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The coalition in power at the time of the mass arrests was the short-lived ], which was mainly supported mainly by the ] and the ]. It was faced by strikes and instability in the summer of 1951, as well as tensions over the negotiations of the ] which would mean peace between Indonesia and Japan.<ref name="NYT2">{{cite news |title=REGIME IN INDONESIA FACING DIFFICULTIES. |work=New York Times |date=13 June 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=7 |language=en}}</ref> The coalition in power at the time of the mass arrests was the short-lived ], which was mainly supported mainly by the ] and the ]. It was faced by strikes and instability in the summer of 1951, as well as tensions over the negotiations of the ] which would mean peace between Indonesia and Japan.<ref name="NYT2">{{cite news |title=REGIME IN INDONESIA FACING DIFFICULTIES. |work=New York Times |date=13 June 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=7 |language=en}}</ref>


Although the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was legal in Indonesia, it was not on good terms with the government. Strikes in the summer led to tensions between the PKI and affiliated unions, and the government. In one incident at the port of ] in ] on 5 August, 150 armed men with communist insignias raided a police station and exchanged gunfire with Indonesian security services.<ref name="NYT1" /> Six people died, including three police officers, and a number of others were wounded.<ref name="NYT5" /><ref name="NC1">{{cite news |title=Tandjong Priok geïsoleerd Leger en politie voeren zuiverings-actie uit. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000095088:mpeg21:p002 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=7 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> There were also rumours of secret planning for a coup between members of the Communist Party and representatives from the People's Republic of China.<ref name="NYT1" /> The incident in Tanjung Priok, and its possible connection to incidents in other cities such as a bombing in ], led the government to widen its investigations.<ref name="NYT4" /><ref name="NC1" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Aanval op Priok met rode vlag ONDERLING VERBAND ? |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010476143:mpeg21:p001 |work=Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra |date=7 August 1951 |location=Medan |language=nl}}</ref> The 1948 ], a conflict between the government and the Communist Party was also still in recent memory and was invoked as a reason for the aggressive crackdown.<ref name="VP2">{{cite news |title=Herhaling van Madiun-opstand door arrestaties voorkomen? Regering spreekt van complot om ministers te ontvoeren Cordon om het parlement. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011208555:mpeg21:p001 |work=De vrije pers: ochtendbulletin |date=18 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> Although the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was legal in Indonesia, it was not on good terms with the government. Strikes in the summer led to tensions between the PKI and affiliated unions, and the government. In one incident at the port of ] in ] on 5 August, 150 armed men with communist insignias raided a police station and exchanged gunfire with Indonesian security services.<ref name="NYT1" /> Six people died, including three police officers, and a number of others were wounded.<ref name="NYT5" /><ref name="NC1">{{cite news |title=Tandjong Priok geïsoleerd Leger en politie voeren zuiverings-actie uit. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000095088:mpeg21:p002 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=7 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> There were also rumours of secret planning for a coup between members of the Communist Party and representatives from the People's Republic of China.<ref name="NYT1" /><ref name="Mozingo">{{cite book |last1=Mozingo |first1=David P. |title=Chinese policy toward Indonesia, 1949-1967 |date=1976 |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, N.Y |isbn=9780801409219 |pages=101–2}}</ref> The incident in Tanjung Priok, and its possible connection to incidents in other cities such as a bombing in ], led the government to widen its investigations.<ref name="NYT4" /><ref name="NC1" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Aanval op Priok met rode vlag ONDERLING VERBAND ? |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010476143:mpeg21:p001 |work=Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra |date=7 August 1951 |location=Medan |language=nl}}</ref> The 1948 ], a conflict between the government and the Communist Party was also still in recent memory and was invoked as a reason for the aggressive crackdown.<ref name="VP2">{{cite news |title=Herhaling van Madiun-opstand door arrestaties voorkomen? Regering spreekt van complot om ministers te ontvoeren Cordon om het parlement. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011208555:mpeg21:p001 |work=De vrije pers: ochtendbulletin |date=18 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> The pro-American, anti-PRC attitudes of the Soekiman cabinet and their desire to undermine their political opponents were also major factors.<ref name="Mozingo" />

