1950
September Natsir and the Masyumi party lead first government of fully independent Indonesia.
Indonesia admitted to United Nations.
Sumatra is reorganized into North Sumatra, Central Sumatra, and South Sumatra provinces. Aceh, which had been made into a separate province by the PRDI government of Prawiranegara in 1949, is incorporated into North Sumatra province.
Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta is created with provincial status, in recognition of the service to the Republic given by Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX.
November Ambon, center of Republic of South Maluku, falls to Indonesian forces.
December 4 Unsuccessful conference meets to discuss the future of West Irian.
Beginning of transmigrasi (resettlement) from Java and Bali to less-populated islands, notably Kalimantan, sponsored by the Indonesian government.
The Assembly that was seated directly after the adoption of the August 1950 constitution was not elected. It remained seated until the 1955 elections, during the rise and fall of many parliamentary governments.
1951
Some colonial soldiers from Ambon refuse to join the Indonesian armed forces and are relocated to the Netherlands.
Shakeup in PKI; the new leadership is Aidit, Lukman, Njoto, and Sudisman. The new leadership directs the party to work within the system. The new party line is nationalist, anti-Dutch, anti-Western and anti-capitalist.
March 3 Friendship treaty with India signed.
April Natsir government falls due to its economic austerity programs. New government is formed under a Masyumi-PNI coalition: Sukiman Wirjosandjojo is Prime Minister.
August Strikes and unrest provoked by PKI; many arrests in Medan and Jakarta. PKI leadership hides briefly.
Sweep of arrests of PUSA (Persatuan Ulama Seluruh Aceh) activists in Aceh.
Lt. Col. Kahar Muzakkar leads a rebellion by disgruntled soldiers in South Sulawesi.
Sukarno
Sukarno was an activist for independence under the Dutch in
the 1930s, and under the Japanese in the 1940s. He was the first
President of Indonesia, he described the national ideology of
Pancasila and is still a popular historical
figure today. However, his presidency ended in economic and political
disorder.
1952
February 23 Sukiman cabinet falls.
April 4 PNI-Masyumi coalition government takes power. Wilopo is Prime Minister. Sultan of Yogya is defense minister.
April 28 PELNI shipping service is created out of several smaller government-run services to compete with the Dutch-owned KPM.
Wilopo releases many political prisoners, cuts budget expenditures, plans for demobilization of army units with Sultan of Yogya, General Simatupang, and Colonel A. H. Nasution, among others.
July Discontent builds among some military factions over possible demobilizations.
August Wahid Hasyim and Nahdlatul Ulama withdraw from Masyumi Party.
Rebels in South Sulawesi ally with Darul Islam rebels in West Java.
Netherlands states that it will not give up West Irian.
October 17 Army personnel, equipment, and demonstrators in front of Presidential Palace demand that plans for demobilization of armed forces be cancelled. Sukarno speaks to crowd and disperses them. Sukarno, Hatta, and Wilopo hold talks with Simatupang, Nasution, and other top armed forces officers.
Government of "Republic of South Maluku" captured, taken to Jakarta for trial.
November Col. Gatot Subroto, head of military in East Indonesia, is forced out of his headquarters in Ujung Pandang by Col. Warouw.
December 18 Nasution is dismissed. Sultan of Yogya resigns as defense minister.
Mohammed Hatta
Hatta had been a tireless supporter of Indonesian independence
since his days as a student in the Netherlands in the 1920s. He was
a Minangkabau from Sumatra and a faithful Muslim. During the 1940s
and 1950s, he was seen as an advocate for the interests of Muslims
and people from outside of Java. He resigned as Vice-President just
before the PRRI rebellion, and while he did not support the
rebellion, he was sympathetic to the rebels' concerns. He continued
to play a role in public life into the 1970s.
1953
May Indonesia sends ambassador to P.R. China.
June 3 Wilopo resigns as Prime Minister.
August 1 PNI-led government takes power. Ali Sastroamidjojo is Prime Minister.
September Daud Beureu'eh declares rebellion in Aceh against central government; makes contact with Darul Islam rebels in West Java.
East Timor is made a province of Portugal.
Borneo is renamed Kalimantan Province.
1954
Military officers are banned from campaigning in uniform.
Talks begin on dissolving the Netherlands-Indonesia constitutional union.
