#Colonial Indonesia

[telogreika]

(Bataljon Infanterie V, KNIL)

[feureau]

Dokumen-dokumen ini menjelaskan interaksi antara VOC (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) dan penguasa lokal di Jawa pada akhir abad ke-18. Dokumen ini mencakup upaya untuk mengelola hubungan politik, termasuk penyerahan Maas Said yang berjanji setia kepada Soesoehoenang dan VOC, serta pengangkatan Pangerang Adepatty Sitja-Diningrat sebagai Wedono. Langkah-langkah ekonomi juga diambil untuk mengatasi dampak perang dan panen yang buruk, seperti memberikan pendapatan dari sarang burung walet dan tembakau kepada pemimpin lokal, mencabut larangan ekspor beras, serta memfasilitasi perdagangan barang seperti kopi, gula, kapas, dan nila. Upaya ini mencerminkan strategi VOC untuk mempertahankan kendali, membangun kesetiaan, sekaligus menjaga stabilitas pemerintahan lokal dan perekonomian. The documents outline the Dutch East India Company's interactions with local rulers and territories in Java during the late 18th century. They detail efforts to manage political relationships, including the submission of Maas Said, who pledged allegiance to the Soesoehoenang and the Company, and arrangements for local rulers such as the appointment of Pangerang Adepatty Sitja-Diningrat as Wedono. Economic measures were taken to address the aftermath of war and poor harvests, including granting income from bird's nest cliffs and tobacco to local leaders, lifting export bans on rice, and facilitating trade in goods like coffee, sugar, cotton, and indigo. These efforts reflect the Company's strategies to maintain control and foster allegiance while balancing local governance and economic stability.

314

LI. Gubernur Jenderal Jacob Mossel dan Dewan Hindia kepada Para Pengurus Kompeni Dagang Hindia Timur Belanda (HH. XVII)

Batavia, 31 Desember 1767

Yang Mulia,

Kapal pendahulu, Blydorp, telah tiba.

Mengenai pantai timur Jawa: Seperti yang disarankan oleh Yang Mulia pada akhir Desember tahun lalu, kami awalnya memperkirakan perlu mengambil langkah militer kembali melawan Maas Said pada musim semi ini untuk memaksanya menyerah. Namun, setelah Gubernur Hartingh kembali dari Semarang, situasi berubah menjadi lebih baik.

Pemberontak yang sebelumnya bersembunyi di pegunungan selatan akhirnya mengajukan penyerahan diri melalui surat, disertai janji persahabatan. Ia juga menyatakan kesediaannya untuk mengirim saudaranya, Timor, dan seorang Pringalaya kepada Soesoehoenang.

315

Maas Said menyatakan kesetiaannya kepada Kompeni dan Soesoehoenang, serta niatnya untuk hidup dan mati bersama mereka. Namun, ia terlalu ketakutan untuk segera pergi ke Surakarta, karena pasukan masih berada di dekatnya. Selain itu, ipar Sultan, Raden Tommogong Prowirodiridja, juga hadir, seseorang yang membuat Maas Said merasa malu dan enggan untuk berurusan dengannya.

Oleh karena itu, ia memohon agar Soesoehoenang bersedia menemuinya di luar Surakarta, sehingga ia dapat menunjukkan rasa hormatnya. Ia juga meminta untuk diizinkan duduk di kursi, seperti yang diberikan kepada Pangeran Madura. Kedua permintaan ini diserahkan kepada kebijaksanaan Yang Mulia, sementara pasukan dari Cajoe Manu ditarik ke Solo.

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Pagi hari, hadiah dikirim ke istana dan kepada Tuan Saif sebagai bentuk dorongan, yang berhasil menciptakan dampak positif. Namun, utusan ingin mengajukan permintaan yang melampaui perintah Kaisar, yang tidak sesuai dengan peraturan yang berlaku. Permintaan tersebut sangat berlebihan hingga melibatkan wilayah Sultan. Gubernur dengan bijaksana mengalihkan permintaan tersebut dan menjelaskan kepada Kaisar bahwa Jawa telah terbagi, dengan pesisir menjadi milik Kompeni, sementara kondisi wilayah pegunungan sudah diketahui.

