UK and West Irian

Intervention and Exploitation: US and UK Government International Actions Since 1945

Indonesia

1944:

As the second world war becomes more desperate, Japan announces in September 1944 that not only Java but the entire archipelago will become independent. [1]

1945:

June – Sukarno gives a speech outlining the Pancasila; the five guiding principles of the Indonesian nation. The five principles are belief in God, humanitarianism, national unity, democracy, and social justice. [1]

August – Japan surrenders. The Indonesian leadership, pressured by radical youth groups (the pemuda), are obliged to move quickly. With the cooperation of individual Japanese navy and army officers, Sukarno and Hatta formally declare the nation’s independence on August 17 at the former’s residence in Jakarta. The following day a new constitution is promulgated. [1]

September – Van Mook, Dutch Lieutenant-Governor of the Indies, meets British Lord Mountbatten in Ceylon, and asks that Japanese troops still in Indonesia be ordered by the British to suppress the Republican government. Mountbatten agrees, but the Japanese delay. [2]

British Rear Admiral Patterson lands in Jakarta. He announces that the British mission is “to maintain law and order until the time that the lawful government of the Netherlands East Indies is once again functioning”. The Dutch ask Patterson to have the leaders of the Republic arrested, but the British high command tells Patterson not to interfere in politics. [2]

Most Indonesians, believe that the Allied goal was the restoration of Dutch rule. Thus, in the weeks between the August 17 declaration of independence and the first Allied landings, republican leaders hastily consolidate their political power. [1]

October – Major violence erupts in Surabaya in East Java, as occupying British troops clash with pemuda and other armed groups. [1]

British Major General Hawthorn flies to Surabaya from Jakarta. Sukarno, Hatta, Mallaby, and Hawthorn sign a cease-fire. Five hours later Mallaby is killed. British bombard Surabaya as punishment, thousands are left dead or homeless. British strafe civilian refugees on highway. [2]

PKI is organized again. [2]

November – Through the efforts of Syahrir, the new republic is given a parliamentary form of government. Syahrir, who had refused to cooperate with the wartime Japanese regime and had campaigned hard against retaining occupation-era institutions, such as Peta, is appointed the first prime minister and heads three short-lived cabinets until ousted by his deputy, Amir Syarifuddin, in June 1947. [1]

1946:

The Dutch, realizing their weak position during the year following the Japanese surrender, are initially disposed to negotiate with the republic for some form of commonwealth relationship between the archipelago and the Netherlands. The negotiations result in the British-brokered Linggajati Agreement, initialled on November 12. The agreement provids for Dutch recognition of republican rule on Java and Sumatra, and the Netherlands-Indonesian Union under the Dutch crown (consisting of the Netherlands, the republic, and the eastern archipelago). The archipelago is to have a loose federal arrangement, the Republic of the United States of Indonesia (RUSI), comprising the republic (on Java and Sumatra), southern Kalimantan, and the “Great East” consisting of Sulawesi, Maluku, the Lesser Sunda Islands, and West New Guinea. [1]

1947:

The KNIP do not ratify the agreement until March 1947, and neither the republic nor the Dutch are happy with it. The agreement is signed on May 25, 1947. [1]

July 21 – The Dutch, claiming violations of the Linggajati Agreement, launch what is euphemistically called a “police action” against the republic. Dutch troops drive the republicans out of Sumatra and East and West Java, confining them to the Yogyakarta region of Central Java. The international reaction to the police action, however, is negative. The United Nations (UN) Security Council established a Good Offices Committee to sponsor further negotiations. This action leads to the Renville Agreement (named for the United States Navy ship on which the negotiations were held), which is ratified by both sides on January 17, 1948. It recognizes temporary Dutch control of areas taken by the police action but provides for referendums in occupied areas on their political future. [1]

1948:

In western Java, an Islamic mystic named Kartosuwirjo, with the support of kyai and others, establishes a breakaway regime called the Indonesian Islamic State (Negara Islam Indonesia), better known as Darul Islam (from the Arabic, dar-al-Islam, house or country of Islam), a political movement committed to the establishment of a Muslim theocracy. Kartosuwirjo and his followers stir the cauldron of local unrest in West Java until he is captured and executed in 1962. [1]

September – Local clashes between republican armed forces and the PKI break out in Surakarta. [1]

December – The Dutch launch a second “police action” that captures Yogyakarta. Sukarno, Hatta, who is there serving both as vice president and prime minister, and other republican leaders are arrested and exiled to northern Sumatra or the island of Bangka. An emergency republican government is established in western Sumatra. But The Hague’s hard-fisted policies arouse a strong international reaction not only among newly independent Asian countries, such as India, but also among members of the UN Security Council, including the United States. [1]

1949:

January – the Security Council passes a resolution demanding the reinstatement of the republican government. The Dutch are also pressured to accept a full transfer of authority in the archipelago to Indonesians by July 1, 1950. [1]

