Bloody orgy at Halim air base (Canberra Times, 15 April 1966)

=== [PDF page 1] === Canberra Times (ACT: 1926 - 1995), Friday 15 April 1966, page 10 Party Young members of the Indonesian Communist miles (PKI) had been gathering at Halim air base, seven since 1965. October The bodies from Djakarta, of two generals who uprising, and had been shot the night before in the others who had been captured,, were four brought to Halim. Here the article begun Page 2 yes terday is concluded. orgy Halim nesses Among the waiting 100 were groups of the Indo members Women's Movements called GERWAN1. of their number One Djamilah, was a Mrs born 15 years ago in East Java. This is part of her story, reported in the Djak 15: arta Mail of November "Small knives and razor distributed. blades were blade! only got razor we'' saw From afar thick-set wearing man clolhes, sleeping hands bound with red cloth and eyes also covered with red cloth. "The commanded that his platoon leader beat up three Shot three victim times and but down, times fell and "The air base shot was then fell not yet green-uniformed three wearing person crooked white bars on the shoulder ordered the ac dead. tions was now Mrs Djamilah three: in custody. She was months pregnant when the incident took place. the Afterwards, sounds of dancing and the callcd. chorus of a song People's Blood, the eyes the were victims gouged out. A policeman the who scene watched from hiding later described "like something from seemed deepest hell: no-one then to cut person, first private parls. The to start the beating and cut ting we saw to be leaders the Priok Tandjung branch of GERWANI. other "Then followed Finally I comrades myself joined in the tor ture. All of the 100 women wit did likewise and were nesses National Library of Australia By a to have When any the Special Conespondent humanity left." bloodbath was were bodies thrown deep well with rubbish. and covered So barbarously had they been mutilated that later, over, the into been when only rings mutilated ihey were scraps arid that later, recovered, clothing, wrist-yatches served to identify them. that The murderers strong enough word) failed had, however, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128653303 === [PDF page 2] === Canberra Times (ACT: 1926 - 1995), Friday 15 April 1966, page 10 (2) failed had, however, the big land one.catch Gen gest of all. This was eral Abdel Haris Nasution, famous most of all Indo nesian soldiers, 'author of classic book on guerrilla warfare ranked with those warfare ranked with those Che of Mao and the Cuban himself Guevera, yet anti-Commun staunchly ist. are Too minds many blocked by the memory that hideous night for a picture of what went at the home of General Nasution to be precise. But this is the skeleton of the story. Untung's soldiers, again armed with faked messages Nasution summoning palace, Sukarno's were entering prevented from his house by armed guards. shooting, some There was and a guard and at least one killed. policeman were fired child. Counler-coup ADC When they had gone, Mrs Nasution rushed into child the street with the and managed to get a lift called the was shots. ness changed the whole of the revolt. the cap. and gen went When asked whether General he was Nasution, answered, "Yes. was dragged off into a lorry— later, for his bravery, to the same the terrible captured gen erals. Meanwhile Mrs Nasution pleading with her hus band to escape while there still time. Nasution was first refused: but quickly returned. Untung's gang They had discovered in the was ■lorry, torch-light, that they had captured the wrong man. virtually Nasution was pushed out of a window into the back garden by his wife. He escaped by climb wall, the garden ing over injuring a leg in doing so. Nasution locked Mrs herself in the bedroom five-year-old her National Library of Australia news survival that served and. escaped had who Hood purge.:One clear order got through, and was was obeyed: the Army loyal General remain outside. fate hours the inspiration cry of those Army leaders the Nasution and its new com General mander-in-chief, Suharto. fol The counter-coup lowed swiftly. Within 24 hours the palace and most suffer hectic 'Pierre aroused by alerted Lieutenant Teridean, who Nasution's about height and build, then did thing. remarkable donned Nasution's uniform pulled course rallying was jacket, that night undoubtedly young Nasution and his family, and warned them that their lives might.be in danger. eral's peaked But, resourceful the police. Her Tendean, hospital. the though the child was viously critically hurt (she afterwards) Mrs died soon time took Nasution alert' the marine corps and Nasution's Nasution's ADC, lieutenant swift was In the followed, Heroism Untung's men the door, and several times at the daughter. shot down the strategic points Djakarta had been recap tured by General Suharto's little resis There was men. tance Untung's fol from lowers. Loyal troops found the captors of the radio station loking acutely em barrassed, being harangued by a threatening crowd of technical and cleaners workers arrived to tackle their early-morning chores. In the main Untung's gang, having no idea what to do next, meekly surrendered. himself, Untung doubt realising at last that he had been an expendable tool of Aidit and the PKI, fled. managed to re main at liberty for some days, being captured while travelling in a bus inap labelled propriately "Lucky". Aidit that all himself, realising lost, escaped by plane to central Java, where he managed to stay for some at liberty weeks was http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128653303 === [PDF page 3] === Canberra Times (ACT: 1926 - 1995), Friday 15 April 1966, page 10 (3) liberty for some weeks before being captured and shot. Without communica tions or instructions from above, the local branches the PKI1 could not mobilise. Methodically the Army began to round the Communists Terrible weeks since The staff the enor Chinese Embassy in quickly Djakarta bought food and drink in prepar mous ation for siege, and bar ricaded themselves in. Dip bags crammed lomatic with pictures and posters Aidit. Red sion, specially were godown stores be shipped out country again. subsequent The printed for the occa hurriedly locked China later: of the weeks General National Library of Australia Nasution http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128653303 === [PDF page 4] === Canberra Times (ACT: 1926 - 1995), Friday 15 April 1966, page 10 (4) have terrible been Suhandrio of support for his President and the non-Commu ones. Reprisals counter and reprisals between Com munists and Muslims have come nist would have Army saved thousands of lives. /Subandrio was dumb. Was which /he waiting to see civil to creating near the only war, thickly populated island of Ihe but Java other islands of Indonesia. Num bers of the dead vary from published Sukarno's own estimate of 87,000 to the figure of not impossible half a million. The vast majority of the victims on side were the Communist almost certainly mere card not carriers, into bullied the way rolling? had been ardent de PKI. heir presumptive, the death of Sukarno (who is life), for President Suban drio would have had to rely principally Com munist support, since other Indonesia have groups disavowed him. the most fenders of the join Hand Subandrio racial corpses, massacrcs, the wiping out of.whole families. the Koran, recently con to Indonesian radio listeners: "In Allah's name, T swear not involved though the can doubt the Communists the winning side have been uglier had fided Yet, hideous few been on would was Certainly he the party by tougher cadres. There are stories rivers choked with lhat bandwaggon among ing picture the ■nothing and I have coup to do with it." still. (his tale and bloody acts," still "carnal, unnatural questions are many, unanswered. role, What played behind any, the was scenes Su ba ndrio, Foreign Minis Sukarno's the move ter? What were of the President ments himself during those fate ful hours? Subandrio out Djakarta on September 30, visiting Sumatra.' During the first day of the coup, whatever came message from him. In the confus ion of that day, a clear call of support for his Presiwas National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128653303