1955
April Asia-Afrika conference held in Bandung; delegates from 24 nations attend, including Chou En-Lai, Nehru and Nasser. Important beginning for non-aligned movement. Indonesia signs agreement with China giving Chinese in Indonesia dual citizenship. Conference issues statement supporting Indonesia's claim to West Irian.
August 12 Masyumi-led government takes power just before elections. Harahap is Prime Minister.
September 29 Elections show big gains for NU and PKI, disappointment for Masyumi, many small parties win seats.
October 27 Nasution, returned to active service, becomes major general and army chief of staff.
December Elections are held for the "Konstituante" assembly: an assembly to draw up a new constitution.
The elections of September 1955 are sometimes called "the only free elections that Indonesia has ever had". However, they did not succeed in making a government that the people could trust. The government that emerged was split into tiny factions, and none of the groups competing for power (Islamic politicians, the military, the Communists) were satisfied.
1956
May Sukarno visits U.S.
May 8 Constitutional union between Indonesia and the Netherlands is dissolved.
Aidit visits Soviet Union.
Borneo is divided into East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan provinces.
June Government clamps down on smuggling in Minahasa.
July 26 Hatta announces that he will resign as Vice-President on December 1.
August 4 Indonesian government repudiates 85% of its debt to the Netherlands.
October Attempted coup while Sukarno visits the Soviet Union and China.
November "Konstituante" convenes to consider a new constitution. Sessions become deadlocked on the question of whether Islam or the Pancasila should be the guiding philosophy of the nation.
Sukarno calls for end to party politics, suggests "guided democracy".
Pramoedya Ananta Toer starts supporting PKI.
First family planning clinic in Jakarta.
November Second failed coup attempt by disgruntled army officers in Siliwangi division.
December 1 Hatta resigns as vice-president.
December 16 48 Army officers from Sumatra sign a manifesto critical of the central government in Jakarta.
December 20 Col. Hussein seizes administration in Padang. Col. Simbolon seizes administration in Medan, then retreats into the hills.
Dutch establish first post at Wamena in Baliem Valley on West Irian.
Suharto becomes commander of Diponegoro division in Central Java.
Soumokil, former leader of Republik Maluku Selatan, is captured.
The Sastroamidjojo government pursued policies of "Indonesianization", but these policies increased corruption and inflation, and discouraged investment. Many military officers opposed this government.
In 1956, Sukarno sent some local military commanders who had been building power bases in their districts to diplomatic postings overseas.
In the mid-1950s, it cost the Dutch over Fl. 100 million per year to administer West Irian.
Much of the foreign debt that was repudiated in 1956 was actually left over from the original Netherlands Indies government, and was transferred to the Republic of Indonesia as part of the final settlements with the Dutch.
1957
Central Sumatra province is divided into Jambi, Riau, and West Sumatra provinces.
January Government coalition collapses.
Nasution meets Hussein and Simbolon for talks at Palembang.
February 21 Sukarno formally proposes "guided democracy" in a speech.
March 5 Lt.-Col. Sumual takes control of government functions in eastern Indonesia from Ujung Pandang: beginning of "Permesta" rebellion. Sumual demands more power for Sukarno, less for the Assembly and Cabinet, and expresses dissatisfaction in Ali Sastroamidjojo.
March 14 Ali Sastroamidjojo resigns. Sukarno proclaims martial law, and flies to Medan to give speeches in spite of the rebellion.
Press censorship is reintroduced.
Nasution orders arrest of many politicians due to corruption.
April 9 Sukarno appoints "working cabinet" (Kabinet Karya), with Djuanda as P.M., including Chaerul Saleh, Subandrio as foreign minister.
Rebels in Aceh agree to ceasefire.
Jakarta area is reorganized as DKI Jakarta (Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta--Jakarta Special District).
Maluku is restored as a province.
Aceh is separated from North Sumatra and made a province again.
May Sukarno appoints 41 leaders of "functional groups" to an advisory Dewan Nasional.
June Rebel army officers in Manado declare autonomous state of North Sulawesi.
July Grenade attack on PKI offices in Jakarta.
PKI makes gains in local elections; becomes the leading party in Central Java.
September Various rebellious officers from Sumatra and Sulawesi meet in Padang to coordinate forces.
Masyumi meets in Palembang; declares that good Muslims cannot also be Communists, demands that PKI be outlawed.
October Government promotes and coordinates an anti-Dutch boycott.
November 29 UN resolution calling for transfer of West Irian to Indonesia fails.