==Arrests== ==Arrests==
The first round of arrest seems to have been of people involved in the Tanjung Priok shootout; the district was closed off to the public and roughly fifty were arrested in the days following the incident.<ref name="NC1" /><ref name="NYT5">{{cite news |title=500 SEIZED IN INDONESIA: Soldiers and Policemen Arrest Troublemakers in Sumatra. |work=New York Times |date=15 August 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=4 |language=en}}</ref> By 10 August, rumours were circulating of much wider arrests of communists, although it wasn't expected that the PKI would be banned.<ref>{{cite news |title=De Regering en de communisten „Merdeka": Vreemde invloed achter beweging tot stichten van wanorde Binnenkort arrestaties op grote schaal verwacht. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000095120:mpeg21:p001 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=10 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> The first round of arrest seems to have been of people involved in the Tanjung Priok shootout; the district was closed off to the public and roughly fifty were arrested in the days following the incident.<ref name="NC1" /><ref name="NYT5">{{cite news |title=500 SEIZED IN INDONESIA: Soldiers and Policemen Arrest Troublemakers in Sumatra. |work=New York Times |date=15 August 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=4 |language=en}}</ref> By 10 August, rumours were circulating of much wider arrests of communists, although it wasn't expected that the PKI would be banned.<ref>{{cite news |title=De Regering en de communisten „Merdeka": Vreemde invloed achter beweging tot stichten van wanorde Binnenkort arrestaties op grote schaal verwacht. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000095120:mpeg21:p001 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=10 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref>
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The most high-profile arrests began in Jakarta on 16 August, the day before Indonesian Independence Day.<ref name="VP1" /> Military police carried out ] of roughly 100 communists and leftists, including sixteen members of the ].<ref name="NYT1">{{cite news |title=INDONESIA ARRESTS 100 RED SUSPECTS: RED REPRESENTATIVES WHO WILL DISCUSS BUFFER ZONE. |work=New York Times |date=17 Aug 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=1 |language=en}}</ref> Premier ], who had authorized the arrests, gave a brief statement in the House on the 16th, promising more arrests but refusing to go into detail for operational reasons.<ref name="NYT1" /> Information Minister ] also kept the charges secret and alleged the a foreign power was preparing a coup in cooperation with local Communists.<ref name="NYT1" /> The most high-profile arrests began in Jakarta on 16 August, the day before Indonesian Independence Day.<ref name="VP1" /> Military police carried out ] of roughly 100 communists and leftists, including sixteen members of the ].<ref name="NYT1">{{cite news |title=INDONESIA ARRESTS 100 RED SUSPECTS: RED REPRESENTATIVES WHO WILL DISCUSS BUFFER ZONE. |work=New York Times |date=17 Aug 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=1 |language=en}}</ref> Premier ], who had authorized the arrests, gave a brief statement in the House on the 16th, promising more arrests but refusing to go into detail for operational reasons.<ref name="NYT1" /> Information Minister ] also kept the charges secret and alleged the a foreign power was preparing a coup in cooperation with local Communists.<ref name="NYT1" />
] ]
Among the arrested parliamentarians were Mudigdo, Tjudito, and ] of the PKI, Mustafa of the worker's bloc, Pandu, Syono and Maruto of the ], Sarwono S. Sutardjo of the {{lang|id|Partai Kedaulatan Rakjat}}, Sidik Kertopari of the ] (BTI), and independent member ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Arrestaties te Djakarta. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010476150:mpeg21:p001 |work=Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra |date=16 August 1951 |location=Medan |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="VP1">{{cite news |title=Regering grijpt in Belangrijke arrestaties in de hoofdstad. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011208554:mpeg21:p001 |work=De vrije pers: ochtendbulletin |date=16 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |page=1 |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="VP2" /> PKI leaders ] and ] initially managed to escape arrest, but further raids detained Aidit, ], ], ], and ].<ref name="VP2" /><ref name="NYT9">{{cite news |last1=Durdin |first1=Tillman |title=INDONESIAN LEADER SEES REDS SET BACK: Sukiman Says Arrests Have Crippled Leftists--Is Sure Japan Pact Will Be Backed Communism Not Popular |work=New York Times |date=18 August 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=5 |language=en}}</ref> ], an Indonesian-born Dutch communist who had represented the ] in the ] from 1933 to 1946, was also in Jakarta and was arrested.<ref name="NYT1" /> Senior officials from the Ministry of Labour were also detained: Hadiomo Kusumoutojo, Abdul Rachman and Suprapto.<ref name="VP1" /><ref name="VP2" /> Many of the Jakarta-area detainees were kept in the ].<ref name="NVS1" /> Among the arrested parliamentarians were Mudigdo, Tjudito, and ] of the PKI, Mustafa of the worker's bloc, Pandu, Syono and Maruto of the ], Sarwono S. Sutardjo of the {{lang|id|Partai Kedaulatan Rakjat}}, Sidik Kertopari of the ] (BTI), and independent member ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Arrestaties te Djakarta. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010476150:mpeg21:p001 |work=Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra |date=16 August 1951 |location=Medan |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="VP1">{{cite news |title=Regering grijpt in Belangrijke arrestaties in de hoofdstad. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011208554:mpeg21:p001 |work=De vrije pers: ochtendbulletin |date=16 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |page=1 |language=nl}}</ref><ref name="VP2" /> PKI leaders ] and ] initially managed to escape arrest, but further raids detained Aidit, ], ], ], and ].<ref name="VP2" /><ref name="NYT9">{{cite news |last1=Durdin |first1=Tillman |title=INDONESIAN LEADER SEES REDS SET BACK: Sukiman Says Arrests Have Crippled Leftists--Is Sure Japan Pact Will Be Backed Communism Not Popular |work=New York Times |date=18 August 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=5 |language=en}}</ref> Alimin escaped to the PRC and was given asylum.<ref name="Mozingo" /> ], an Indonesian-born Dutch communist who had represented the ] in the ] from 1933 to 1946, was also in Jakarta and was arrested.<ref name="NYT1" /> Senior officials from the Ministry of Labour were also detained: Hadiomo Kusumoutojo, Abdul Rachman and Suprapto.<ref name="VP1" /><ref name="VP2" /> Many of the Jakarta-area detainees were kept in the ].<ref name="NVS1" />


