Public Comment

October 1 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1965 genocide in Indonesia that left between 1 to 3 million people dead. Human rights groups are circulating petitions calling for the U.S. and other governments, most notably the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan to acknowledge their role in the genocide and to release CIA, military and other governmental records related to the mass killings. Sukarno, the first Indonesian president who led Indonesia out from Dutch colonialism, was ousted because of his ‘grievous crime’ of wishing to stay independent from Western and Soviet Union alliances. 

The United States provided the Indonesian army with financial, military and intelligence support at the time of the mass killings. US embassy officials compiled lists of thousands of names of public figures in Indonesia and handed these to the army saying, "Kill everybody on these lists and check off the names as you go, and give the lists back to us when you’re done." Buoyed by US support, the Indonesian government went on a killing spree and wiped out one third of the people of East Timor who were seeking independence. 

Joshua Oppenheimer produced two film documentaries highlighting the genocide, -“The Look of Silence" and a companion film titled "The Act of Killing" which have been nominated for an Academy Award. 

In light of these findings, it seems hypocritical for the US to constantly wag its finger at other nations for their human rights shortcomings when past US government have engaged in such horrific mass killings.