Akhirnya, kesepakatan tercapai, di mana mereka puas dengan 4000 tjatjas (bidang tanah) yang terletak di Cadoesang, Laro Matesse, dan Pegunungan Selatan. Selain itu, atas permintaan rendah hati, Boesoehoenang diizinkan bersumpah setia kepada Sultan dan Kompeni di Aleoran, dengan janji untuk tinggal di Solo, hadir pada hari-hari resmi kekaisaran, dan mematuhi perintah para penguasa.

Ia diberi gelar kehormatan Pangerang Adepatty Mancoenagara. Administrator negara Sultan, Raden Adepatty Danoeredja, dan Mayor Donkel diberitahu tentang kejadian ini dan diundang ke lokasi yang sama. Semua ini dilakukan untuk memfasilitasi pertukaran tjatjas di distrik yang disebutkan, yang telah selesai dengan kepuasan kedua belah pihak.

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Sejumlah f 6000 diizinkan untuk dicatat sebagai pengeluaran. Pangeran yang disebutkan menunjukkan sikap yang pantas dan menghormati serta mematuhi Soesoehoenang, yang istananya telah tumbuh dalam reputasi dan populasi sejak itu.

Para penguasa menekankan kemiskinan mereka, serta kondisi menyedihkan yang mereka alami akibat kehancuran perang. Hanya seperempat dari harta mereka yang tersisa. Mereka meminta dukungan dalam bentuk pendapatan dari sarang burung walet dan tembakau Cadoesche. Sesuai dengan saran kuat dari Gubernur, ini diberikan kepada mereka melalui surat khusus tertanggal 1 April tahun ini, dengan syarat mereka bersumpah setia kepada Kompeni untuk selamanya.

Adipati Madura, Pangerang Adepatty Sitja-Diningrat, atas permintaan baru, diangkat pada 25 Februari tahun ini sebagai Wedono (kepala wilayah) untuk wilayah timur dari Grissee hingga Lassum. Wilayah Surabaya, Sumenep, dan Pamacasan dikecualikan dari wewenangnya. Penunjukan ini bersifat pribadi dan tidak dapat diwariskan kepada keluarganya.

Selain itu, Tommogong Japara, kepala wilayah pertama Japara, diberhentikan karena usia tuanya. Ia digantikan oleh keponakannya, Wiero Mantri, yang kini menyandang nama Tommogong Praxa.

Di Cheribon, karena hasil panen buruk selama dua tahun terakhir dan kelangkaan yang terjadi, kantor Kompeni tidak perlu membeli beras atau padi, karena stok mencukupi. Setiap hari, beras dikirim secara pribadi dari Jawa, yang memungkinkan pencabutan larangan ekspor tanpa kekhawatiran, dan pengangkutan kembali diizinkan untuk semua pihak. Pengiriman mencakup 56 muatan beras, 1240 bundel padi, dan jumlah sedang seperti 976.937 pon kopi, 790.437 pon gula, 15.260 pon benang kapas, 5000 pon nila, dan 7875 pon lada.

314

LI. The Governor-General Jacob Mossel and the Council of the Indies to the Directors of the Dutch East India Company (HH. XVII)

Batavia, December 31, 1767

Your Excellency,

The forerunner (the ship) Blydorp, etc.

Regarding Java's eastern coast: Following Your Excellency's advice at the end of last December, it had been considered necessary to again take up arms against Maas Said this spring to bring him to submission. However, after the return of Governor Hartingh, who had been present in Samarang, the situation took a favorable turn.

The rebel, who had been hiding in the southern mountains, eventually submitted himself in writing, accompanied by assurances of friendship. He also expressed his willingness to send his brother Timor and a certain Pringalaya to the Soesoehoenang.

315

Maas Said declared his strong commitment to the Company and the Soesoehoenang, expressing his willingness to live and die with them. However, he was too overwhelmed with fear to travel quickly to Soeracarta, as the army was still nearby and had not yet departed. Additionally, the Sultan's brother-in-law, Radeen Tommogong Prowirodiridja, was present, with whom Maas Said felt ashamed and reluctant to engage.