Journalists were also arrested. Five editors from '']'' were brought in: A. Karim, Tjia Tjo Soen, Lieng Jing Chen, Lee Swie Kee and Oen Tek Hian, as well as the director ].<ref name="VP2" /> The arrested parliamentarian Siauw Giok Tjhan was also editor of '']''; the editor Kasan of {{lang|id|Indonesia Raya}} and Lie Kit of the Chinese magazine ''Cheng Lim'' were also rounded up.<ref name="VP2" /> Also arrested was the freelance journalist and former chairman of the '']'' ], as was the chairman of the Journalist's union ({{langx|id|Serikat Buruh Pertjetakan Indonesia}}) Suhardjo.<ref name="VP2" /><ref name="VP1" /> Military police also raided the offices of the ] (SOBSI, a communist-affiliated union) and of the PKI, a well as the private homes of some PKI members.<ref name="NYT1" /><ref name="VP1" /> Journalists were also arrested. Five editors from '']'' were brought in: A. Karim, Tjia Tjo Soen, Lieng Jing Chen, Lee Swie Kee and Oen Tek Hian, as well as the director ].<ref name="VP2" /> The arrested parliamentarian Siauw Giok Tjhan was also editor of '']''; the editor Kasan of {{lang|id|Indonesia Raya}} and Lie Kit of the Chinese magazine ''Cheng Lim'' were also rounded up.<ref name="VP2" /> Also arrested was the freelance journalist and former chairman of the '']'' ], as was the chairman of the Journalist's union ({{langx|id|Serikat Buruh Pertjetakan Indonesia}}) Suhardjo.<ref name="VP2" /><ref name="VP1" /> Military police also raided the offices of the ] (SOBSI, a communist-affiliated union) and of the PKI, a well as the private homes of some PKI members.<ref name="NYT1" /><ref name="VP1" />
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The most high-profile raids in Java and Sumatra took place in August, but they didn't end then. Mass arrests continued into the fall, and by early November the government estimated the total number of arrests as being around 15,000.<ref name="NYT7">{{cite news |title=INDONESIA RELEASES 35 HELD IN RED PLOT. |work=New York Times |date=5 November 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=2 |language=en}}</ref> The most high-profile raids in Java and Sumatra took place in August, but they didn't end then. Mass arrests continued into the fall, and by early November the government estimated the total number of arrests as being around 15,000.<ref name="NYT7">{{cite news |title=INDONESIA RELEASES 35 HELD IN RED PLOT. |work=New York Times |date=5 November 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=2 |language=en}}</ref>
==Reaction and release== ==Reaction and release==
Parliamentarians were very unhappy about the detention of their members and protested as early as 16 August, when Deputy Speaker ] sent a delegation to the Prime Minister to demand an explanation.<ref name="VP1" /> Even right-wing members who otherwise supported the crackdown objected to the House being cordoned off and members dragged out in the middle of a session.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Durdan |first1=Tillman |title=INDONESIA FACING COMPLEX PROBLEMS: INDONESIAN LEADERS. |date=14 October 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |language=en}}</ref> <ref name="NVS1">{{cite news |title=Sukiman motiveert arrestaties in besloten parlementszitting. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010476151:mpeg21:p002 |work=Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra |date=18 August 1951 |location=Medan |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> The indefinite detention of 16 or so members also meant that the House may not be able to achieve quorum (110 members) and carry on its business.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arrestaties brengen quorum in gevaar. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000095127:mpeg21:p001 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=20 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> The PKI and SOBSI also complained that their offices had been searched and called the mass arrest of their parliamentarians an open violation of democratic and human rights.<ref name="NVS1" /><ref name="VP1" /> Later in the month, the PKI accused the Soekiman coalition of falling prey to a "rising fascist ideology" akin to that Indonesians lived under during the Japanese occupation.<ref>{{cite news |title=P. K. I. CONTRA „FASCISME". |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011208562:mpeg21:p002 |work=De vrije pers: ochtendbulletin |date=27 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> Other parties supported the repression or were ambivalent. Masyumi, some of whose members had been arrested, still supported the campaign overall, whereas ] of the ] said communist or Darul Islam rebels were just symptoms of deeper economic causes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Masjumi betreurt arrestaties va Islamietisthe leiders. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010893827:mpeg21:p002 |work=Algemeen Indisch dagblad: de Preangerbode |date=27 August 1951 |location=Bandung |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Wat Sjahrir ervan zegt Rangorde uit het oog verloren. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010893829:mpeg21:p001 |work=Algemeen Indisch dagblad : de Preangerbode |date=29 August 1951 |location=Bandung |language=nl}}</ref> The ] ] met with his Indonesian counterpart ] in September and said he was pleasantly surprised by the anti-communist attitude of the Indonesian government.<ref>{{cite news |title=Minister Soebardjo naar Australië Casey aangenaam getroffen door anti-communistische houding. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000097229:mpeg21:p001 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=15 September 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> Parliamentarians were very unhappy about the detention of their members and protested as early as 16 August, when Deputy Speaker ] sent a delegation to the Prime Minister to demand an explanation.<ref name="VP1" /> Even right-wing members who otherwise supported the crackdown objected to the House being cordoned off and members dragged out in the middle of a session.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Durdan |first1=Tillman |title=INDONESIA FACING COMPLEX PROBLEMS: INDONESIAN LEADERS. |date=14 October 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |language=en}}</ref> <ref name="NVS1">{{cite news |title=Sukiman motiveert arrestaties in besloten parlementszitting. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010476151:mpeg21:p002 |work=Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra |date=18 August 1951 |location=Medan |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> The indefinite detention of 16 or so members also meant that the House may not be able to achieve quorum (110 members) and carry on its business.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arrestaties brengen quorum in gevaar. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000095127:mpeg21:p001 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=20 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> The PKI and SOBSI also complained that their offices had been searched and called the mass arrest of their parliamentarians an open violation of democratic and human rights.<ref name="NVS1" /><ref name="VP1" /> Later in the month, the PKI accused the Soekiman coalition of falling prey to a "rising fascist ideology" akin to that Indonesians lived under during the Japanese occupation.<ref>{{cite news |title=P. K. I. CONTRA „FASCISME". |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011208562:mpeg21:p002 |work=De vrije pers: ochtendbulletin |date=27 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> Other parties supported the repression or were ambivalent. Masyumi, some of whose members had been arrested, still supported the campaign overall, whereas ] of the ] said communist or Darul Islam rebels were just symptoms of deeper economic causes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Masjumi betreurt arrestaties va Islamietisthe leiders. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010893827:mpeg21:p002 |work=Algemeen Indisch dagblad: de Preangerbode |date=27 August 1951 |location=Bandung |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Wat Sjahrir ervan zegt Rangorde uit het oog verloren. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010893829:mpeg21:p001 |work=Algemeen Indisch dagblad : de Preangerbode |date=29 August 1951 |location=Bandung |language=nl}}</ref> The ] ] met with his Indonesian counterpart ] in September and said he was pleasantly surprised by the anti-communist attitude of the Indonesian government.<ref>{{cite news |title=Minister Soebardjo naar Australië Casey aangenaam getroffen door anti-communistische houding. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000097229:mpeg21:p001 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=15 September 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> The United States ambassador to Indonesia, ], also reacted positively to the arrests.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Anak Agung Gde Agung |first1=Ide |title=Twenty years Indonesian foreign policy 1945–1965 |date=2018 |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |location=Berlin |isbn=9783111558226 |page=183}}</ref> On the other hand, the PRC reacted badly to the accusations against them and China-Indonesian relations deteriorated significantly.<ref name="Mozingo" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ang |first1=Cheng Guan |title=Southeast Asia’s Cold War: an interpretive history |date=2018 |publisher=University of Hawai‘i Press |location=Honolulu |isbn=9780824873462 |page=63}}</ref>


