Setiap hari ada saja anggota keluarga yg datang u/ ambil jenazah terduga simpatisan PKI di kamp ini.

Yg dicokok jg beragam, ada yg pengurus partai, ada yg kerja jadi juru ketik di surat kabar Grup-nya LEKRA. tp siksaan mah sami mawon

Waktu touring pulau Jawa. Saya pernah ngobrol dgn seorang pria usia 60-an. Dia saksi hidup pembantaian terduga anggota PKI di Ngawi

Puluhan pria digelandang, diikat tangannya,& dibariskan ke tmpt eksekusi. Waktu dibariskan, yg tidak lurus barisnya,ditusuk bayonet.

Yg “beruntung” tewas disitu jg. Yg “apes” ya hrs tetap jalan menahan sakit luka tusukan. Sampe di tempat eksekusi, mreka hrs gali lubang.

Lubang u/ kuburan mereka sendiri. Ada yg ditembak, ada yg dibayonet, ada yg dicelurit. Macam2 cara mereka jemput maut.

Di sepanjang jalan menuju tmpt eksekusi. Kdg2 ada masyarakat yg ikut2an mukul. Ada yg pake alu, pake cangkul, ngeludahin dsb.

Yg konyol, kdg2 salah eksekusi jg. Ada wanita ditanyai oleh tentara. “Mbak, saya cari pak Kuwu (kades) sini.. Tlg tunjukkan!”

Si ibu menjawab “kulo Garwane pak..” Atau artinya saya Istrinya pak. Krn si tentara udah gelap mata, Garwane kdengeran spt Gerwani.

Sepanjang 65-69 di beberapa tmpt di Jawa, banyak ditemukan shallow graves korban terduga & anggota #PKI.

Biasanya keluarga korban diam2 mengambil jasad u/ dikuburkan pd malam hari. Mereka takut jg sih akan jd korban selanjutnya. #PKI

Tp dasar orang jawa, ada yg bersyukur krn kuburnya msh ada. Ada ratusan org yg lenyap jasadnya krn dibuang di sungai bawah tanah. #PKI

Kawasan sungai bawah tanah Gunung Kidul yg dikelilingi bukit2 itu jd saksi bisu, ratusan bahkan ribuan jasad2 terduga #PKI

Bahkan di Jogja ada legenda drumband setan. Tiap malam2 tertentu, ada suara drumband misterius, namun bila didekati,suaranya menghilang

Konon suara drumband setan itu berasal dari drumband kepanduan underbow #PKI , yg disembelih di sebuah kebun pisang di Sleman

Padahal anggota drumband rata2 pelajar SMA. Yg memang sering manggung dlm kampanye atau acara organisasi #PKI

Korban terbanyak dlm commie purge adalah di pulau Bali. dari whatever figure u/ nasional. 1/5 disumbangkan oleh Bali.

Di Bali,pembantaian bgitu banyak krn pengaruh persaingan antar puri juga. Satu puri afiliasi ke PNI, puri lawan lgsg afiliasi ke #PKI

Jadi nggak heran dlm great #PKI purge. Banyak yg jadi korban krn yg dibantai ya satu puri + banjar2 anggota puri tsb.

Di bali Saya pernah nyasar waktu nyetir dr Ubud kembali ke Legian. GPS menunjukkan jalan alternatif, tp malah nyasar ke jalan yg mengecil.

Jalan itu berdampingan dgn danau besar yg ‘singup’. Ada ribuan burung bangau yg terbang bergerombol di senja hari di pinggir danau.

Bangau2 itu bertungkai hitam,berleher kurus. Menurut penduduk, bangau itu adalah tmpt roh2 orang yg dibantai tahun 65-69.

Kebanyakan tidak dikubur, tdk ada yg mendoakan. Arwahnya gentayangan di hutan&sawah di Bali.

Di bali sendiri pembantaian, tidak dilakukan oleh tentara macam di Jawa. Di Bali, pembantaian dilakukan oleh Tameng (sbuah ormas)

Tameng sangat efektif dalam menciptakan kematian. Anggotanya untouchables & jadi raja kecil di daerah2 di Bali.