He therefore pleaded for the Soesoehoenang to meet him outside of Soeracarta so he could show the necessary respect. He also requested to be allowed, like the Pangerang of Madura, to sit on a chair. Both requests were left to the discretion of His Highness, while the army of Cajoe Manu was withdrawn to Solo.

316

In the morning, gifts were sent to the court and Mr. Saif as encouragement, which had the desired effect. However, the representatives wished to submit a request that went beyond the Emperor's orders, which was not in line with the established protocols. This request was so excessive that it involved the Sultan's lands. The Governor tactfully redirected the request and explained to the Emperor that Java was divided, with the coastal areas being Company property, and that the situation in the uplands was well known.

Eventually, an agreement was reached, with satisfaction at receiving 4000 tjatjas (land parcels) located in Cadoesang, Laro Matesse, and the Southern Mountains. Additionally, at his humble request, the Boesoehoenang was allowed to swear loyalty to the Sultan and the Company on the Aleoran, with a promise to remain in Solo, appear on the customary Emperor’s days, and obey the orders of the rulers.

He was honored with the title of Pangerang Adepatty Mancoenagara. The Sultan's state administrator, Radeen Adepatty Danoeredja, and Major Donkel were informed of these events and summoned to the same location. All of this was done to facilitate the exchange of tjatjas in the aforementioned districts, which has already been successfully completed to the satisfaction of both parties.

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An amount of f 6000 was permitted to be written off. The aforementioned Pangerang conducts himself appropriately and shows the necessary respect and obedience to the Soesoehoenang, whose court and status have since grown in both reputation and population.

The rulers emphasized their poverty, as well as the deplorable condition they were in due to the destruction caused by the war. Only a quarter of their possessions remained. They therefore requested support in the form of income from the bird’s nest cliffs and the Cadoesche tobacco. Following strong advice from the Governor, this was granted to them in a special letter dated April 1 of this year, on the condition of their eternal allegiance to the Company.

The Regent of Madura, Pangerang Adepatty Sitja-Diningrat, was, upon renewed request, appointed by decree on February 25 of this year as Wedono (chief regent) of the eastern territories and provinces from Grissee to Lassum. This excluded the regions of Sourabaya, Sumanap, and Pamacassan, which were outside his jurisdiction. This appointment was strictly personal and not transferable to his family.

Furthermore, the aged Tommogong Japara, the first regent of Japara, was granted resignation due to his advanced years. He was succeeded by his nephew, Wiero Mantri, who now bears the name Tommogong Praxa.

In Cheribon, due to poor harvests over the past two years and the resulting shortages, no rice or paddy had to be purchased by the Company office, as there was sufficient stock available. Daily shipments of rice were delivered privately from Java, which allowed the export ban to be lifted without concern and transportation to resume for everyone. The shipments consisted of 56 loads of rice, 1240 bundles of paddy, and moderate quantities of 976,937 pounds of coffee beans, 790,437 pounds of sugar, 15,260 pounds of cotton thread, 5000 pounds of indigo, and 7875 pounds of pepper.

314

LI. De Gouverneur-Generaal Jacob Mossel en Rade van Indie aan de Bewindhebbers der Generale Oost-Indische Compagnie (HH. XVII)

Batavia, 31 december 1767

WelEdele Hoogachtbare,

De voorlooper (het schip) Blydorp, enz.

Met betrekking tot Java's Oostkust: Ingevolge het door UEd. Hoogachtbare geadviseerde op het einde van december jl., had men overwogen dit voorjaar opnieuw genoodzaakt te zijn om tegen Maas Said de wapenen op te nemen om hem tot het uiterste te brengen. Echter, na de terugkomst van de toenmalig in Samarang aanwezige Gouverneur Hartingh, hebben de zaken een gunstige wending genomen.

De rebel, die zich in het zuidelijke gebergte schuilhield, heeft zich uiteindelijk bij een briefje van onderwerping en met verzekering van vriendschap bereid verklaard zijn broer Timor en een zekere Pringalaya af te zenden naar de Soesoehoenang.

315

Maas Said betuigde dat hij zich serieus verbonden voelde met de Compagnie en de Soesoehoenang, en voortaan bereid was met hen te leven en sterven. Toch was hij te zeer bevangen door angst om zich zo snel naar Soeracarta te begeven, aangezien het leger in zijn nabijheid nog niet vertrokken was en zich daar ook nog de zwager van de Sultan, Radeen Tommogong Prowirodiridja, bevond, voor wie hij zich schaamde en met wie hij niet graag zaken wilde doen.