February – Tan Malaka, the leader of Trotskyite forces, is captured and executed by republic troops. [1]

August-November – The Round Table Conference is held in The Hague, to determine the means by which the transfer could be accomplished. The result of the conference is an agreement that the Netherlands would recognize the RUSI as an independent state, that all Dutch military forces would be withdrawn, and that elections would be held for a Constituent Assembly. Two particularly difficult questions slow down the negotiations: the status of West New Guinea, which remained under Dutch control, and the size of debts owed by Indonesia to the Netherlands, an amount of 4.3 billion guilders being agreed upon. Sovereignty is formally transferred on December 27. [1]

1950:

January – an abortive coup d’état in West Java is led by Raymond Paul Pierre “The Turk” Westerling, a Dutch commando and counterinsurgency expert who, as a commander in the Royal Netherlands Indies Army (KNIL), had used terroristic, guerrilla-style pacification methods against local populations during the National Revolution. [1]

April – the Republic of South Maluku (RMS) is proclaimed at Ambon. With its large Christian population and long history of collaboration with Dutch rule (Ambonese soldiers had formed an indispensable part of the colonial military), the region is one of the few with substantial pro-Dutch sentiment.The Republic of South Maluku is suppressed by November 1950, and the following year some 12,000 Ambonese soldiers accompanied by their families go to the Netherlands, where they establish a Republic of South Maluku government-in-exile. [1]

By May, all the federal states have been absorbed into a unitary Republic of Indonesia, and Jakarta is designated the capital. [1]

September – Indonesia is admitted to the United Nations. [4]

1952:

In the early 1950s, the highest-ranking military officers, the so-called “technocratic” faction, plan to demobilize many of the military’s 200,000 men in order to promote better discipline and modernization. Most affected are less-educated veteran officers of Peta and other military units organized during the Japanese and revolutionary periods. The veterans seek, and gain, the support of parliamentary politicians. This support prompts senior military officers to organize demonstrations in Jakarta and to pressure Sukarno to dissolve parliament on October 17, 1952. Sukarno refuses. Instead, he begins encouraging war veterans to oppose their military superiors; and the army chief of staff, Sumatran Colonel Abdul Haris Nasution (born 1918), is obliged to resign in a Sukarno-induced shake-up of military commands. [3]

1953:

East Timor is made a province of Portugal. Borneo is renamed Kalimantan Province. [4]

1954:

Talks begin on dissolving the Netherlands-Indonesia constitutional union. [4]

Indonesia unsuccessfully tries to have the UN pass a resolution against Dutch possession of Irian Jaya. [4]

1955:

Independent Indonesia’s first general election takes place on September 29. It involves a universal adult franchise, and almost 38 million people participate. Sukarno’s PNI wins a slim plurality with the largest number of votes, 22.3 percent, and fifty-seven seats in the House of Representatives. Masyumi, which operated as a political party during the parliamentary era, wins 20.9 percent of the vote and fifty-seven seats; the Nahdatul Ulama, which had split off from Masyumi in 1952, wins 18.4 percent of the vote and forty-five seats. The PKI make an impressive showing, obtaining 16.4 percent of the vote and thirty-nine seats, a result that apparently reflects its appeal among the poorest people; the Indonesian Socialist Party (PSI) wins 2 percent of the vote and five seats. The following December, the long-awaited Constituent Assembly is elected to draft a constitution to replace the provisional constitution of 1950. The membership is largely the same as the DPR. [3]

In the eastern archipelago and Sumatra, military officers established their own satrapies, often reaping large profits from smuggling. Nasution, reappointed and working in cooperation with Sukarno, issues an order transferring these officers out of their localities. [3]

1956:

The assembly convenes in November, but becomes deadlocked over issues such as the Pancasila as the state ideology. [3]

The result of the orders to transfer corrupt military officers out of their localities, is an attempted coup d’état launched during October-November. The coup fails and the instigators go underground, and military officers in some parts of Sumatra seize control of civilian governments in defiance of Jakarta. [3]

1957:

Sukarno formally proposes “guided democracy” in a speech. “Guided Democracy” was Sukarno’s idea to unify the Cabinet by including members of all political parties, and to create a new National Council to counterbalance the unstable Assembly. From the beginning, Sukarno had been unhappy with the the chaos of party politics. Critics of Sukarno and his new concept saw it as a step towards a more Communist-friendly government. Guided Democracy in practice did not lead to more power for Communists, rather it led to more power for Sukarno himself. [2]

July – PKI makes gains in local elections; becomes the leading party in Central Java. [2]

December – Sukarno announces that the holdings of 246 Dutch businesses will be nationalized. [2]

1958:

February – Rebels set up rival PRRI government (Pemerintah Revolusioner Republik Indonesia) at Bukittingi. Prawiranegara is PRRI President. Natsir and Harahap of Masyumi support the PRRI, as does Djojohadikusumo of the PSI party. Permesta rebels in Sulawesi join forces with PRRI. The USA promises secret aid to the rebels. Sukarno demands a hard response. [2]

1959:

July – The assembly is dissolved. [3]

August – Sukarno calls his new system of government-by-decree “Manifesto Politik” or Manipol. The ideology is not well-defined, but newspapers that do not support it are closed down. [2]

Uprising in East Timor gains Indonesian backing, but is suppressed by Portugal. [2]

October – Nasution dismisses Suharto as commander of the Diponegoro division, after Suharto is found to be using his military office to demand money from Central Java businesses. Suharto is reassigned to the military staff college in Bandung. [2]

1960:

January – Soviets begin a large-scale program of military aid to Indonesia, including advanced bombers and submarines. [2]

July – PKI criticizes the cabinet. Army detains the entire PKI Politburo for questioning; Sukarno has them released. [2]

1961:

January – Soviet Union gives Indonesia US$400 million in arms credits following Nasution’s visit. Nasution visits Washington. The U.S. declines to give military aid. [2]

April – Sukarno visits United States and meets with President Kennedy. Sukarno tells Kennedy that if the United States supports him, he will oppose communism. [2]

Work begins on a proposed nuclear research facility at Bandung, with U.S. Support. [2]

September – Netherlands foreign minister Luns tells the U.N. General Assembly that the Netherlands would be willing to yield West Irian to U.N. Administration. [2]

October – Subandrio addresses the U.N. General Assembly, suggesting that Indonesia would be willing to use force to take West Irian if peaceful means are exhausted. [2]

1962:

January – Two Dutch warships engage four Indonesian torpedo boats off West Irian. One Indonesian boat is sunk; another damaged. [2]

February – U.S. Atty. Gen. Robert F Kennedy arrives in Jakarta to lead negotiations on West Irian. Robert Kennedy continues to the Netherlands; informs the Netherlands government that the U.S. will not support the Dutch should the conflict escalate. [2]

April – Indonesian military pressure on West Irian increases, including air and sea attacks. [2]

August – Dutch agree to transfer West Irian to United Nations in October. UN is to transfer West Irian to Indonesia by May 1963. Elections are to decide the ultimate fate of the territory. [2]

September – Subandrio visits Singapore; states that he cannot guarantee that Indonesia will not make claims on Malaysian territory. [2]

December – First meeting of Brunei’s Legislative Council after the elections is scheduled to meet: Azahari states that he will enter resolutions against Malaysia, for incorporating Sarawak and Sabah into Brunei, and for a complete break with Britain. The Sultan of Brunei postpones the meeting until December 19. Azahari leaves for Manila. [2]

Rebellion breaks out in Brunei and nearby areas of Sarawak and Sabah, with covert support from Indonesia. The rebels do not take over the radio station, and the police force remains loyal to the Sultan. British emergency troops from Singapore land in the evening. [2]

Sultan of Brunei asks rebels to put down their weapons; rebellion breaks up. About 80 are killed in all, mostly rebels. Legislative Council is replaced by an Emergency Council. Brunei does not join Malaysia. [2]

Philippine diplomats arrive in London for talks on the future of North Borneo/Sabah (to which the Philippines also had a claim) and the plans for Malaysia. The talks fail, and the Philippines declares its opposition to the Malaysia plan. [2]

1963:

February – Sukarno publicly states Indonesia’s opposition to the creation of Malaysia. [2]

May – Indonesia, Malaya, and the Philippines begins talks on future of disputed territories including Sabah, and a possible “Maphilindo” confederation. PKI strongly opposes the “Malaysia” concept, but is also opposed to “Maphilindo”. Talks continue through August. [2]

July – Malaya and Britain sign final agreements in London to have the nation of Malaysia founded on August 31. Sukarno is furious. [2]

August – U.N. mission arrives in Sarawak and Sabah to survey the wishes of the citizens regarding their future. [2]

September – Results of the U.N. survey are released: according to the survey, a majority of citizens of Sarawak and Sabah preferred to join Malaysia. [2]

Malaysia is founded. Mob attacks the British and Malayan embassies in Jakarta. Indonesia breaks off relations with Kuala Lumpur. Philippines downgrades its embassy in Kuala Lumpur to a consulate. [2]

Malaysia recalls its ambassadors from both Indonesia and the Philippines. Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur is attacked; Sukarno is burned in effigy. A PKI-sponsored demonstration burns down the British embassy in Jakarta and 48 British residences. [2]

British properties in Indonesia valued at US$400 million are nationalized. [2]

U.S. President Kennedy cuts off remaining military aid to Indonesia. [2]

December – U.S. President Johnson withdraws economic aid. Covert military aid to pro-U.S. figures in ABRI continues. [2]

1964:

January – A ceasefire between Malaysia and Indonesia, arranged after several diplomatic trips by Robert F. Kennedy of the United States, goes into effect. [2]

PKI confiscates British-owned properties. [2]

June – Indonesia agrees to withdraw forces from border areas with Malaysia in exchange for continued negotiations. [2]

Major clash between Indonesia-based guerillas and Malaysian forces in Sarawak. [2]

British forces defeat a group of Indonesian-based guerillas in Sarawak. [2]

September – Indonesian raids into Malaya are brought before the United Nations Security Council. [2]

U.N. Security Council votes 9-2 to condemn the Indonesian raids, but the Soviet Union vetoes the resolution. [2]

1965:

January – Indonesia walks out of the United Nations (effective March 1), in protest of Malaysia’s admission. [2]

British Gurkha troops execute secret counterstrike into Indonesian territory on Kalimantan. [2]

July – Sukarno declares that if British raids occur against Indonesian territory, “Singapore will be destroyed”. [2]

August – Violence between PNI and NU supporters on one side and PKI supporters on the other heats up in Central and East Java. [2]

Sukarno cuts off ties with IMF, World Bank, Interpol. [2]

Sukarno gives a speech in Merdeka Square promoting an anti-imperialist alliance with Beijing and other Asian Communist regimes, and warning the Army not to interfere. He also states that he will take the PKI’s idea of “arming the people” under consideration, and make the final decision on the matter. [2]

September – Army takes control of the distribution of rice in Jakarta. [2]

Sukarno gives a speech stating that Indonesia was entering the “second phase of the revolution”, which would be the “implementation of socialism”. [2]

September 30th – In the evening, Lt.-Col. Untung, head of the Cakrabirawa Regiment (Presidential Guards), other Diponegoro and Brawijaya Division soldiers, and PKI supporters gather at Halim Air Base, with Gen. Omar Dhani and Aidit present. The forces are under the tactical command of Brigadier-General Supardjo, who had recently been commanding guerilla forces in the Konfrontasi against Malaysia. They leave and attempt to take seven top army generals. Nasution escapes by leaping over the wall of his house, his young daughter is shot and Lt. Tendean, his aide, is taken away. Gen. Ahmad Yani is killed at his house, as are two others. Three other generals are taken alive with Lt. Tendean and the bodies of the dead to Halim, where the remaining live captives are murdered and thrown in the well called Lubang Buaya. [2]

Rebel soldiers take Merdeka Square in Jakarta by the Presidential Palace, the radio and TV stations. [2]

October 1st – Suharto arrives at Kostrad Headquarters overlooking Merdeka Square, takes emergency control of loyal troops after consulting with available generals. [2]

At 7:00 A.M., the radio announces that “Movement 30 September” (Gerakan 30 September, or G30S) is pro-Sukarno, anti-corruption, anti-United States and anti-CIA. [2]

Gen. Omar Dhani issues a statement supporting the rebels. [2]

Mutinies in five of seven Diponegoro Division battalions support the rebels, as do Naval officers in Surabaya. [2]

Sukarno goes to Halim, consults with Omar Dhani but not with Aidit. [2]

Suharto offers water to hot soldiers in Merdeka Square, they come to his side. He ignores messages from Sukarno. [2]

Suharto announces on radio that six generals are dead, he is in control of the army, and he will suppress the coup attempt and protect Sukarno. [2]

Senior leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama go into hiding. Ansor, the Islamic youth organization associated with Nahdlatul Ulama, releases a statement that it and NU have nothing to do with the coup attempt (despite claims by the rebels that four NU leaders are part of G30S). [2]

October 2nd – Military rebels in Central Java retreat to countryside. [2]

Suharto agrees to Sukarno order taking presidential control of army, but only if Suharto has emergency powers to restore order. [2]

Omar Dhani retracts his earlier statement supporting the coup. [2]

October 8th – Mass demonstration in Jakarta (possibly of more than 100,000) demands the dissolution of the PKI. PKI headquarters in Jakarta are burned. [2]

October 18th – Nearly a hundred Communists killed in battle with Ansor youths. Beginning of general massacre of PKI supporters in Central and East Java. [2]

Bloodbath in Indonesia begins as army moves against supporters of Indonesian Communist Party, reaching around a million deaths. Declassified documents show Britain aids the Indonesian army in conducting the slaughter through covert operations and secret messages of support. [4] [6]

November – Fighting between PNI and PKI supporters on Bali begins massacre of Communists on Bali. [2]

December – 10,000 PKI supporters have been arrested, many thousand more killed. Anti-Communist massacres are heavy on Bali. The ABRI commander for Aceh announces that Aceh is now free of Communists. [2]