Kadang Tameng bisa jadi “eksekutor berbayar”, U don’t like someone, just pay the Tameng. Yg dituduh komunis oleh Tameng biasanya gak selamet

Kadang urusan #PKI purge bs bercampur dgn urusan syahwat. Bila komandan Tameng suka sm istri org. Suaminya dituduh PKI.

Suaminya dibunuh, & si istri diintimidasi & dikawin. Walhasil banyak komandan Tameng beristri lebih dr satu.

#PKI purge jauh lebih terasa ke kalangan perempuan. Coba cek buku “Dari Kamp ke Kamp” karangan Mia Bustam. Bnyk collateral damage disitu

Waktu great #PKI purge. Sdh biasa dlm 1 keluarga. Kakaknya HMI, adiknya CGMI (afiliasi ke PKI) sama2 sholat& puasa. Tp si adik ikut dibantai

Banyaknya org yg dicokok krn dicurigai simpatisan PKI sudah tdk terhitung. Bahkan di Jogja, benteng Vredenburg dipakai u/ kamp.

Ransum makanan di kamp terduga #PKI sendiri hanya layak di 1 thn pertama. Tahun2 brikutnya banyakan yg tewas krn kelaparan+sakit.

Suasana di kamp dipenuhi dgn interogasi. Yg cepet ngaku #PKI biasanya lgsg dieksekusi atau “direhabilitasi” di pulau Buru

Yg emang gak tau apa2, ya disiksa habis2an. Apalagi kalau yg interogasi RPKAD. Mending cepet ngaku #PKI & dieksekusi deh.

Bila sebuah kamp,kedatangan prajurit RPKAD. Laki&perempuan dipisah. Yg laki minimal benjut2, muka babak belur & tidak bs berdiri tegak

Tp kalau yg perempuan. Selesai interogasi, si prajurit RPKAD yg “berdiri tegak”. Know what I mean?

Ada juga sih kamp interogasi #PKI yg lbih humanis. Contohnya kamp di Ambarawa. Yg buta huruf & tergabung dlm BTI ‘cuma’ ditahan setahun

Di jawa timur & jateng bag selatan (kebumen,gombong dsb). Petani anggota BTI krn lurahnya BTI ikut disembelih.

Oiya BTI itu Buruh Tani Indonesia. Underbouw PKI lagi. Kegiatannya cuma kelompencapir, penyuluhan& kegiatan tani laennya.

Masa2 67 bahkan ada joke, kalau tentara & anggota ormas bawa gedebog pisang ke hutan. Itu tandanya mau eksekusi ratusan anggota BTI.

Gedebog pisang jd alas leher,sebelum ditebas. Kalau kaum intelektual biasanya diikat di depan lobang & ditembak tengkuknya.

Akhir tahun 67, seluruh tapol sbelum diberangkatkan ke tempat rehab (ie.pulau buru) wajib “memilih” agama. Konyol gak?

Tapi buat kaum wanita.lbih baik Ditangkap thn 66-67. Pasca peristiwa blitar (68),nasib wanita terduga PKI jauh lebih buruk.

Lebih buruk disini bisa siksaan fisik, bisa juga seksual. Gak tega gw ceritanya. Ada bukunya koq, karangan seorang biarawati yg jg dokter.

Di kamp rehab pulau Buru. Nggak cm ada tapol dewasa. Tp juga anak2 belasan tahun anggota IPPI (underbow PKI jg) yg msh cupu.

Khusus wanita, rezim orba membangun tempat rehab di Plantungan — pegunungan Dieng. Disana diajarkan ktrampilan biar gak jd PKI lg. WTF?

Setiap kamp rehab dikepalai oleh komandan (Abri lah pasti). Komandan ganjen pasti seneng jadi komandan kamp rehab khusus wanita

Komandan ganjen ini suka nawarin wanita muda penghuni kamp. Mau tinggal di rumah dinas komandan atau di kamp?

Di kamp,makanan tipis & kondisi gak nyaman. Di rumah dinas komandan, makanan terjamin. Wanita muda yg desperate pasti milih opsi B.

Ya you know what happened lah inside Komandan’s chamber. Jd bkn cm pembunuhan aja, tp Yg beginian nih yg kita kdg2 gak tau.