November 30 Grenade attack on Sukarno at Cikini School in Jakarta. Six children are killed, over a hundred wounded. Sukarno escapes almost unharmed.
December 1 Sukarno announces that the holdings of 246 Dutch businesses will be nationalized.
December 3 PKI- and PNI-led unions begin seizing Dutch properties.
Many Dutch-owned ships sail into international waters to avoid nationalization.
December 5 Government orders 46,000 Dutch citizens to be expelled.
December 13 Gen. Nasution orders the army to manage the seized Dutch enterprises. Nasution puts Ibnu Sutowo in charge of the Permina oil company.
Natsir, Harahap, Sjafruddin and other Masyumi figures move to rebel-held areas after receiving threats and insults from Communists and others.
"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.
Sukarno's nationalization of Dutch businesses hurt the economy more than it helped it. Civil servants and military officers who ran the companies in the name of the government found it difficult to compete on the world's markets, and found themselves tempted by corruption--especially as their salaries became smaller and smaller due to inflation. Sukarno did not nationalize the entire oil industry, however, leaving critical operations in the hands of Caltex, Stanvac and Shell.
1958
January 6 Sukarno leaves on foreign tour to Japan, India, and other Asian countries.
Nasution gives speech at Magelang suggesting a dual role for the military: both a military force and an organization for social development. Beginning of "dwifungsi" doctrine.
February Rebellious officers meet in Padang while Sukarno is in Thailand. Masyumi leaders join in, including Natsir.
February 10 Hussein demands that the Djuanda goverment step down in five days.
February 15 Rebels set up rival PRRI government (Pemerintah Revolusioner Republik Indonesia) at Bukittingi. Sjafruddin is PRRI President. Permesta rebels join forces with PRRI. The USA promises secret aid to the rebels. Sukarno demands a hard response.
February 16 Sukarno returns from abroad.
February 21 Air Force bombs Padang, Bukittingi, and Manado.
March Army units from Diponegoro and Siliwangi divisions land in Sumatra and take Medan.
April Padang falls to central government forces.
May Bukittingi falls to central government forces, as does Gorontalo on Sulawesi.
US pilot is shot down over Ambon while secretly helping PRRI rebels.
June Manado falls to central government forces.
July Nasution suggests bringing back 1945 constitution with addition of "Jakarta Charter".
Publication Licenses (Surat Ijin Terbit) are introduced: newspapers and magazines may not publish without one, and they can be revoked by the government.
August Army takes over businesses in Indonesia that are owned by residents with Taiwanese (Republic of China) citizenship.
September Nasution declares ban on Masyumi and other political parties in areas that had supported PRRI or Permesta.
Ibnu Sutowo begins working with American and Japanese businessmen to build Permina as a state oil company.
Indonesia and China ratify a 1954 treaty stating that resident Chinese with dual nationality must choose one citizenship or the other by December 1962.
Anak Agung Bagus Suteja becomes governor of Bali (until 1965). He is partial to the PKI, and increases the number of PKI members in administration and civil service on Bali.
Perhimpunan Buddhis Indonesia is founded.
Sunda Kecil province is divided into Bali, Nusa Tenggara Barat, and Nusa Tenggara Timur provinces.
Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah) is made a separate province, after tensions between Dayaks in rural areas and Muslims in Banjarmasin.
The rebellions of 1957-58 were not so much attempts to break away from Indonesia as they were attempts to get more local control over local affairs and resources within Indonesia.
The Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, and the new country of Malaya were sympathetic to the PRRI rebellion.
During 1958, Sukarno advanced the idea of giving "functional groups" or "golongan karya" seats in the government. These "functional groups" included professional, labor, agricultural, and student organizations, but also the military.
1959
April Sukarno leaves on world tour.
May "Konstituante", meeting in Bandung, considers bringing back the 1945 constitution. It rejects Jakarta charter, without which the Nahdlatul Ulama would not support 1945 constitution. The final vote is just short of the two-thirds needed to bring back the original constitution.
May 14 Decree is issued that foreigners will be banned from doing business in rural areas in six months. ("Foreigners" included ethnic Chinese who still held citizenship in the People's Republic of China or Republic of China/Taiwan.)
Followers of Daud Beureu'eh in Aceh abandon him, and make a separate peace with the Indonesian government. Aceh is made a Daerah Istimewa (Special Area).
July 5 Sukarno reestablishes the 1945 constitution by decree.