Hij smeekte daarom dat de Soesoehoenang hem enigszins buiten Soeracarta zou willen ontmoeten, zodat hij de vereiste eerbied kon betuigen. Ook verzocht hij dat, net zoals de Pangerang van Madura, hij op een stoel mocht plaatsnemen. Beide verzoeken werden aan de keuze van Zyn Hoogheid overgelaten, terwijl het genoemde leger van Cajoe Manu naar Solo werd teruggetrokken.

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’s Morgens werden, ter aanmoediging, geschenken naar het hof en aan de heer Saif gezonden, hetgeen effect sorteerde. De gecommitteerden wilden echter een verzoek indienen buiten het bevel van de Keizer om, wat niet in lijn was met de gegeven orders. Het verzoek was echter zo exorbitant dat het land van de Sultan erbij betrokken werd. De Gouverneur leidde het verzoek met tact af en legde aan de Keizer uit dat Java verdeeld was, waarbij de stranden eigendom van de Compagnie waren, en dat men bekend was met de situatie in de bovenlanden.

Uiteindelijk werd een akkoord bereikt, waarbij men tevreden was met 4000 tjatjas, gelegen in Cadoesang, Laro Matesse en het Zuydgebergte. Daarnaast, op zijn nederig verzoek, werd aan de Boesoehoenang toegestaan om trouw te zweren aan de Sultan en de Compagnie op de Aleoran, met de belofte om in Solo te blijven wonen, op de gewone Keizerlijke dagen te verschijnen en de bevelen van de vorst te gehoorzamen.

Hij werd geëerd met de titel van Pangerang Adepatty Mancoenagara. Over deze gebeurtenissen werden de Sulthans’ rijksbestuurder Radeen Adepatty Danoeredja en majoor Donkel geïnformeerd en naar dezelfde locatie ontboden. Dit alles diende ten behoeve van de uitwisseling van de tjatjas in de genoemde districten, wat reeds tot wederzijds genoegen was afgerond.

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Een bedrag van f 6000 was gepermitteerd om af te boeken. Voornoemde Pangerang gedraagt zich naar behoren en betoont de verschuldigde eerbied en gehoorzaamheid aan de Soesochoenang, wiens hof en status sindsdien nog meer aanzien en volk heeft gewonnen.

De vorsten hebben nadrukkelijk hun armoede getoond, evenals de beklagenswaardige toestand waarin zij door de verwoestingen van de oorlog waren gebracht. Van hun bezittingen bleef slechts een vierde deel over. Zij verzochten daarom om ondersteuning door middel van inkomsten uit de vogelnestklippen en de Cadoesche tabak. Dit werd, op krachtig advies van de Gouverneur, in een aparte missive van 1 april jl. aan hen toegewezen, op voorwaarde van hun eeuwige trouw aan de Compagnie.

De Regent van Madura, Pangerang Adepatty Sitja-Diningrat, werd, op basis van een vernieuwd verzoek, bij besluit van 25 februari van dit jaar benoemd tot Wedono (opperregent) over de oostelijk gelegen landen en regentschappen, vanaf Grissee tot Lassum. Dit gold echter niet voor de regentschappen Sourabaya, Sumanap en Pamacassan, die buiten zijn bevoegdheid vielen. Deze benoeming was strikt persoonlijk en niet overdraagbaar op zijn familie.

Ook is de oude Tommogong Japara, de eerste regent van Japara, vanwege zijn hoge leeftijd ontslag verleend. Hij werd opgevolgd door zijn neef, Wiero Mantri, die voortaan de naam Tommogong Praxa draagt.

In Cheribon, vanwege de slechte oogsten van de afgelopen twee jaar en de daaruit voortvloeiende schaarste, heeft men bij het comptoir geen rijst of padi hoeven in te kopen, aangezien er voldoende voorraad voorhanden was. Dagelijks werd vanuit Java door particulieren voldoende rijst aangeleverd, waardoor het uitvoerverbod met gerustheid kon worden opgeheven en vervoer weer aan iedereen werd toegestaan. De aanvoer bestond uit 56 lasten rijst, 1240 bossen padi, en gematigde hoeveelheden van onder andere 976,937 pond koffiebonen, 790,437 pond suiker, 15,260 katoenen garen, 5000 pond indigo, en 7875 pond peper.