The arrests were widely covered in the local and international press, not only via wire services and in the New York Times, but in the communist press, including the ] and ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Amerikaanse pers over de razzia's in Indonesië. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000095195:mpeg21:p002 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=24 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> The reaction generally fell along ideological lines, with leftist papers being outraged and right-wing papers supporting the measures.<ref name="NC2" /><ref name="VP8" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Kabinet-Sukiman heeft aan prestige gewonnen BRITSE VISIE OP ARRESTATIES. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010476039:mpeg21:p001 |work=Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra |date=17 September 1951 |location=Medan |language=nl}}</ref> The arrests were widely covered in the local and international press, not only via wire services and in the New York Times, but in the communist press, including the ] and ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Amerikaanse pers over de razzia's in Indonesië. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMNIOD04:000095195:mpeg21:p002 |work=Nieuwe courant |date=24 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |language=nl}}</ref> The reaction generally fell along ideological lines, with leftist papers being outraged and right-wing papers supporting the measures.<ref name="NC2" /><ref name="VP8" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Kabinet-Sukiman heeft aan prestige gewonnen BRITSE VISIE OP ARRESTATIES. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010476039:mpeg21:p001 |work=Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra |date=17 September 1951 |location=Medan |language=nl}}</ref>


The mass arrests in August surprised the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations and seemingly neutered their ability to react.<ref name="NYT6" /><ref name="NYT4">{{cite news |title=REDS IN INDONESIA QUIET ON ARRESTS: Expected Reactions to Roundup Fail to Develop Left, Groups Shift to Right Hundreds Released Fail to Understand Tactics. |work=New York Times |date=15 Oct 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=3 |language=en}}</ref> The repression also led to some trade unions to distance themselves from the Communist Party, although the majority remained affiliated.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Durban |first1=Tillman |title=INDONESIAN LABOR LOOSENS RED GRIP: Communists Still Dominating Unions but New Defections Reduce Party's Margin Non-Reds Control Others Causing Stoppages |work=New York Times |date=20 October 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=2 |language=en}}</ref> By late August, many of the affiliated unions were holding protests against the continuing detention of PKI and union leaders.<ref>{{cite news |title=Protesten tegen arrestaties. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011208562:mpeg21:p002 |work=De vrije pers: ochtendbulletin. |date=27 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> The mass arrests in August surprised the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations and seemingly neutered their ability to react.<ref name="NYT6" /><ref name="NYT4">{{cite news |title=REDS IN INDONESIA QUIET ON ARRESTS: Expected Reactions to Roundup Fail to Develop Left, Groups Shift to Right Hundreds Released Fail to Understand Tactics. |work=New York Times |date=15 Oct 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=3 |language=en}}</ref> The repression also led to some trade unions to distance themselves from the Communist Party, although the majority remained affiliated.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Durban |first1=Tillman |title=INDONESIAN LABOR LOOSENS RED GRIP: Communists Still Dominating Unions but New Defections Reduce Party's Margin Non-Reds Control Others Causing Stoppages |work=New York Times |date=20 October 1951 |location=New York, N.Y. |page=2 |language=en}}</ref> By late August, many of the affiliated unions were holding protests against the continuing detention of PKI and union leaders.<ref>{{cite news |title=Protesten tegen arrestaties. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011208562:mpeg21:p002 |work=De vrije pers: ochtendbulletin. |date=27 August 1951 |location=Surabaya |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> The PKI also moderated its agrarian policy and stopped supporting armed activity within Indonesia as a result of the arrests.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Feith |first1=Herbert |title=The Wilopo Cabinet, 1952-1953 A Turning Point in Post-Revolutionary Indonesia |date=2009 |publisher=Equinox |isbn=9786028397155 |page=103}}</ref>