July 5 Sukarno dissolves the Assembly, then reseats it under the 1945 constitution: the "MPR Sementara" or provisional MPR. Sukarno adds 94 extra members to represent the provinces, and another 200 to represent "functional groups"--plus the original 281, making a new total of 575, most of them now selected by Sukarno.
New "Kabinet Kerja" is announced; Sukarno starts reorganizing government through appointments; decrees that civil servants cannot belong to political parties; starts to replace local elected officials with appointed ones. Dewan Nasional is dismissed. Sukarno makes himself Prime Minister, leaves Djuanda as "First Minister", and names Subandrio as deputy Prime Minister. Subandrio resigns from the PNI.
August 17 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.
August 28 Rupiah is devalued: Rp 1000 are now Rp 100; banknotes over Rp 25,000 are demonetized.
Army begins moving ethnic Chinese from rural areas to cities. As many as 100,000 leave Indonesia for the People's Republic of China over the next year; another 17,000 for Taiwan.
Parisada Dharma Hindu Bali is founded to promote the interests of Hinduism as a religion (later Parisada Hindu Dharma).
Uprising in East Timor gains Indonesian backing, but is suppressed by Portugal.
Nasution combines all veteran's organizations into one group under army control.
Nasution investigates Suharto for corruption and demotes him.
Gen. Nasution
Nasution had a long career in and out of leadership in Indonesia.
He was a major military leader during the struggle for independence,
commanding the Siliwangi division in West Java. In 1952, he was
dismissed from his command during a period of conflict between the army
and Sukarno. By 1955, he was back in favor. In 1958, during the
time of the PRRI and Permesta rebellions, Nasution first suggested
the idea that would later be called "dwifungsi", the "dual
function" of the military, the idea that the military should have
social and even political obligations as well as defense duties.
Nasution barely escaped the coup attempt of September 30, 1965 with his life, jumping over the wall to the Iraqi ambassador's residence next door. Nasution had investigated Suharto for corruption in the 1950s; later, in 1980, Nasution was a signer of the "Petition of Fifty" that criticized Suharto as President.
The "dwifungsi" concept was Nasution's idea to find a middle way between democracy, which some people in the late 1950s felt had failed, and outright military dictatorship, which Nasution wanted to avoid. But in practice, military units began to skim money from companies that Sukarno had nationalized, to collect customs and tolls, even to engage in smuggling--especially since Sukarno's government was able to pay them less every year. While some military men built roads, schools and mosques in their civil service, for others used their position as a military man in civil service to engage in corruption.
In the 1950s, "dwifungsi" was seen as a way to avoid giving total power to the military. By the 1990s, the "dwifungsi" concept was criticized by some as giving far too much influence to the military.
1960
January Khrushchev visits Jakarta.
Elected Assembly (DPR) rejects Sukarno's budget.
March 5 Sukarno dissolves the Assembly, replaces it with an appointed Assembly: the "DPR-Gotong Royong". Military officers are appointed to the DPR for the first time.
July PKI criticizes cabinet. Army detains entire PKI Politburo; Sukarno has them released.
August 17 Indonesia breaks off diplomatic relations with the Netherlands over West Irian.
Masyumi and PSI parties are banned. Some local army commanders ban the PKI in their areas.
Sulawesi is divided into North Sulawesi and South Sulawesi provinces.
1961
Construction begins on MONAS, the National Monument, in Jakarta.
Indonesia begins to fall behind on its foreign debt payments.
January Nasution visits both Washington and Moscow. The U.S. declines to give aid; the Soviet Union gives $400 million.
February Remnants of "Permesta" guerillas in Sulawesi begin surrendering after offer of amnesty.
March KOSTRAD special forces unit is founded.
May Sukarno visits United States, meets with President Kennedy.
June Remnants of PRRI and Darul Islam movements in Sumatra and Java begin surrendering.
Rebels in Aceh divide into factions, weaken.
Dutch begin organizing "Nieuw-Guinea Raad", a council to prepare for independence for West Irian.
Sukarno reaffirms his right to send people into internal exile (a holdover from colonial times).
All scouting groups are merged by Sukarno into Pramuka (Praja Muda Karana).
Sukarno signs treaty of friendship and cooperation with the People's Republic of China.
December 19 Sukarno announces that he will take over West Irian by force if necessary. Gens. Nasution and Ahmad Yani are in charge; Mandala command is headed by Maj.-Gen. Suharto.
