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Resolving 1965 massacre is government's first priority: Luhut
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Coordinating Politics, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan speaks to journalists at his office on May 18. He said on Friday that resolving the 1965 tragedy is the government's first priority. (JP/Viriya Paramita Singgih)
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esolving the 1965 tragedy is the government's first priority as the long-neglected case has grabbed the negative attention of the international community.
"This is our first priority as the case has been an international issue. Moreover, in the Netherlands, there were Indonesians and foreigners who tried to arbitrate over Indonesia. So don't let the country be bullied once again by the international world about this," Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said in Jakarta on Friday.
In April, the government sponsored a two-day symposium in which the organizers invited various parties to speak out about their versions of the 1965 tragedy, which was marked by the purge of at least 500,000 members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and its sympathizers and supporters.
The organizers of the event had submitted recommendations to the government on how to resolve the problem.
However, several retired generals have shown dissatisfaction over the event, planning to hold their own symposium on June 1 and 2 as they feel the event failed to provide equal composition in terms of the committee members and the speakers.
"There is no one we didn't invite. If some people refused to attend it, it's their problem," Luhut said, referring to the symposium in April.
While the government expressed a commitment to solve the 1965 tragedy, Luhut, however, deplored the action of human rights activists, including Nursyahbani Katjasungkana and Todung Mulya Lubis, who initiated the International People's Tribunal on the 1965 tragedy, held from Nov. 10 to 13 last year in The Hague, the Netherlands, marking the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.
"Nursyahbani and Todung's nationality needs to be tested, having seen them going all the way to Netherlands to arbitrate over their own country," Luhut added. (vps/bbn)