Some of the detainees were released within days due to a lack of evidence against them, but others were held without charge for several months.<ref name="NYT4" /> By late September, parliamentarians were tiring of the indefinite internment of so many citizens and an official question was put to the government about it.<ref name="JB1">{{cite news |title=VRAGEN OVER ARRESTATIES: Interpellatie-voorstel bij parlement ingediend. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010864096:mpeg21:p001 |work=Java-bode: nieuws, handels- en advertentieblad voor Nederlandsch-Indie |date=22-09-1951 |location=Jakarta |language=nl}}</ref> They noted, for example, people who had been foot soldiers in the ] in 1949 who had been held without charge for a year and a half and received an apology upon their release.<ref name="JB1" /> ], the spokesman for the motion, noted that hundreds of people had been held in Jakarta arrests since August and none had been convicted yet, due to the weak legal basis for their arrest.<ref>{{cite news |title=„Onrust onder de hevolhtng“ Interpellatie-voorstel in Parlement aanvaard „Honderden beroofd van hun vrijhei zonder krachtige rechtsgronden“. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010893853:mpeg21:p002 |work=Algemeen Indisch dagblad : de Preangerbode |date=27 September 1951 |location=Bandung |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> Soekiman formally answered in mid-October, replying that the government had to take those preventive measures to stop a fifth column from infiltrating and destabilizing the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=De interpellatie over de arrestaties Premier Sukiman: Wij moeten paraaf zijn voor vijfde colonne. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010475458:mpeg21:p002 |work=De nieuwsgier |date=17 October 1951 |location=Jakarta |language=nl}}</ref> Tan Po Goan found the answer incomplete and asked for a more detailed response from the government about which cases it felt entitled to act outside the law.<ref name="JB2">{{cite news |title=INTERPELLATIE OVER ARRESTATIES: Regeringsantwoord niet bevredigend geacht. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010864117:mpeg21:p002 |work=Java-bode : nieuws, handels- en advertentieblad voor Nederlandsch-Indie |date=20 October 1951 |location=Jakarta |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> He called their detention policies "Made in Holland".<ref name="JB2" /> Some of the detainees were released within days due to a lack of evidence against them, but others were held without charge for several months.<ref name="NYT4" /> By late September, parliamentarians were tiring of the indefinite internment of so many citizens and an official question was put to the government about it.<ref name="JB1">{{cite news |title=VRAGEN OVER ARRESTATIES: Interpellatie-voorstel bij parlement ingediend. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010864096:mpeg21:p001 |work=Java-bode: nieuws, handels- en advertentieblad voor Nederlandsch-Indie |date=22-09-1951 |location=Jakarta |language=nl}}</ref> They noted, for example, people who had been foot soldiers in the ] in 1949 who had been held without charge for a year and a half and received an apology upon their release.<ref name="JB1" /> ], the spokesman for the motion, noted that hundreds of people had been held in Jakarta arrests since August and none had been convicted yet, due to the weak legal basis for their arrest.<ref>{{cite news |title=„Onrust onder de hevolhtng“ Interpellatie-voorstel in Parlement aanvaard „Honderden beroofd van hun vrijhei zonder krachtige rechtsgronden“. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010893853:mpeg21:p002 |work=Algemeen Indisch dagblad : de Preangerbode |date=27 September 1951 |location=Bandung |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> Soekiman formally answered in mid-October, replying that the government had to take those preventive measures to stop a fifth column from infiltrating and destabilizing the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=De interpellatie over de arrestaties Premier Sukiman: Wij moeten paraaf zijn voor vijfde colonne. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010475458:mpeg21:p002 |work=De nieuwsgier |date=17 October 1951 |location=Jakarta |language=nl}}</ref> Tan Po Goan found the answer incomplete and asked for a more detailed response from the government about which cases it felt entitled to act outside the law.<ref name="JB2">{{cite news |title=INTERPELLATIE OVER ARRESTATIES: Regeringsantwoord niet bevredigend geacht. |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010864117:mpeg21:p002 |work=Java-bode : nieuws, handels- en advertentieblad voor Nederlandsch-Indie |date=20 October 1951 |location=Jakarta |page=2 |language=nl}}</ref> He called their detention policies "Made in Holland".<ref name="JB2" />

