More than 50 years on from the 1965-66 mass killings and 20 years after the fall of the New Order authoritarian government, how is Indonesia facing up to this violent past? How does this past impact on the present? What is being done to resist enduring impunity in democratic Indonesia?
In the absence of state-led initiatives seeking the truth about this history and to bring an end to ongoing impunity, civil society groups and survivor organisations are engaging in their own projects towards reconciliation and healing. Working across time and space, survivors of mass violence from across Indonesia, Timor Leste and elsewhere in Asia are embracing methods aimed at building solidarity and rebuilding lives.
Dr Jemma Purdey explores these issues with Galuh Wandita, director and co-founder of Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR), a Jakarta-based nongovernmental organisation working on human rights and accountability in the Asia-Pacific region. Galuh previously worked with the International Center for Transitional Justice, an international NGO based in New York, and was deputy director of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (CAVR).
In 2018, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Charlotte Setijadi from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and Dr Dirk Tomsa from La Trobe University.
Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via iTunes or listen via your favourite podcasting app.
Photo by Anne-Cécile Esteve for AJAR.