By the end of 1965, a huge wave of popular violence against the PKI had started. In West and Central Java, the army began rounding up Communists, but in many villages, people took the law into their own hands. In some areas, such as East Java or Aceh, Islamic groups (such as the Nahdlatul Ulama youth group Ansor) fought to wipe out communists. However, there was a heavy anti-communist purge on Bali as well. Thousands were sent to prison, and over a year’s time, perhaps more than 250,000 were dead. ABRI did not commit all of the killings, but ABRI officers did arm and train the student groups that committed killings, and also did not act to stop the violence until the PKI had been wiped out. [2]

CIA and State department officials admit compiling lists of names of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), making those lists available to the Indonesian military, and checking names off as people were “eliminated.” The killings were part of a massive bloodletting after an abortive coup attempt taking, according to various estimates, between 250,000 and 1,000,000 lives and ultimately led to the overthrow of President Sukarno’s government. [5] [13]

1966:

Roundups continue of PKI supporters, degenerate into random, unplanned violence in many areas. [2]

Sukarno is forced to concede broad powers to Suharto. Suharto then bans the PKI. [2]

Indonesia begins rescheduling debt payments. IMF is brought back in. [2]

Plot to take Sukarno and restore him to power fails; Sukarno would not cooperate. [2]

1967:

British and USA properties are returned to owners. [2] [4]

Indonesia breaks diplomatic relations with China. [2]

Anti-Christian riots in Makassar; Suharto speaks out against religious violence. [2]

1968:

Foreign Minister Adam Malik says that Indonesia will make an independent foreign policy, but one friendly with the USA. [2]

Army-run oil companies, including Permina, are merged into Pertamina, headed by Ibnu Sutowo. Pertamina now has a monopoly on the oil industry in Indonesia, but work is contracted out to foreign firms as well. [2]

First World Bank loans to Indonesia. [2]

1969:

U.S. President Nixon visits Jakarta. [2]

Village councils in Irian Jaya, under pressure from Opsus special forces in the region, vote in favor of joining Indonesia. The number of votes cast was 1022. [2]

1970:

Suharto visits Washington. [2]

Student protests are banned after series of demonstrations against corruption. [2]

Sukarno dies at Bogor. [2]

Results of anti-corruption commission’s investigation– that corruption is widespread throughout government–are leaked to the press. [2]

Suharto announces that only two corruption cases will be brought to court. Anti-corruption commission is closed. [2]

1972:

Dry weather and government inaction lead to rice shortages on Java. International prices for rice increase as the Indonesian government is forced to start importing. Beginning of “rice crisis”. [2]

1973:

Student protests against foreign influences, poor economic conditions, and corruption in government spread. Gen. Sumitro speaks to student groups. [2]

1974:

Widespread arrests follow the “Malari” riots. Most public meetings are banned, many newspapers and magazines are shut down. [2]

1975:

Pertamina, the state oil company, defaults on a $40 million short-term loan from a consortium of U.S. Banks and a $60 million Canadian loan. [2]

Report to the Assembly states that Pertamina’s total debt is more than $10 billion, much of it in enterprises that have nothing to do with oil. [2]

August-September – UDT takes control in Timor by coup; Portuguese simply leave. Fretilin declares rebellion, drives UDT out of Dili into Indonesian territory, begins killing enemies. [2]

The Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Richard Woolcott, sends a cable to Canberra urging acquiescence with Indonesia’s plans to annex East Timor. “It would seem to me that this department [of Minerals and Energy] might well have an interest in closing the present gap in the agreed sea border and this could be much more readily negotiated with Indonesia than with Portugal; or independent Portuguese Timor,” he wrote. “I know I am recommending a pragmatic rather than a principled stand but that is what national interest and foreign policy is all about,” [7]

October – Indonesian commando units start limited operations in East Timor. [2]

November – Fretilin declares independence, demands withdrawal of Indonesian units. [2]

December – The day before Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor, Kissinger meets with Suharto and approves of the invasion (this fact was denied by the US government until documents confirming it were declassified in 2001). [8]

Philip Liechty, Senior CIA officer in Indonesia in 1975, told John Pilger: “What I saw was that my own government was very much involved in what was going on in East Timor… you can be 100 per cent certain that Suharto was explicitly given the green light to do what he did.” [9]

In secret cable, British ambassador in Jakarta says Indonesia ‘should absorb the territory as soon and as unobtrusively as possible’ and that Britain ‘should avoid taking sides against the Indonesian government’. [4]

Indonesia launches a full invasion of East Timor at Dili and Baucau, installs a new government at Dili with UDT and Apodeti members. [2]

United Nations General Assembly calls on Indonesia to withdraw from East Timor. [2]

1976:

Indonesia receives over $2 billion in financing and credits from governments in America, Europe and Japan to meet the Pertamina crisis. [2]

United Nations Security Council condemns Indonesia’s presence in East Timor. [2]

“People’s Assembly” in East Timor declares for integration with Indonesia. East Timor officially becomes a province. [2]

1977:

ABRI begins heavy operations against Fretilin on East Timor–operations continue for 18 months. [2]