[kropotkindersurprise]

November 24/25/26, 2023 - Despite the temporary ceasefire the people of the world are still taking to the streets everywhere in huge numbers to demand an enduring end to Israel's occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people. Here is a small selection of the solidarity demonstrations this past weekend. People are not letting themselves be tired out or distracted, Palestine is not alone!

Havana, Cuba

Durban, South Africa

Ottawa, Canada

Tokyo, Japan

Jakarta, Indonesia / Doha, Qatar

Tangier, Morocco

Copenhagen, Denmark / Sydney, Australia

Nicosia, Cyprus / Paris, France

New York City, USA / London, UK

[sky-daddy-hates-me]

Do not forget about West Papua.

Do not forget about the colonial genocide being committed against the indigenous West Papuans.

[beardedmrbean]

[hussyknee]

Unrolled twitter thread by Progressive International (@ProgIntl)

30 Sept 24 • 4 minute read • Read on X

On 30 September 1965, the Indonesian military, working closely with the US government, initiated a coup that would depose President Sukarno and install the brutal, 30-year dictatorship of General Suharto.

In the dark years that followed, the dictatorship massacred over a million Indonesian communists, with the CIA and US diplomats drawing up “kill lists” for the Indonesian military. The operation would become a template for the US’s regime change operations for decades to come.

Major-General Suharto with Indonesian Army in 1966

In 1945, President Sukarno led Indonesia to independence from Dutch colonial rule. He championed the Non-Aligned Movement and hosted the historic Bandung Conference, a meeting of Afro-Asian states, in 1955.

First President of Indonesia Sukarno making a speech circa 1945

Opening the conference and forecasting what was to come, Sukarno said: “We are often told ‘Colonialism is dead’. Let us not be deceived or even soothed by that… Colonialism also has its modern dress, in the form of economic control, intellectual control, actual physical control by a small, but alien community within a nation.”

Leaders attending the Bandung Conference 1955 in Bandung, Indonesia. From left: Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Ghanian Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah, Egyptian Prime Minister Gamal Abdel Nasser, President Sukarno, and Yugoslavian Prime Minister Josip Broz Tito.

By 1965, Indonesia possessed one of the world's largest communist parties, the PKI. The PKI had a mass membership and mobilized vast numbers of people in the battle against Indonesia’s ruling class.

Campaign of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in September 1955.

Terrified by the strength and organization of Indonesia’s people, the Indonesian military’s 30th September Movement began to purge the PKI.

Men suspected of being IPK members being transported under guard by an armed Indonesian soldier

In the early hours of 1 October, a group of military conscripts murdered six high-ranking generals. Blaming the deaths on the PKI, Suharto used the attacks as a pretext to seize power. CIA communications equipment allowed him to spread false reports around the country and begin a long campaign of anti-communist propaganda.

The US had tried to overthrow Sukarno for years; in 1958, the CIA backed armed regional rebellions against the central government. In 1965, they did all they could to aid Suharto’s murderous power grab.

The campaign soon became genocidal. On islands like Bali, up to 10% of the population was massacred — and luxury hotels soon began to appear over the killing fields.

One US embassy staffer told the US press that Suharto’s military “probably killed a lot of people, and I probably have a lot of blood on my hands, but that's not all bad.”

Time Magazine referred to the killings as “the West’s best news for years in Asia”.

A cable from the US embassy’s first secretary, Mary Vance Trent, to the State Department referred to events in Indonesia as a “fantastic switch which has occurred over 10 short weeks”. It also included an estimate that 100,000 people had been slaughtered.

Cementing his power, Suharto became president in 1967. His ‘New Order’ policy allowed Western capitalism to exploit Indonesia’s cheap labour and plunder its natural resources. Civil rights and dissent were suppressed.