Sukarno and U.S. President Kennedy
Sukarno made friendly advances to the USA, the Soviet Union and
later, China. He tried to play one against another, but by the
mid-1960s, seemed to be closest to the China of Mao.
1962
January Assassination attempt on Sukarno while visiting Sulawesi; many former rebels and critics are imprisoned.
Opsus covert operations force is founded under Suharto's Mandala command.
Armed forces are consolidated as ABRI. Police forces are included as a branch of ABRI.
Indonesian naval force defeated by Dutch in confrontation off West Irian.
February US Atty Gen Robert F Kennedy leads negotiations on West Irian.
March Sukarno appoints Aidit and Njoto of PKI as advisory ministers.
April Kartosuwirjo, leader of the Darul Islam rebellion, is captured.
West Irian negotiations fall apart; Indonesian military pressure increases.
Hinduism is recognized as an official religion.
Indonesia joins OPEC.
August 15 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.
September Kartosuwirjo is executed. The Darul Islam movement begins falling apart. Rebellion in Aceh subsides.
Gen. Omar Dhani, a leftist officer, becomes head of the Air Force.
November IMF puts conditions on economic aid to Indonesia.
December 8 Unsuccessful rebellion in Brunei with covert support from Indonesia--beginning of confrontation with Britain over the future of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak, or "Konfrontasi".
MONAS
The National Monument or MONAS is only one of many monuments that Sukarno built in the 1960s (although it was not finished until 1965).
The U.S. put heavy pressure on both the Netherlands and Indonesia to negotiate for West Irian, fearing that if the dispute became a war, Indonesia would turn completely to the Communist side. Meanwhile, Suharto and other military figures decided from the experience that the armed forces were not prepared for action against Sukarno's next target: Malaysia.
1963
Sukarno issues a presidential decree requiring publishers to submit a copy of every new book to the government within 48 hours of publication. Prosecutors gain broad power to ban books and press charges against publishers.
February 18 Gunung Agung on Bali erupts.
May Budget cuts, price increases, and a devalued rupiah are instituted in order to receive IMF aid.
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. Talks continue through August.
May 1 UN hands over control of West Irian to Indonesia.
June Foreign oil companies in Indonesia are made contractors under Permina. Refineries, distribution and retailing are to be sold to Permina.
Anti-Chinese riots in Bandung.
Prime Minister Djuanda passes away, is replaced by three "Deputy Prime Ministers": Chaerul Saleh, Subandrio, and Leimena. Economic policy suffers in Djuanda's absence.
Assembly makes Sukarno President-for-Life.
Suharto is made chief of Kostrad (Strategic Reserve Command).
Gunung Agung erupts a second time.
High-yield rice strains begin to be cultivated around Karawang, West Java (part of the "green revolution" in agriculture).
August Manikebu group of intellectuals begin to be harassed by PKI for failure to support Sukarno explicitly.
Sukarno asks to public to be patient during rice shortages.
September Malaysia is founded. PKI demonstration burns down British embassy in Jakarta; Indonesia breaks off relations with Kuala Lumpur (and Singapore).
September 23 Sukarno declares the slogan "ganyang Malaysia" ("crush Malaysia") in a speech.
November Sukarno issues antisubversion law.
December Aidit returns from tour in Soviet Union and China. PKI begins enforcing land reform laws, confiscating land from rural landowners, resulting in rural violence, often against Islamic organizations such as Nahdlatul Ulama.
U.S. President Johnson withdraws economic aid. Covert military aid to pro-U.S. figures in ABRI continues.
Bappenas economic planning body is founded.
December 24 Sukarno forms "Mahkamah Militer Luar Biasa" or Mahmillub, special military tribunals.
Konfrontasi was the slogan for Sukarno's anti-Malaysia campaign. The PKI supported Konfrontasi, but ABRI quietly opposed it. A few Communist volunteers actually landed in Malaya itself, but were quickly captured. Most low-level fighting happened in the jungle along the Kalimantan border. ABRI officers who were opposed to Konfrontasi actually maintained secret contact with military officials in Kuala Lumpur throughout this period. Gen. Yani had assigned Brig. Gen. Kemal Idris to head a proposed invasion of Malaysia, but Kemal Idris was not on good terms with Sukarno, and delayed actions against Malaysia as much as he could. The anti-Konfrontasi covert actions by the military were the beginning of the Opsus special forces outfit, which would include Ali Murtopo and Humardani and would become a political tool during the first ten years of Suharto's presidency.