1978:

David Owen, then Foreign Secretary of Wilson’s Labour government, agrees to sell the Hawk to Indonesia. From that point onwards, the British establishment played court to President Suharto by selling him more Hawks, missiles, helicopters, frigates, armoured vehicles, military communications and a fully equiped institution of technology for the Indonesian army. The pact was shamefully sealed by the superficial grandeur of royal handshakes during a visit by the Queen and Prince Charles soon after. [9]

1979:

Government allows some foreign aid workers to enter East Timor. [2]

1980:

A group of 26 politicians and military figures issues a petition for fair elections. [2]

1982:

Nearly one million turn out for PPP rally in Jakarta. Competing Golkar rally is attacked by PPP supporters, who are then fired on by security forces. Seven are killed. Tempo Magazine is closed for two months for reporting on the incident. [2]

1983:

March – Cease-fire agreement signed between Indonesian government and representatives of Fretilin (East Timor guerillas). [2]

August – ABRI resumes attacks on Fretilin in East Timor. [2]

1984:

Assembly passes law requiring all political parties to adopt Pancasila as doctrine. [2]

1985:

Hundreds of alleged PKI supporters are removed from government jobs. Many PKI prisoners from the 1965 events are executed. [2]

1986:

U.S. President Reagan visits Indonesia; two reporters in the entourage are denied entry. [2]

1989:

March – Clandestine operations against rebels in Irian Jaya begin; continue through August. [2]

1990:

Indonesian forces pursue Irian Jaya rebels into Papua New Guinea territory. [2]

November – 70 Indonesian soldiers are killed in a battle with Fretilin guerillas near Ainaro, East Timor. Army lands several thousand reinforcements later in the month. [2]

December – Japan pledges a US$1.2 billion aid package for Indonesia. [2]

1991:

Prime Minister John Major urges his European partners to cut aid to countries with bad human rights records. At the same time though, he agreed to the further sale of a billion dollars worth of Hawk aircraft to the Indonesian government, shaking hands with Indonesian Weapons Chief BJ Habibie at Downing Street. [9]

Santa Cruz cemetery massacre in which troops fire on mourners at a funeral in Dili of Fretilin supporter, killing more than 100 people. [10]

November – The British govt increased aid to Indonesia to 81 million – a rise of 250 per cent. Former Conservative MP Alan Clark, who played a major role in the deals, revealed that he sought no guarantees from the Indonesians as to how British weapons would be deployed. Asked whether he would have accepted a guarantee from the Indonesians that Hawks would not be used in East Timor, he retorted “A guarantee is worthless from any government as far as I’m concerned.” He also scoffed at the claim that all the Hawks sold to Indonesia were merely ‘training aircraft’. The fact of the matter is that all Hawks are ‘trainers’. “That’s just a label you put on it,” he said. “The Hawk has a dual use with a capital D”. [9]

1992:

November – Xanana Gusmao is captured in East Timor and sentenced to life in prison. Fretilin rebellion weakens. [2]

1993:

Leader of OPM (Irian Jaya rebels, Organisasi Papua Merdeka) Marthen Luther Prawar is killed in a clash with Indonesian forces. [2]

1995:

20th anniversary of the Indonesian invasion marked by protest by 112 East Timorese and sympathisers who enter Russian and Dutch embassies in Jakarta. [10]

1996:

April – British-supplied Scorpion light tanks used in Indonesia to repress demonstrators. It is the first of eight known occasions in 1996–2000 that British armoured cars are used for internal repression. Blair government continues arms to Indonesia. [4]

November – Acting Bishop of Dili, Carlos Belo, and resistance leader Jose Ramos Horta jointly awarded Nobel Peace Prize, raising international awareness of the East Timorese independence struggle. [10]

“Please, I beg you, do not sustain longer a conflict which without British arms sales to Indonesia could never have been sustained for so long.”
[Bishop Belo to Tony Blair] [9]

1997:

IMF approves loan package for Indonesia which requires Indonesia to reform its economy, end many state subsidies and reduce cronyism. Many Suharto family enterprises are affected by the requirements of the loan package, including Tommy Suharto’s monopoly on the clove trade, which is required to be cancelled. [2]

1998:

January – Suharto announces yearly budget with heavy subsidies for pet projects contrary to the conditions for receiving IMF aid. IMF director Camdessus goes to Jakarta to get Suharto to sign a fresh letter of intent to fulfill the IMF obligations. [2]

Riots begin to break out in East Java over rising food prices. [2]

There is no mention of any arms sales to Indonesia in the 1998 UK Foreign Office Annual Report. An Amnesty International study, however, uncovers that Labour have made 64 separate arms contracts with Indonesia since accession to power. [9]

May – Suharto announces his resignation at 9:00 AM. Vice-President B. J. Habibie is the new President of Indonesia. [2]

