The Lifting Of G30S PKI Victims' Bodies At Lubang Buaya In Today's History, October 4, 1965

Major General Soeharto at the funeral of the G30S PKI victim at TMP Kalibata on October 5, 1965. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA – Today's history, 57 years ago, on October 4, 1965, Commander of Kostrad Major General Soeharto witnessed the removal of the body of the general victim of the 30 September 1965 Movement (G30S) rebellion. The death of the six generals and one officer proves the barbarity of the coup actors.

He also suspected that the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and some members of the Air Force (AU) were involved. Soeharto also asked AU officials to immediately move quickly to clean up all of its members involved in the coup.

The G30S incident brought a very deep wound to the Indonesian people. The act of kidnapping a series of Army Generals is considered outrageous. Six generals and one officer were kidnapped.

Among others, the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Ahmad Yani. The rest were general staff of the Army, starting with Major General S. Parman, Major General Mas Tirtodarmo Harjono, Major General R. Supriapto, Brigadier General Soetojo Siswomiardjo, Brigadier General D.I. Panjaitan, and aide A.H. Nasution, First Lieutenant Pierre Tandean.

The process of removing the bodies of six generals and one officer from the Lubang Buaya well on October 4, 1965. (Wikimedia Commons)

The kidnapping caused an uproar throughout Jakarta on October 1, 1965. The person in charge called on all Jakartans to stay at home. The issue of military control of the city popped up everywhere. Schools and offices were closed because of this.

Rebel troops then tried to take over Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI). This action angered Pangkostrad General Soeharto. The Smiling General immediately filled the army leadership void. The rebels were able to be repulsed and the atmosphere in Jakarta became calm.

“At the hospital, that night he heard on the radio that the army had managed to control the situation. The substitute commander reported that the kidnapping of six generals and the occupation of Medan Merdeka was the work of the counterrevolutionaries. "

"The field is free again, President Soekarno is safe, however, there is not a single news about the missing generals. When Dolly returned home the next morning, it appeared that the uprising in the capital had been quelled within 24 hours without bloodshed. Most of the rebel forces have surrendered and the airfields they control have been vacated," said the mother of Japto Soerjosoemarno (General Chair of Pemuda Pancasila), Dolly Zegerius as Hilde Janssen wrote in the book Tanah Air Baru, Indonesia (2016).

The fate of the kidnapped victims was finally revealed on October 4, 1965. Six generals and one first officer were found dead in the old well of Lubang Buaya. Efforts to remove the body were carried out afterward.

The Lubang Buaya Well, where the bodies of the Revolutionary Heroes victims of the G30S PKI rebellion were dumped. (Wikimedia Commons)

Soeharto was also present. He did not forget to deliver his speech. He suspected that the PKI and several members of the Indonesian Air Force were behind the G30S PKI. Soeharto also wanted all those involved to be cleaned up immediately because they had disrupted national stability.

“The next day, Monday, October 4, 1965, the exhumation of the bodies was carried out intensively. Banana stems, cassava leaves, and soil, which alternately cover the hole, are removed. Thanks to the assistance of the Diving Company (KIPAM) with its special equipment, the bodies were removed.”

“The removal of the body was witnessed directly by the Kostrad Commander Major General Soeharto who was accompanied by the Director of Army Equipment, Director of the Army Military Police, Director of Engineers, Head of Information and Communications of the Army, and a number of journalists. It means that the public knows openly. Later, Soeharto's actions with his entourage were accused of being an attempt to manipulate him so that he could take advantage of the opinions that were formed," it is written in the book Malam Bencana 1965 Dalam Belitan Krisis Nasional Volume 1 (2012).