Revision as of 02:06, 1 December 2024

1951 mass arrests in Indonesia
grainy newsprint photo of an Indonesian man standing and smiling in a crowd while a military police officer beside him is also smiling. a group of men standing in the background look unhappyParliamentarian Sarwono being arrested in Indonesian parliament, 16 August 1951
DateAugust 6 – September 28, 1951 (1951-08-06 – 1951-09-28)
Locationthroughout Java and Sumatra
Also known asAugust Raid
TypeMass arrest, Preventive detention
Motivepolitical repression
TargetCommunist Party of Indonesia leaders and members, trade unionists, leftists, other politicians
PerpetratorGovernment of Indonesia, Soekiman Cabinet, Indonesian National Armed Forces
Arrestsapproximately 15,000

Mass arrests, primarily of communists and leftists, were carried out in Java and Sumatra in August and September 1951. Sometimes called the August Raid, this was a move by the Indonesian government, led by the Soekiman Cabinet, to prevent a rumoured coup by the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) and its allies. The total number of detainees started with several hundred in early August and ended up as roughly 15,000 across Indonesia by October. Most were released without charge within months.

Background

The coalition in power at the time of the mass arrests was the short-lived Soekiman Cabinet, which was mainly supported mainly by the Indonesian National Party and the Masyumi Party. It was faced by strikes and instability in the summer of 1951, as well as tensions over the negotiations of the Treaty of San Francisco which would mean peace between Indonesia and Japan.

Although the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) was legal in Indonesia, it was not on good terms with the government. Strikes in the summer led to tensions between the PKI and affiliated unions, and the government. In one incident at the port of Tanjung Priok in Jakarta on 5 August, 150 armed men with communist insignias raided a police station and exchanged gunfire with Indonesian security services. Six people died, including three police officers, and a number of others were wounded. There were also rumours of secret planning for a coup between members of the Communist Party and representatives from the People's Republic of China. The incident in Tanjung Priok, and its possible connection to incidents in other cities such as a bombing in Bogor, led the government to widen its investigations. The 1948 Madiun Affair, a conflict between the government and the Communist Party was also still in recent memory and was invoked as a reason for the aggressive crackdown. The pro-American, anti-PRC attitudes of the Soekiman cabinet and their desire to undermine their political opponents were also major factors.

Arrests

The first round of arrest seems to have been of people involved in the Tanjung Priok shootout; the district was closed off to the public and roughly fifty were arrested in the days following the incident. By 10 August, rumours were circulating of much wider arrests of communists, although it wasn't expected that the PKI would be banned.

Sumatra

On 11 August, the government enacted a curfew in Medan, North Sumatra under the pretext of military exercises, and started arresting hundreds of Communists and "troublemakers" in and around the city. The final tally was roughly 500 detainees, including leading Sumatran communists Abdoe'lxarim MS and Jusuf Ajitorop. S.M. Tari, editor of the paper Rakjat was also arrested. The detainees were all kept in a camp near Medan. The majority of names of detainees were kept secret, however, and targeted arrests continued to take place in the Medan area and throughout Sumatra throughout August; the practice of closing towns while mass arrests took place was repeated elsewhere.

Jakarta

The most high-profile arrests began in Jakarta on 16 August, the day before Indonesian Independence Day. Military police carried out preventive detention of roughly 100 communists and leftists, including sixteen members of the Provisional House of Representatives. Premier Soekiman Wirjosandjojo, who had authorized the arrests, gave a brief statement in the House on the 16th, promising more arrests but refusing to go into detail for operational reasons. Information Minister Arnold Mononutu also kept the charges secret and alleged the a foreign power was preparing a coup in cooperation with local Communists.

A photo of Indonesian parliamentarian Sarwono S. Sutardjo being arrested in parliament 16 August 1951

Among the arrested parliamentarians were Mudigdo, Tjudito, and Djokosoedjono of the PKI, Mustafa of the worker's bloc, Pandu, Syono and Maruto of the Murba Party, Sarwono S. Sutardjo of the Partai Kedaulatan Rakjat, Sidik Kertopari of the Peasants Front of Indonesia (BTI), and independent member Siauw Giok Tjhan. PKI leaders Alimin and D. N. Aidit initially managed to escape arrest, but further raids detained Aidit, Peris Pardede, Tan Ling Djie, Karsono Werdojo, and Sakirman. Alimin escaped to the PRC and was given asylum. Rustam Effendi, an Indonesian-born Dutch communist who had represented the Communist Party of the Netherlands in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands from 1933 to 1946, was also in Jakarta and was arrested. Senior officials from the Ministry of Labour were also detained: Hadiomo Kusumoutojo, Abdul Rachman and Suprapto. Many of the Jakarta-area detainees were kept in the Cipinang Penitentiary Institution.

