TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tempo launched a book entitled "Pengakuan Algojo 1965; Investigasi Tempo Perihal Pembantaian 1965" (Confessions of 1965 Executioners: Tempo’s Investigation into the 1965 Massacre) on Monday afternoon at Salihara in South Jakarta.
Tempo media director Bambang Harymurti said Tempo decided to publish the sensitive book on its own because no publisher dared to print a book based on Tempo’s special edition magazine in October 2012.
"Using this book, we try to uncover the truth. Writing history that has long been covered up due to particular interests," said Bambang.
Tempo magazine’s executive editor Arif Zulkifli said Tempo only intended to provide the public information about the 1965 massacre from another angle and has no other hidden agenda.
He admitted the idea for this special edition was derived from the recently released documentary entitled The Act of Killing, directed by Joshua Oppenheimer.
The launch of this book garnered harsh criticisms from the executive board and other members of Indonesia’s largest mass Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
Erwin Z