Indonesian Genocide

The Indonesian killings of 1965–1966 (sometimes referred to as the Indonesian Massacres or Indonesian Genocide) were large-scale killings which occurred in Indonesia over many months, targeting communists, ethnic Chinese and alleged leftists, often at the instigation of the armed forces and government. Initially it began as an anti-communist purge following a controversial coup by the army (30 September Movement) in Indonesia. The most widely accepted estimates are that between 500,000 to one million people were killed, with some estimates as high as two to three million. The purge was a pivotal event in the transition to the "New Order" and the elimination of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) as a political force. The upheavals led to the downfall of President Sukarno and the commencement of Suharto's three-decade presidency.