Journalists were also arrested. Five editors from Sin Po were brought in: A. Karim, Tjia Tjo Soen, Lieng Jing Chen, Lee Swie Kee and Oen Tek Hian, as well as the director Ang Jan Goan. The arrested parliamentarian Siauw Giok Tjhan was also editor of Harian Rakjat; the editor Kasan of Indonesia Raya and Lie Kit of the Chinese magazine Cheng Lim were also rounded up. Also arrested was the freelance journalist and former chairman of the Persatuan Tionghoa Indonesia Liem Koen Hian, as was the chairman of the Journalist's union (Indonesian: Serikat Buruh Pertjetakan Indonesia) Suhardjo. Military police also raided the offices of the Central All-Indonesian Workers Organization (SOBSI, a communist-affiliated union) and of the PKI, a well as the private homes of some PKI members.

East Java

Another several hundred were arrested in East Java on 18 and 19 August; initial accounts counted 35 in Surabaya, 40 in Bojonegoro, 50 in Madiun, 20 in Kediri and 15 in Malang. News reports debated whether Dutch and Chinese citizens had also been arrested, as well as a smaller number of non-leftist Indonesians. Many journalists were rounded up in the East Java raids, including Go Tjing Hok, editor of the Java Post, Goe Po An, editor of Trompet Masjarakat, and others. Among the political figures who were rounded up in Surabaya were Oloan Hutapea, chairman of the regional PKI and editor of Bintang Merah, Roeslan Kamaloedin, general secretary of the Surabaya PKI, and many other local members; Soebardi, Soetomi, and a number of SOBSI leaders; and Soepardi and Cholil of the Rukun Kampung Kota Surabaya (RKKS, Surabaya City district association, a communist-affiliated neighborhood association). Heads of local Chinese organizations were also arrested, including Djie Tjhiang Than of the Red China-Indonesia Friendship Association and a number of headmasters of Chinese schools. In subsequent days other communist and left-wing leaders of youth (pemuda) organizations were located and arrested in Surabaya.

West Java

100 or so people were arrested in Cirebon, West Java on 17 August, though none of the figures were high-profile political ones. The military police portrayed the detainees as a mix of criminal gangs, Darul Islam rebellion supporters, members of the paramilitary Barisan Sakit Hati and communists. Another 50 were arrested in Bandung, West Java.

Another 100 were arrested in West Java on 28 August, bringing the total to around 2000. This time non-leftists were also arrested, including Muhammad Isa Anshary and members of the Masyumi Party. Three Dutch citizens were also a arrested: Koops, F. Alewijn and W.F. van de Woestijne, leading to a diplomatic inquiry from the Netherlands.

Central Java

Raids in Central Java province started on 19 August. The PKI office in Bojong in Semarang was raided and the police spent a full day going through its archive; most of the local trade unions were raided the next day. The raids, prominent union leaders were arrested, including not only SOBSI, but the Oil workers and Cigarette factory worker unions, local PKI leaders, left-wing city councilors, and leaders of the Murba Party, Partai Rakjat Indonesia and others were detained. Chinese organizations and schools were also raided, but arrests were not made, but ten members of the Lembaga Indonesia Tionghoa, a Chinese-Indonesian friendship association, were arrested. On 20 August raids were conducted in nearby Salatiga as well, where 9 SOBSI, BTI and Chinese organization leaders were arrested. In Surakarta 22 were arrested on 22 August, including more PKI members, leaders of the Sugar Worker Unions and youth organizations.

The most high-profile raids in Java and Sumatra took place in August, but they didn't end then. Mass arrests continued into the fall, and by early November the government estimated the total number of arrests as being around 15,000.

Reaction and release

Parliamentarians were very unhappy about the detention of their members and protested as early as 16 August, when Deputy Speaker Albert Mangaratua Tambunan sent a delegation to the Prime Minister to demand an explanation. Even right-wing members who otherwise supported the crackdown objected to the House being cordoned off and members dragged out in the middle of a session. The indefinite detention of 16 or so members also meant that the House may not be able to achieve quorum (110 members) and carry on its business. The PKI and SOBSI also complained that their offices had been searched and called the mass arrest of their parliamentarians an open violation of democratic and human rights. Later in the month, the PKI accused the Soekiman coalition of falling prey to a "rising fascist ideology" akin to that Indonesians lived under during the Japanese occupation. Other parties supported the repression or were ambivalent. Masyumi, some of whose members had been arrested, still supported the campaign overall, whereas Sutan Sjahrir of the Socialist Party of Indonesia said communist or Darul Islam rebels were just symptoms of deeper economic causes. The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Casey met with his Indonesian counterpart Achmad Soebardjo in September and said he was pleasantly surprised by the anti-communist attitude of the Indonesian government. The United States ambassador to Indonesia, H. Merle Cochran, also reacted positively to the arrests. On the other hand, the PRC reacted badly to the accusations against them and China-Indonesian relations deteriorated significantly.