June – Attorney General Soedjono Atmonegoro presents a report to President Habibie on widespread corruption in the “Yayasan” or “Foundations” organized by President Suharto and his family. He is fired by President Habibie five hours later. [2]

July – Pro-independence Timorese threaten violence in East Timor; thousands flee. [2]

400 ABRI troops leave East Timor. [2]

August – President Habibie apologizes on behalf of the government for human rights abuses. [2]

December – Suharto goes to Attorney General’s office to face questions about corruption during his presidency. Students demonstrate nearby. [2]

1999:

January – Indonesia says it will consider independence for East Timor if people reject autonomy. [10]

February – Gen. Wiranto gives a blanket “shoot on sight” order to troops combating looting and rioting throughout Indonesia. [2]

February-April – Gusmao moved from Jakarta prison to house arrest. In response to increasing violence by anti-independence activists, Gusmao orders guerrillas to resume independence struggle. [10]

May – Indonesia, Portugal sign agreement to allow East Timorese to vote on their future. Deal endorsed by UN. [10]

September – UN officials announce that the referendum in East Timor has resulted in a 78% vote for independence, with over a 99% turnout. [2]

Violence erupts as anti-independence militia helped by the Indonesian military resume campaign of terror, leaving up to 1,000 dead. A quarter of the population flees, mainly to West Timor. Martial law imposed. Gusmao freed. [10]

Much of East Timor is destroyed and approximately 200,000 to 300,000 refugees are created. The UN evacuates, leaving the East Timorese to the mercy of the Indonesian forces. [8]

Britain continues arms sales to Jakarta and finally agrees only to delay not stop them, while inviting Indonesia to an arms fair in Britain. Blair government tries to take credit for stopping Indonesian violence by helping to establish UN peace enforcement mission. [4] [11]

Australian-led peacekeeping force arrives, gradually restores order. Many militia members flee to West Timor to avoid arrest. Indonesian parliament recognises outcome of referendum. [10]

October – Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) is elected President. [2]

Xanana Gusmao returns to East Timor on a U.S. helicopter assigned to Interfet. [2]

UN approves 9,000-man UNTAET peacekeeping force for East Timor. [2]

December – At least 70 are reported dead in recent rioting in Ambon. Government reports that over 750 people died in violence in and near Ambon during 1999. Rioting on Ternate and Tidore, Maluku, kills 7. [2]

2000:

January – Indonesian Navy begins a blockade of Ambon harbor in an attempt to stop the illegal flow of weapons. [2]

February – President Wahid visits Dili, East Timor, and apologizes for human rights violations while East Timor was a part of Indonesia. [2]

September – IMF releases US$399 million loan to Indonesia. [2]

U.S. Defense Secretary Cohen visits Jakarta; states that U.S. military aid to Indonesia will be endangered unless the situation in West Timor is brought under control. A disarmament of militias in the West Timor border region begins; some militiamen are reported collecting their weapons again just after turning them in publicly, others refuse to cooperate. [2]

UN evacuates staff from West Timor after murder of three refugee agency workers by pro-Indonesian militia gangs. An Indonesian court jails six men for up to 20 months for the killings, earning international outrage for being too lenient. [10]

2001:

March – Indonesian government declares the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka to be a separatist movement. [2]

April – Exxon-Mobil natural gas production facility in Aceh is attacked. [2]

World Bank defers release of a US$300 million loan to Indonesia, stating the government had not yet implemented reforms demanded by the World Bank. [2]

Indonesian Army sends 1000 special forces troops as reinforcements to Aceh from Bandung. [2]

The Assembly (DPR) approves a memorandum stating that President Wahid has one month to improve his performance, or he will face a special session to remove him. [2]

July – Assembly passes a bill giving greater autonomy to Aceh, including a greater share of oil and gas revenues for the next eight years. [2]

Wahid issues an emergency decree from the Presidential Palace, including suspension of the Assembly and all activities of the Golkar party, and calling for general elections within a year. The military and police ignore the decree, and six cabinet ministers, including Agum Gumelar and Marzuki Darusman, resign. [2]

The Assembly votes 591 to 0 to remove Wahid from office. Megawati Sukarnoputri is inaugurated as the fifth President of Indonesia. The current cabinet is immediately dismissed. [2]

Floods and landslides hit Nias; governor of Sumatera Utara province blames deforestation for the disaster. [2]

August – U.S.-owned Caltex oil operations in Riau offer a package of job offers for local residents and community development funds in order to avoid a planned blockade by protesters. Local activists had demanded a 70% stake in the operations. [2]

President Megawati offers an apology to residents of Aceh and West Papua for human rights violations in the past. [2]

Violence in Aceh during Independence Day celebrations includes widespread rioting and bombing and several deaths. Four banks are bombed; as many as 60 schools are burnt. [2]

