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Government ready to clear names of 39 political exiles
The government is moving ahead with a new program to clear the names of at least 39 political exiles who were stripped of their Indonesian citizenship while abroad during the events of 1965-1966, as part of the Jokowi administration’s reparation policy.
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An illustration of a dictionary entry for "exile" (Shutterstock/Casimiro PT)
T
he government is prepared to clear the names of at least 39 Indonesians who were rendered stateless while they were abroad during the 1965 Communist purge, if they are willing to return to Indonesia.
The Law and Human Rights Ministry is currently drafting the necessary policies.
Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD said the government intended to declare that the political exiles had never betrayed the country.
The initiative follows an earlier plan to restore the Indonesian citizenship of people who were forced to remain abroad in the aftermath of the abortive coup on Sept. 30, 1965.
The attempted coup was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and led to a purge of PKI members as well as anyone alleged of being affiliated with the now-defunct party, which lasted from October 1965 through March 1966.
It is unclear how many Indonesian political exiles live abroad today, as the government is yet to finish verifying its data. Many are believed to have been students on scholarships in communist countries at the time, such as the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, whose citizenship was revoked by the Soeharto regime for their supposed ties to the 1965 attempted coup.
Mahfud said that based on the preliminary findings of the law ministry, at least 39 political exiles who were stripped of their Indonesian citizenship after the 1965 incident were currently living in several European countries, including Croatia, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, as well as Russia.
