The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

Military & Police

(A history of) containment on Galang Island

Rapid construction of a COVID-19 hospital is a rare good news story for the government but the motives behind it remain unclear

Untreated trauma in Nduga

The plight of Papua’s internally displaced persons is not being recognised by the Indonesian government

In the name of food security

The army’s over-immersion in civilian affairs is being encouraged by its role in food security projects

Rengat, 1949 (Bagian 2)

Orang-orang di Rengat dan arsip-arsip di Belanda, kedua-duanya tahu adanya pembantaian di bulan Januari 1949. Lalu, mengapa masyarakat umum Belanda tidak tahu itu?

Rengat, 1949 (Part 2)

The people of Rengat, the Dutch archives and Dutch authorities have always known about the massacre of January 1949. Why then is the Dutch public not aware?

Rengat, 1949 (Bagian 1)

Pasukan payung Belanda membunuhratusan, bahkan mungkin ribuan orang di Rengat, sebuah kota Sumatra, pada masa Revolusi Nasional Indonesia, tapi kelihatannya orang-orang di luar Rengat tidak tahu itu.

Rengat, 1949 (Part 1)

Dutch paratroopers massacred hundreds, perhaps thousands, in a Sumatran town during the Indonesian Revolution, yet nobody outside Rengat seems to know.

Review: Women, Sexual Violence and the Indonesian Killings of 1965-66

Women, Sexual Violence and the Indonesian Killings of 1965-66 - Routledge

Pohlman’s study provides sensitive and powerful testimony of the impact of this violence on women and girls

Murdering army, silent church

Rev. Mery Kolimon: ‘The Indonesian Churches did not protect the victims of 1965’ - Willem van Gent

Reverend Mery Kolimon, researcher and advocate working on the 1965 killings in Eastern Indonesia, has a personal connection to this piece of history

Testimony of a messenger

President Sukarno with PKI Secretary General DN Aidit at an anniversary celebration for the PKI, 23 May 1965 - Howard Sochurek

A memoir by a former army officer offers insights into Suharto’s moves in October 1965

Review: Incubus of Intervention

Conspiracy as foreign policy

Documenting genocide

Newly discovered military documents detail culpability for the 1965 genocide. Why has it taken so long to find them?

Lessons learned from Indonesia’s conflicts: Aceh, Poso and Papua

Herb Feith Annual Memorial Lecture 2014

Review: Coming to terms with 1965

Can the descendants of both sides of 1965 come together to help the nation achieve reconciliation?

Prabowo and human rights

Jakarta 1998 was bad, but Prabowo likely had more blood on his hands in East Timor

Defending murder

A marriage of convenience lies behind a campaign to defend Kopassus soldiers on trial for murder in Yogyakarta

After justice

What happens after three police officers are found guilty of manslaughter and torture?

Ari’s audacity

How can you be a straight cop when people just give you money?

More than a fatal attraction

Outsiders see arak consumption as a highly dangerous activity, but arak plays an important role in Balinese society

Review: Suharto’s guardians and reluctant reformers

A new publication tells the story of the first graduates of the joint Indonesian Armed Forces Military Academy

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.