Photo by Moch Asim for Antara.
Indonesia has sadly been the site of many crimes and mass atrocities, but uncovering all the details is fraught with challenges. How many people were killed or injured? Who was at fault? Who was in charge?
And yet, as long as these events are shrouded in mystery, wrongdoing can go unpunished, victims stay unheard and we are unable to learn from our collective mistakes.
In this podcast, Jacqui Baker chats with writer and law student Aisyah Llewellyn. Aisyah is a former diplomat who started her own true crime newsletter and podcast called Hukum. She is currently completing her second bachelor’s degree in Indonesian law in North Sumatra.
In her career, Aisyah has closely reported on many crimes and two mass violations of human rights. Most recently, in Kanjuruhan, where 135 people were killed last October when police fired tear gas into an overcrowded football stadium.
But her most detailed long term investigation has focused on the mass atrocities committed in Aceh. These crimes were carried out by the Indonesian military, but aided and abetted by Exxon Mobil, who were operating the lucrative Arun gas field in Aceh. These events would trigger Aceh’s 30 year long secessionist movement.
In this podcast we talk about what justice looks like after the mass atrocities, like in Aceh and Malang. We also segway into Aisyah’s other fascination – Indonesian shamanic serial killers.
In 2023, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the University of New South Wales, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University and Tito Ambyo from RMIT.
Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen via your favourite podcasting app.