In one of the world’s most populous countries, any possibility for the emergence of a new, democratic political project was eliminated. Richard Nixon described Indonesia as “the greatest prize in Southeast Asia”. Suharto would not leave office until 1998.

U.S. President Ronald Reagan stands with Indonesian President Suharto in the White House South Lawn at the arrival ceremony for Suharto's State Visit. Oct 12, 1982

CIA officers described Suharto’s rise to power and anti-communist purge as the “model operation” and “Jakarta” soon became the codeword for anti-communist extermination programs in Latin America, where hundreds of thousands were massacred in regime change efforts engineered by Washington.

[zatdummesmadchen]

I completely support Israel being held accountable for its crimes against humanity, but we also can’t ignore that Indonesia has been violently occupying West Papua - a region more than twice the size of occupied Palestine - for the past 55 years, and has murdered 500,000 indigenous West Papuans in the process. Indonesian soldiers routinely burn indigenous villages to the ground, pose with the bodies of murdered Papuan civilians, and actively prevent journalists from reporting on the genocide. West Papuans often refer to their homeland as “Indonesia’s Palestine.”

There's nothing to add. I agree. I am not trying to imply that all of the countries supporting Palestine don't have their own interests or agendas or that they are perfect in any way. Such as China or, say, Iran. Not everything is black and white, and there are definitely multiple geopolitical reasons for their actions or stand.

There are definitely many biases when it comes to geopolitical situations and blatant hypocrisy.

I completely understand and do sympathise with the West Papuans.

Undoubtedly, the situation is awful and has been going on for years. Basic research shows plenty of results of the brutal Indonesian occupation and brutality against the people.

《 Here is this website I found which might be helpful to gain some insight, feel free to drop more and I will add it to the post. 》

The West Papua Genocide Monitor

Welcome to the Awareness Campaign page for West Papua genocide. You have come to the right place if you are looking for information about West Papua genocide. - the introduction. Very good information.

The situation is indeed very similar to Palestine, with some mentions of settler colonialism in some of the articles. Hence the name is fitting I suppose. Hypocrisy runs high in politics and history, no doubt.

Countries such as Turkey and Egypt come to mind, its very telling. They probably put out statements to pacify the outrage and the anger of their own citizens since it would and should threaten their power otherwise.

This includes several Arab governments such as Jordan (there are huge protests daily)

The information about it is easy to find although I think a much more educated blog would do well in explaining the situation.

[teachanarchy]

When Indonesians Fought Colonization – And Won

[pencopanko]

TBH seeing people ask for a ceasefire is nice and all, but I want a fully independent Palestine.

I want the Palestinians to have all of their land back. All of it.

Quoting The Preamble of the 1945 Constitution from Indonesia, a nation which was first recognized by Palestine as an independent state in 1944, a year before the Declaration of Independence on August 17th:

"(...)Whereas Independence is the inalienable right of all nations; therefore, colonialism must be abolished in the world as it is not in conformity with humanity and justice."

That is all for now, may your watermelons taste fresh and sweet.

🍉

Salam Semangka, Penco

[postcard-from-the-past]

1914 Colonial Exhibition in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia

Dutch vintage postcard

[jyndor]

You’re so right about West Papua. Javanese colonizers are in the comments of the original tweet like “you don’t understand, these guys were arrested because they had weapons :( “ while celebrating the Palestinian right to armed resistance. You can’t say that you stand against genocide while ignoring or justifying the one that you happen to benefit from. The West Papuans should be able to resist Indonesian colonization in any way they see fit.

anon, this is one of the most bitter truths about all this, and I'm sorry I don't want to speak out of turn but I think perhaps for a lot of people in the west it can be odd to realize that for many people in the world Palestine is an issue that transcends ideology for the most part.

so even though we in the so-called west are used to solidarity with Palestinians being a leftist thing because ain't no centrist or conservative here giving a shit about them, that's not the norm globally.

obviously the Arab and Islamic worlds are largely in solidarity because they see Arabs and Muslims having been colonized by a western proxy, a settler colonial project that is also very hostile to most of them, even though of course Palestinians are not oppressed because they are Muslim (and Christian) but because they are Palestinians. and Palestine is very diverse - many people racialized in many ways. and as we see with the treatment of Sudanese people in Egypt and other largely non-Black Arab countries, people may hold onto solidarity with one group sincerely while failing another group going through similar brutality.