Konfrontasi cost money that Sukarno's government did not have, and it damaged the economy by interrupting traffic with Singapore.
D.N. Aidit
Aidit was the head of the PKI from 1951 until its downfall in
1965.
1964
February 13 Lampung is made a province.
Central Sulawesi is separated from North Sulawesi and made a province; Southeast Sulawesi is separated from South Sulawesi and made a province.
March "Maphilindo" talks fall apart; Sukarno tells USA to "go to hell".
April Violence related to land reform spreads in Central Java.
May Sukarno puts air force chief Omar Dhani in charge of Konfrontasi.
August Unsuccessful rogue landings by Indonesian raiders into Malaya itself.
August 17 Sukarno gives his "Year of Living Dangerously" speech.
September Group of pro-Sukarno intellectuals led by Adam Malik (Badan Pendukung Sukarnoisme) criticizes PKI.
October Sekretariat Bersama Golongan Karya or Sekber Golkar (Secretariat of Functional Groups) is founded by army interests.
Army shakeup reduces prestige of Omar Dhani, transfers best troops to Suharto.
November PKI establishes secret bureau to coordinate infiltration of army units.
Sukarno travels to China for secret meetings.
People's Republic of China offers 100,000 small arms to Indonesia to arm a peasant militia, if Indonesia wants.
Bank of China assets in Indonesia given to Indonesian government.
December Chaerul Saleh claims to have evidence that the PKI is planning a coup.
December 17 Badan Pendukung Sukarnoisme is banned by Sukarno as a "CIA plot".
By 1964 and 1965, the economy was in terrible shape. Shortages of food and clothing were common. Prices during 1965 increased by 700 percent, and the price of rice increased even more. The government's budget deficit was running at 300 percent. Millions of people collected a government salary, but it was worth less and less each month. ABRI personnel in particular found themselves unable to support themselves without engaging in smuggling or other corrupt activities. The 1957-58 rebellions, the West Irian campaign, and the preparations for Konfrontasi had all been expensive for both the government as a whole and for ABRI.
1965
Buddhism is recognized as an official religion.
Sukarno, under pressure from PKI, declares ban on the Murba Party, whose members included Chaerul Saleh and Adam Malik.
February Anti-PKI newspapers are closed down.
Kahar Muzakkar is killed in Sulawesi.
March Leftist naval officers mutiny in Surabaya.
April China repeats its offer of small arms from the previous November.
May Gen. Ahmad Yani suggests that "Nasakom" be promoted in the Army.
Sukarno calls for a "Fifth Force" of armed peasantry to be organized.
Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM) is formed by former members of the Dutch-organized colonial militia.
May 29 The "Gilchrist letter": Sukarno accuses Army elements of plotting against him, with cooperation from the British Embassy. (Letter itself generally considered to be a forgery.)
June Discussions on "arming the people" along Maoist lines take place; army sidesteps, air force and navy support it.
PKI supporter becomes police commander in Jakarta.
July 2000 PKI supporters begin receiving military training from Air Force officers at Halim Air Base near Jakarta.
August Anti-PKI elements in PNI are purged.
Violence between PNI and NU supporters on one side and PKI supporters on the other heats up in Central and East Java.
Sukarno collapses during public reception.
Sukarno cuts off ties with IMF, World Bank, Interpol; makes August 17 speech promoting anti-imperialist alliance with Beijing, other Asian Communist regimes
Aidit returns from trip to China, makes August 17 speech calling for millions of workers and peasants to be armed.
September 16-19 Air Force Gen. Omar Dhani makes secret trip to China.
September 27 Gen. Ahmad Yani speaks against Nasakom in the army and "arming the people".
September 28 Anti-Communist student leaders ask Gen. Nasution for paramilitary training comparable to what PKI supporters would receive.
September 30 Lt.-Col. Untung, other Diponegoro and Brawijaya Division soldiers, and PKI supporters gather at Halim Air Base, with Gen. Omar Dhani and Aidit present. 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.
Rebel soldiers take Merdeka Square in Jakarta by the Presidential Palace, the radio and TV stations.
October 1 Suharto arrives at Kostrad Headquarters overlooking Merdeka Square, takes emergency control of loyal troops after consulting with available generals.
Radio announces that "Movement 30 September" (Gerakan 30 September, or G30S) is pro-Sukarno, anti-corruption, anti-United States and anti-CIA.
