Koerier Reuters item (5 Jan 1968, p.11): Jakarta police arrested Dutch-born lawyer Trees Soenito-Heyligers, 52, on suspicion of membership of the banned communist scholars' association HSI. She had defended trade unionist Njono two years earlier; her husband Soenito, parliament secretary, was arrested after the
Arrest of Mrs Soenito in Jakarta
Tubantia (5 Jan 1968): Jakarta police arrest Zwolle-born lawyer Trees Soenito-Heyligers on suspicion of membership of the banned Himpunan Sarjana Indonesia; she had defended SOBSI leader Njono, sentenced to death. Biographical detail on her and her husband Soenito, arrested after the coup. No Gerwani content.
Drakeley's 2007 article analysing the army's Oct-Dec 1965 psywar 'Lubang Buaya horror story' as a misogynist attack on Gerwani and a driver of the killings, tracing escalating claims in Angkatan Bersendjata, Antara and others, including the 'confessions' of Djamilah, Sujati and Saina. Core analysis of the slander.