I think conversations like this are best left to communities to have because they have a better understanding of their communities and these issues than I ever could, but also if we are going to ally ourselves with anti-colonial struggles for self-determination and liberation, that means ALL of them. all peoples, all cultures, no matter what what the governments occupying their homes and oppressing them are doing for Palestine or any other oppressed people.

I am so happy that so many countries are standing up for Palestinians but let's not be fooled into thinking they're just doing it because they care about liberation period - if they do at all, it is because of internal pressure from their peoples. I appreciate South Africa's work on this matter and the decades of solidarity they have had with Palestinians - but South Africa abstained from a vote condemning Russia for its annexation and invasion of Ukraine, which notably puts indigenous Crimean Tatars at significant risk. this is about geopolitics of course, not just morality... and people need to understand that.

a lot of the global south has been... not terribly great on this issue, and I mean I get it because Ukraine hasn't exactly fostered great solidarity with the global south but tbh if people are going to care about liberation, anti-imperialism and indigenous rights it really should not matter if for once the US is actually on the right side of that issue, which is really what it comes down to lbr. Ukraine is a western, white-racialized country that has benefited from white European supremacy (never gonna forget that English reporter going ~bUt ThIs iS EuRoPe~~~ lol) and that is not something that can or should be overlooked by supporters of Ukrainian self-determination as it often is. and then there's the overwhelming support for Israel from Ukraine, which is abhorrent and I know there is also support for Palestine there too. But it's very telling that when push comes to show, that solidarity is lacking.

when it comes to Indonesia and West Papuans, there is no room for ambiguity - it is genocide, it is colonialism, it is occupation. one thing I have learned through this is that cognitive dissonance is a hell of a drug.

people BELIEVE there is a real substantive difference between whatever resistance movement they support and whatever groups that their own governments are oppressing, or that are not geopolitically "aligned" with their politics. as if their politics shouldn't be informed by liberation PERIOD.

every time there is a big post about multiple genocides/atrocities in general, there's always people in the comments going "Well actualllyyyyy x is not being genocided because y" and it's like... how do you know that? how do you know that the uyghur cultural genocide* is not happening???? we literally say all the time that genocide doesn't always mean the complete murder of every single person in a group, why are we being like this??? cultural genocide is genocide, and it can easily escalate into mass murder. how is this up for fucking debate.

anyway, I have to go to work but yeah anon I get it. people need to unlearn nationalism and learn how to critically engage with their governments' histories. all of us. sorry it's coming from a us american but I think I know a little something about that.

*I understand the US is full of shit on this and has pushed some propaganda but that does not mean I do not have solidarity with the Uyghurs.

[eruverse]

Yet another IDNL headcanon bc I was having a Moment today and this one is based off of an actual convo. Anyway this is credited to @aroundthecoffeepot

Indonesia: adik, how do you deal with feelings that sometimes rage up inside you when you randomly remember England?

Malaysia: abang, I literally haven’t thought about that caterpillar eyebrown in a literal decade.

Indonesia: wtf do you mean a decade

Malaysia: wtf do you mean ‘wtf do you mean a decade’

Indonesia: wtf do you mean you lit never think about England

Malaysia: Why should I think about England abang?

Indonesia: wtf

Anw I was Very Surprised to learn that my literal neighbor basically doesn’t care about their former colonial power while 80% of Indonesian Hetalia fans would ship NLIDNL together and 99% have considered or thought about it at least once 😭

[tungledotedu]

every accusation is a confession.

one side is using a hospital to set up headquarters and shelter its combatants.

it's the idf. they have been using the indonesian hospital as their base for two weeks. this was reported by the medical emergency rescue committee (MER-C), a humanitarian organisation that helped build the hospital.

here are a few sources, all in indonesian. excerpt from CNN:

"What is happening now, around two weeks ago, Israel placed its troops and [turned] [the Indonesian Hospital] into its headquarters. Previously, they accused the hospital of serving as Hamas' headquarters, and no Hamas member was there," said Sarbini.

right now, MER-C is asking for the WHO to investigate. from detik:

"We, MER-C, wish to condemn these underhanded methods carried out by Israel, which used the Indonesian Hospital as a base, fortification, and this was done to attack the fighters in Palestine," explained Sarbini. "We also ask the World Health Organization (WHO) to send a team to investigate so that this doesn't become a bad thing," he continued.

