In 1965 Indonesia experienced anti-communist purges which left thousands, or perhaps millions, of people dead. In North Sumatra, a former political prisoner reflects on what it was like to be labelled a communist and experience the “curse” of Suharto firsthand.
Tag: Structural Violence
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Sundays At Taipei Main Station
Every Sunday, Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan gather at Taipei’s central train station to meet with their peers. In addition to providing a place to bond, these public spaces also offer a chance to follow a range of educational programmes that could lead to financial security when they return home.
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The Steep Path: West Papua’s Political Prisoners
For Papuan political prisoners, being locked up is not the end. Committed as they are to the struggle for independence, many prisoners continue to fight for their cause upon release, even as they struggle to pick up the pieces of their disrupted lives.
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The Human Cost of Myanmar’s Jade Mines
Over 500 informal jade pickers have been killed in landslides in Myanmar in the past five years. Unsafe conditions in the jade mines continue to put people at risk, and families of those who have been killed say that independent inspections and better law enforcement are urgently needed.
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The Elephant in the Newsroom
Human rights groups and foreign journalists are often barred from entering West Papua, allowing the Indonesian authorities to control the narrative. Local journalists are fighting back by reporting on human rights abuses, often at risk to their own safety.
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Explainer: What’s Going On in West Papua?
Little is known about West Papua, a region usually closed off to human rights groups and foreign journalists. Yet the human rights situation in the region is dire, and deserving of more international attention.
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Almost Forgotten: Cambodia’s Anti-Colonial Nationalists
Today, Con Dao prison in southern Vietnam is a museum dedicated to the Vietnamese who fought for independence from the French. But Cambodian nationalists were also locked up in that brutal space, and their story has been largely overlooked over the years.
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“Circling” Around Human Rights
The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights is often criticised for being ineffectual and “toothless” when it comes to addressing the region’s human rights issues. Representatives say that, while there has been some progress, it ultimately comes down to the individuals within the body.
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“How Do You Interview God?”
A Chinese-Indonesian woman is just the latest casualty of Indonesia’s opaque blasphemy law. But despite allegations that the law targets religious minorities, there appears to be little political will to change it.
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Struggling with Stigma: Indonesia’s LGBTQ “Exorcisms”
Under intense pressure to conform, members of Indonesia’s LGBTQ community are turning to religious exorcisms in the hope of finding a “cure”.