1965 - 1966

The peacock is no more

The story of the Teochiu Huikuan building in Medan provides insights into Chinese Indonesians’ history of dispossession

Chinese Indonesians must re-enter politics in order to fully exercise their citizenship

Or, the years of living with no one to blame

The arts scene has changed radically since 1998, but some of the old uncertainties remain

Indonesia’s premier historian

About cooking, studying Java, and other serious pleasures

NELLY VAN DOORN discovers a woman preacher revered for her faith and drive, who questions the image of a male-centred Islam.

Why is it so hard to remember the evils of the past? ROB GOODFELLOW explores the pain, and the exhilaration, of memory.

On the other side of 1965 lay a vibrant Indonesia worth remembering

Prajurit jaga malam

Australian media responses to the Indonesian killings of 1965-66

Maid Halim, a communist, wants the state to admit its crimes

Oral histories of 1965

With Suharto gone, the anniversary of the 1965 coup attempt is more controversial than ever

A younger writer remembers Pramoedya’s influence on his own life and work

This short story, written by an ex-political prisoner, has never been published in its original Indonesian version. We cannot disclose the author's real name or the various pseudonyms under which she has been publishing since her release. A member of Gerwani, a women's organisation with alleged connections with the Indonesian Communist Party, banned since the so-­called coup of September 1965, the author seems to have started writing fiction only after her detention. The experience colours much of her writing. Most of her short stories are about the down and out, the women whom poverty has driven to theft, begging and prostitution, the 'criminals' (or were they the victims?) with whom the author shared her prison cells.

12 Tahun di penjara dan jejak Gerwani