[kropotkindersurprise]

Escalating Insurgency: An Interview with the Spokesperson of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB)

The decades-long insurgency in the Papuan provinces has been intensifying. The TPNPB has now become a significant security threat for Jakarta. In this interview from late January, Militant Wire speaks (again) to Sebby Sambom, the spokesperson of the TPNPB.

[sky-daddy-hates-me]

How can you repost this video⬆️, while saying this about indigenous people in West Papua fighting against Indonesia's colonialism?

The hypocrisy has left me frustrated and pissed off all day.

[sakuhina]

Hi! Do you know any books in English about the Estado Novo Dictatorship and the subsequent 25 Abril Revolution?

Anon you asked this like months ago sorry I'm only answering this now, are you still here.

(Sorted alphabetically)

Estado Novo:

Fado and Fátima: Salazar’s Portugal in US Film Fiction

From the Armed Struggle against the Dictatorship to the Socialist Revolution: The Narrative Restraints to Lethal Violence among Radical Left Organisations in Portugal

Under the Sky (documentary about Jewish refugees in Portugal during WWII, audio is in English but subtitles in Portuguese)

Meeting Salazar: Irish dignitaries and diplomats in Portugal, 1942—1960

Home Bound: The Construct of Femininity in the Estado Novo

Memory of Resistance and the Resistance of Memory: An Analysis of the Construction of Corporatism in the First Years of the Portuguese Estado Novo

NATO's Secret Armies: Operation Gladio and Terrorism in Western Europe (Chapter 9: The secret war in Portugal)

On student movements in the decay of the Estado Novo

Portugal, Jewish Refugees, and the Holocaust

Re-reading the Photographic Archive: The Propagandistic Staging of the Portuguese Estado Novo in the Braga District

Salazar: A Political Biography

Salazar, The Dictator Who Refused To Die

Saloio Women: An Analysis of Informal and Formal Political and Economic Roles of Portuguese Peasant Women

Sixties Radicalism and Social Movement Activism - The War Against The War: Violence And Anticolonialism In The Final Years Of The Estado Novo

Territorializing Maoism: Dictatorship, War, and Anticolonialism in the Portuguese “Long Sixties”

The Memory of the Portuguese First Republic throughout the Twentieth Century

The Opposition to the 'New State' and the British Attitude at the end of the Second World War: Hope and Disillusion

The Portuguese Armed Forces and the Revolution

To Talk or Not to Talk: Silence, Torture, and Politics in the Portuguese Dictatorship of Estado Novo

Women's Organizations and Imperial Ideology under the Estado Novo

Ghosts of war: China’s relations with Portugal in the post-war period, 1945–9*

Wartime Macau: Under the Japanese Shadow*

Colonial War:

Amílcar Cabral's writings in English

Evading the War: Deserters and Draft Evaders from the Portuguese Army during the Colonial War

Killing Hope U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War (Mentions the CIA's role in the Colonial War + subsequent involvements in Africa during their civil wars)

Modern African Wars (2): Angola and Mozambique 1961-74

Portugal’s African Wars: Angola, Guinea-Bissao, Mozambique

Portugal's Guerrilla Wars in Africa

Samora Machel Speaks, Mozambique Speaks

The Retornados from the Portuguese Colonies in Africa

The United States and Portuguese Decolonization

25 de Abril / Carnation Revolution:

Another Country (documentary about the revolution seen first-hand by foreign journalists, available in solidaritycinema)

From the Armed Struggle against the Dictatorship to the Socialist Revolution

Out of the Shadows: Portugal from Revolution to the Present Day

Portugal, the impossible revolution?

Revolução (small video from 1975 with images and speeches from the time)

Scenes from the Class Struggle in Portugal (documentary, quality is a bit bad)

These are all the articles, documentaries and ebooks I have in English, but I have plenty more in Portuguese if anyone wants. Some of these are not *necessarily* what you asked but eh. Do note I haven't read all of these. Let me know if any of the links don't work!