Mutinies in five of seven Diponegoro Division battalions support the rebels, as do Naval officers in Surabaya.
Sukarno goes to Halim, consults with Omar Dhani but not with Aidit.
Suharto offers water to hot soldiers in Merdeka Square, they come to his side; ignores messages from Sukarno.
Suharto announces on radio that six generals are dead, he is in control of army, he will suppress coup attempt and protect Sukarno.
Sukarno leaves for Bogor, Aidit leaves for Yogya, Omar Dhani leaves for Madiun.
October 2 Loyal army units retake Halim Air Base.
Mayor of Surakarta supports coup.
PKI supporters march in Yogya.
PKI newspaper Harian Rakyat publishes issue in favor of coup.
Military rebels in Central Java retreat to countryside.
Suharto agrees to Sukarno order taking presidential control of army, but only if Suharto has emergency powers to restore order.
October 3 Bodies discovered in Lubang Buaya. Sukarno, in a radio broadcast, claims the Air Force was not involved.
October 4 Bodies are removed from Lubang Buaya in the presence of print and TV reporters. Suharto is also present.
October 5 Public funeral in Jakarta for dead generals.
October 6 Sukarno meets with his cabinet in Bogor, then finally issues a statement denouncing the attempted coup.
October 8 Demonstration burns PKI headquarters in Jakarta.
October 13 Ansor (the Islamic youth organization associated with Nahdlatul Ulama) holds anti-Communist rallies on Java.
October 14 Suharto begins moving loyal troops into Central Java.
October 16 Sukarno dismisses Omar Dhani as head of Air Force. Suharto is appointed commander of the army.
October 18 Nearly a hundred Communists killed in battle with Ansor youths. Beginning of general massacre of PKI supporters in Central and East Java.
Inflation runs wild in the general uncertainty.
November 1 Kopkamtib security force established with Suharto at head.
November 11 Fighting between PNI and PKI supporters on Bali begins massacre of Communists on Bali.
November 22 Aidit is captured and executed.
The Assembly (DPR), consisting entirely of members appointed by Sukarno, is purged of PKI members.
Sukarno's 1963 decree is used to ban all books written by members of the PKI and associated organizations.
Muhammadiyah declares jihad against PKI. Sukarno pleads with Muslims to give dead proper burial. Anti-Communist movement spreads throughout Java.
December 10000 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.
December 13 Major currency adjustment due to inflation: 1000 old rupiah are converted to 1 new rupiah.
Special Military Courts begin holding trials of PKI members.
December 31 Shell signs contract to sell remaining Indonesian holdings to government.
The officers killed in the G30S events:
Gen. Ahmad Yani
Lt.-Gen. Haryono
Lt.-Gen. Parman
Lt.-Gen. Suprapto
Maj.-Gen. Panjaitan
Maj.-Gen. Siswamohardjo
Captain Tendean (aide to Nasution)
Brigadier-Gen. Katamso
Colonel Inf. Mangunwijoto
What really happened in 1965? Nobody knows. There are dozens of theories, some of them with little evidence in their favor. Many of the participants are now dead; from some of them, we only have the confessions they made after being arrested. Under Suharto, the government routinely banned most books and publications about the 1965 events, which makes the situation even more difficult.
Was the army behind it? Certainly not as an organization. Rebel officers such as Untung probably acted without broad support.
Was Sukarno behind it? Probably not, but who can say. Suharto? There is no direct evidence against him. However, rumors persist that Suharto may have heard of the coup plans before September 30th, and so was ready to take advantage of the disorder beforehand.
Was the PKI behind it? The PKI had made two hopeless attempts to take power before, in 1926 and again at Madiun in 1948. Is it possible that rebellious, undisciplined officers planned the coup, and then the PKI announced its support? Maybe.
Were foreign powers involved? There was heavy involvement by China in Indonesian politics in 1965. Both the United States and the Soviet Union were supplying aid either directly to the government or to their friends in ABRI. The West German goverment supplied secret aid to anti-communists. We know today, too, that the CIA gave lists of Indonesian communists to the Indonesian military during the purges that came after. But did foreign powers help plan G30S? Probably not, but again, we do not know.
It is perhaps most possible that whatever secret plans had been made did not go exactly as the planners intended.
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 student groups that committed killings, and also did not act to stop the violence until the PKI had been wiped out.
Suharto's main supporters in ABRI were Brig. Gen. Kemal Idris, Col. Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, and Maj. Gen. Dharsono.