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	Shining a light on Indonesia"s dark days by Connect Asia & agencies   A landmark investigative report by Indonesia"s National Commission on Human Rights has declared that Indonesia"s anti-communist purge of the mid-1960s was a "gross violation of human rights".   The 840-page report examines the massacres of hundreds of thousands of people following what was believed to be a failed coup against the government.   The alleged coup plot, blamed on the outlawed Communist Party but never proven, was used by then-major general Suharto to launch a massive pogrom against Communist Party members.   The military led the violence against anyone with suspected links to the party - including members, their family, sympathisers, and bystanders - killing up to 500,000 people.   Suharto went on to become the country"s military dictator for 32 years.   But despite it being one of the darkest periods in Indonesia"s history, the events have gone largely unacknowledged and are not mentioned even in official history books.   Debate about the coup was banned under Suharto, who ruled from 1966 until 1998 and died in 2008.   "The 1965, 1966 cases are still very sensitive in Indonesian society," Nur Kholis, the head of the Commission"s investigative team told ABC Australia"s Clement Paligaru.   "We recommended also that we need reconciliation among the victims and the perpetrators in Indonesia," he said.   Analysts say the survivors of the violence have been waiting many years for official recognition of what transpired in 1965.   "There have been many failed initiatives in the past and that"s why this report is quite significant," Dr Kate McGregor, a senior lecturer in Southeast Asian History at the University of Melbourne, told ABC Australia"s program.   She says a draft bill for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission failed in 2006, a class action brought by victims was unsuccessful and a personal apology from former President Abdurrahman Wahid did not receive widespread support.   The Commission"s report has now been submitted to the nation"s Attorney-General, recommending legal action be taken against those involved and compensation be awarded to victims.   * Indonesia"s anti-Communist purges. The Act of Killing, a disturbing and controversial documentary by Danish-American filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer, was originally conceived as a film about the families of the victims of the Indonesian anti-communist death-squads. During the mid-1960s between one and three million Indonesians died as a result of these purges.   Finding it too dangerous to interview the families of the victims, however, Joshua Oppenheimer discovered the untried killers, who often lived next-door to these families, were only too happy to celebrate and describe their role in the purges. So these untried and flamboyant mass-murderers were asked whether they would like to write, act in and direct a film of their own achievements. The Act of Killing is the chilling result; listen to this radio feature: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/indonesian-death-squads/4725612   July 2013   More Than Beef, Boats & Bali. Australian, Indonesian Relations. ABC TV Panel Discussion from Jakarta, Indonesia.   Panellists: Dewi Fortuna Anwar, Senior advisor to Indonesian Vice President Boediono; Tim Lindsey, Director, Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society; Yuli Ismartono, Deputy Editor in Chief of Tempo magazine; Rafendi Djamin, Human Rights Advocate; Yenny Wahid, Islamic activist & daughter of late former President ‘Gus Dur’ Wahid; and Meidyatama “Dimas” Suryodiningrat, Editor in Chief of The Jakarta Post: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s3788237.htm
	Take Part in social actions by Participant Media & agencies USA   #Boston   As of this morning, April 19, law enforcement have been scouring the streets, while locals spent most of their day on lockdown. But that didn''t stop them from using social media to document their experiences, many of which were caught in these haunting images.   Channels like Instagram and Twitter remain critical avenues of storytelling and reporting, ones that city residents are relying upon to illustrate their personal experiences as witnesses to the unfolding of a tragic drama.   Not only are events like the Boston explosions a hallmark of modern times, but so is the way that we communicate about them. Just a decade ago, staying in touch was done over landlines, and the only people reporting stories were journalists. Social media, for better or worse, gives us all a voice, allowing everyone to participate in the creation our collective narrative.   * TakePart is a source of news, features, opinion, entertainment and information -focused on social issues that affect people''s lives. It also a community of people takin action on socially relevant issues.   "At the heart of everything we do is a belief that a story well told can change the world. That’s why our mission is singular: To inspire and accelerate social change by connecting content to social action".   What is the Take Action Button?   Just think: Every day, millions of people read stories around the web that make them wish they could do something about the issue they just learned about. That’s where the TakePart Take Action button comes in. It matches inspiring content to relevant and credible actions you can take to make a difference. We''ve partnered with the leading organizations across dozens of fields to deliver trustworthy actions intended for real good to help make the world a better place.   TakePart is the digital division of Participant Media, the company behind films such as An Inconvenient Truth, Food Inc, Good Night & Good Luck and many others. Visit the related web page
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