Indonesian government signs Letter of Intent with the International Monetary Fund. The agreement releases US$400 million of an eventual US$5 billion loan from the IMF to Indonesia. [2]

The Norwegien freighter Tampa rescues over 400 Middle Eastern migrants from the sinking Indonesian ship KM Palapa 1. The migrants were leaving Indonesia and attempting to enter Australia. Australia refuses entry to the migrants, who eventually end up in Nauru. [2]

September – President Megawati arrives in Washington on a state visit. Megawati condems the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. The U.S. and Indonesia agree to restore some military ties which had previously been cancelled over the issue of East Timor. The U.S. also pledges another US$150 million in aid to Indonesia to support legal reforms, reconstruction and refugee assistance in Maluku and Aceh, and police training. [2]

Small demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta includes calls to kill the U.S. Ambassador. [2]

October – Garment factories in Semarang lay off 1200 workers. Footwear and electronic factories also report slowdowns. [2]

Indonesian government expresses concern over the U.S. actions in Afghanistan, and asks the U.N. to pay attention to humanitarian issues there. Partai Keadilan members demonstrate at the U.S. Embassy. Islamic fundamentalists in Lashkar Jihad and other radical groups threaten to attack U.S. citizens on Indonesian soil. [2]

November – Theys Eluay, leader of the independence movement for Papua (Irian Jaya), is found dead in a town east of Jayapura. The body was found in a crashed vehicle with police license plates, and showed signs of beating. Scattered rioting breaks out around Jayapura. [2]

Army announces that it will send 30,000 reinforcements to units fighting separatists and intercommunal violence in Aceh, Maluku, Papua, and Kalimantan. [2]

2002:

January – Indonesia inaugurates human rights court to hold military accountable for atrocities in East Timor after 1999 independence vote. [10]

February – Assembly committee votes to deny an official reception for Australian Prime Minister Howard, in protest of Australia’s interference in internal Indonesian affairs. [2]

June – National Development Planning Minister Kwik Kian Gie says that Indonesia should stop accepting IMF loans if the conditions for their acceptance are too harsh. [2]

Indonesia agrees to economic reforms in exchange for a resumption of IMF loans. [2]

August – U.S. Sec. of State Colin Powell, in Jakarta, announces that the U.S. will give US$50 million to Indonesia for anti-terrorism efforts. [2]

Former Gov. Soares of the Indonesian province of East Timor is convicted of crimes against humanity, but only sentenced to three years in jail. [2]

Six military officers are acquitted of war crimes in a government human rights tribunal in Jakarta. [2]

October – Bomb blasts in Denpasar, Bali, kill 202, including 88 Australians. [2]

President Megawati signs two new anti-terrorism decrees, giving police the ability to detain terrorism suspects for six months without trial, and authorizing the death penalty for terrorist acts. Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah express their support for the new anti-terrorism decrees. [2]

November – Eurico Guterres, leader of the pro-Indonesian Aitarak militia in East Timor, is sentenced to 10 years in prison by an Indonesian court for human rights violations and crimes against humanity. [2]

December – Australian P.M. Howard tells reporters that the U.N. Charter should be changed to allow countries to make pre-emptive strikes against terrorists in other countries. Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines protest. [2]

The International Court of Justice awards the disputed islands of Sipadan and Ligitan off Kalimantan Timur to Malaysia. Indonesia says it will abide by the decision of the court. [2]

Monitoring teams begin work of observing the peace process in Aceh. Teams consist of Indonesian military and GAM representatives alongside military observers from Thailand and the Philippines. [2]

2003:

January – Government raises fuel prices by 22%, telephone rates by 15% and electric rates by 6% under pressure from the IMF and other finanical aid organizations. [2]

Government announces a rollback of some of the January 1 fuel price increases to 8%, after weeks of street protests. [2]

Indonesia gets US$2.8 billion in loans from the CGI group of donor nations, after a conference on Bali. [2]

Economics minister Kuntjoro-Jakti says that Indonesia will not rely on International Monetary Fund financial aid after the end of the year, due to the burdensome restrictions required by the IMF loans. [2]

February – 50,000 attend a demonstration organized by Partai Keadilan against possible war in Iraq. [2]

Ret. Gen. Wiranto and six other military leaders are indicted for war crimes by the U.N. regarding the election violence in East Timor in 1999. The Indonesian government says it will ignore the indictments; Amien Rais issues an official protest. [2]

March – 300,000 take part in an NU-led demonstration in Surabaya against a U.S.-led war in Iraq. [2]

August–October – Three Bali bombing suspects are found guilty and sentenced to death for their roles in the 2002 attacks. A fourth suspect is given life imprisonment. [12]

2004:

April – Parliamentary and local elections: Golkar party of former President Suharto wins greatest share of vote, with Megawati Sukarnoputri’s PDI-P coming second. [12]

July – First-ever direct presidential elections; first round narrows field to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri. [12]