The arrests were widely covered in the local and international press, not only via wire services and in the New York Times, but in the communist press, including the Daily Worker and De Waarheid. The reaction generally fell along ideological lines, with leftist papers being outraged and right-wing papers supporting the measures.

The mass arrests in August surprised the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations and seemingly neutered their ability to react. The repression also led to some trade unions to distance themselves from the Communist Party, although the majority remained affiliated. By late August, many of the affiliated unions were holding protests against the continuing detention of PKI and union leaders. The PKI also moderated its agrarian policy and stopped supporting armed activity within Indonesia as a result of the arrests.

Some of the detainees were released within days due to a lack of evidence against them, but others were held without charge for several months. By late September, parliamentarians were tiring of the indefinite internment of so many citizens and an official question was put to the government about it. They noted, for example, people who had been foot soldiers in the APRA rebellion in 1949 who had been held without charge for a year and a half and received an apology upon their release. Tan Po Goan, the spokesman for the motion, noted that hundreds of people had been held in Jakarta arrests since August and none had been convicted yet, due to the weak legal basis for their arrest. Soekiman formally answered in mid-October, replying that the government had to take those preventive measures to stop a fifth column from infiltrating and destabilizing the country. Tan Po Goan found the answer incomplete and asked for a more detailed response from the government about which cases it felt entitled to act outside the law. He called their detention policies "Made in Holland".

Soekiman replied once again that the government had to continue to act to stop destructive elements which were present in society. He said that circumstances were not normal, so governments could not rely completely on the law, but should instead use it as a guide. He claimed that anyone who was innocent would be released immediately and that the Attorney General had access to proof that had not yet been made public. He also noted that the detainees had been prevented from being committing any crimes during those months and asked the critical parliamentarians if they should just sit and wait for a coup d'état to take place.

Facing further criticism, at the end of October Soekiman and his government began to claim that they had uncovered a plot to assassinate President Sukarno, Vice President Mohammed Hatta and several ministers, and that detainees had confessed to planning a coup against the Indonesian Republic. He denied that the government had committed any legal excesses, and offered to send the Attorney General to personally visit every single arrest site and punish any local officials who had gone beyond their mandate. He said that he regretted having had to arrest sitting parliamentarians within the House back in August, but that Indonesian government apparatuses were still emerging from a revolutionary period and had not yet reached a state of perfection. Following the speech, Tan Po Goan expressed skepticism and some of the left-wing parties tried to pass a censure motion against Soekiman, but were voted down.

References

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  44. "Protesten tegen arrestaties". De vrije pers: ochtendbulletin. (in Dutch). Surabaya. 27 August 1951. p. 2.
  45. Feith, Herbert (2009). The Wilopo Cabinet, 1952-1953 A Turning Point in Post-Revolutionary Indonesia. Equinox. p. 103. ISBN 9786028397155.
  46. ^ "VRAGEN OVER ARRESTATIES: Interpellatie-voorstel bij parlement ingediend". Java-bode: nieuws, handels- en advertentieblad voor Nederlandsch-Indie (in Dutch). Jakarta. 22-09-1951. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  47. "„Onrust onder de hevolhtng" Interpellatie-voorstel in Parlement aanvaard „Honderden beroofd van hun vrijhei zonder krachtige rechtsgronden"". Algemeen Indisch dagblad : de Preangerbode (in Dutch). Bandung. 27 September 1951. p. 2.
  48. "De interpellatie over de arrestaties Premier Sukiman: Wij moeten paraaf zijn voor vijfde colonne". De nieuwsgier (in Dutch). Jakarta. 17 October 1951.
  49. ^ "INTERPELLATIE OVER ARRESTATIES: Regeringsantwoord niet bevredigend geacht". Java-bode : nieuws, handels- en advertentieblad voor Nederlandsch-Indie (in Dutch). Jakarta. 20 October 1951. p. 2.
  50. ^ "Premier Soekiman verdedigt de stelling: Regering dient niet steeds te handelen onder sanctie van wetsartikelen". Nieuwe courant (in Dutch). Surabaya. 22 October 1951. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  51. "PREMIER SUKIMAN: „Aanslag beraamd op Pres. Soekarno"". Het nieuwsblad voor Sumatra (in Dutch). Medan. 30 October 1951. p. 1.
  52. ^ "Premier Soekiman onthult samenzwering Moordaanslag beraamd op President Soekarno en Vice-president Hatta Acties tegen diverse toonaangevende figuren". Nieuwe courant (in Dutch). Surabaya. 30 October 1951.
  53. "Mr. Tan Po Goan: Nog geen 5% van gearresteerden zullen voor gerecht kunnen worden gedaagd". Nieuwe courant (in Dutch). Surabaya. 2 November 1951.
  54. "Regeringsantwoord over arrestaties goedgekeurd". Java-bode : nieuws, handels- en advertentieblad voor Nederlandsch-Indie (in Dutch). Jakarta. 2 November 1951. p. 2.