Btw, tweet sy td adalah rangkuman dr buku2 karangan eks tapol Mia Bustam, Hersri Setiawan dsb. + cerita2 di warung kopi.

Sebenernya msh banyak lg memoar eks tapol and/or interogator. Tp ujung2nya mentok di Kejaksaan, nggak dapet izin terbit.

Bu Mia Bustam misalnya, dia punya banyak naskah buku ttg tapol & our darkest moments in the 60s. Tp yg lolos terbit cm dua buku

Greeting Readers, read the line below and imagine yourself as one of the praetorian led by General Maximus.

“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”

Russel Crowe did such a great job in portraying him in the movie.now,  The next question would be, Who was Maximus? What was the guy like? People called him Spaniard, but how come Spain doesn’t have even single statue of him there?

Where was he from?

Maximus was called Spaniard. Back in Roman Empire days, Spaniard hailed from Hispania.

Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, and a very small southern part of France). When Rome was a republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania Citerior (northeastern coast and in the Ebro valley of modern Spain)  and Hispania Ulterior ( Further Spain, or the rest of Spain).

Based on my observation on Argento and Scarto (horses drawn on Maximus’ body armor), it is safe to say that, Maximus was not from northeastern part of Spain, because good Iberian horse wouldn’t be domesticated in Ebro valley (Catalunya and Zaragoza).

Thus, I assume, Maximus was from Hispania Ulterior, and during the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divided into two new provinces, Baetica (Andalusia) and Lusitania (approximately all of modern Portugal and part of modern Spain – the present autonomous community of Extremadura and a small part of the province of Salamanca.)

In that time, good soldiers were recruited almost exclusively only on few regions , Baetica was the source of good soldiers, namely Trajan (Roman Emperor from 98 AD to 117 AD) who were born Marcus Ulpius Traianus into a nonpatrician family in the Hispania Baetica.

So, I assume Maximus was from Baetica.

Modern day Baetica is Andalusia region (The capital and largest city is Seville). The region is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Sevilla, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and Almería.

With only based my assumptions on the movie, I have no further information on exact location Maximus was from. And it is safe to say that he was Andalusian Spanish origin.

Was he for real?

The answer is yes and no. Maximus Decimus Meridius is a fictional character, however he was a combination of real figures who lived during Marcus Aurelius time (April 26, 121 – March 17, 180), namely :

1. Gaius Avidius Cassius (ca. 130-July 175) – He had a distinguished military career under Marcus Aurelius during the Parthian War, capturing Seleucia and Ctesiphon, and managed to enter the Senate.

In the movie, Maximus had a distinguished military career as well under Marcus Aurelius, and managed to become a full scale general. Maximus became his emperor’s trusted favourite general , bodyguard, heir and successor.

2. Claudius Pompeianus - Roman general of emperor Marcus Aurelius. He married Aurelius’ daughter Lucilla and rose to the rank of senior senator in Rome before twice refusing emperorship for himself.

Pompeianus, a Syrian of lowly birth, served as a general in the Germanic wars under Marcus Aurelius. During this time he gave much support to the young Pertinax, who was later to become emperor for a brief time after Pompeianus himself refused to take the throne.

After Lucius Verus’ death in 169, Pompeianus married his widow Lucilla as her second husband.

In the movie, Maximus refused to accept the emperorship when it was offered by Marcus Aurelius. Maximus also had a “fling” with Lucilla.

3. Pescennius Niger - a Roman general. The name “Niger” means “black”, Niger born of an Italian equestrian family as is written in Cassius Dio’s Book 75 and described as a “black man” in some translations. Since the ethnic make-up of Italians during that era consisted of Indo-European and Etruscan stock it may imply simply skin tone rather than racial background.

Maximus was an equestrian. Remember Argento and Scarto?

Did Maximus really kill Commodus in the arena?

No. Commodus was killed by Narcissus, a pro wrestler whom he was employed as a wrestling partner and personal trainer by Commodus in order to train Commodus for his self-indulgent appearances in the Colosseum as a gladiator.

In the year 192 AD Narcissus was recruited by several senators, led by Praetorian prefect Quintus Aemilius Laetus, to assassinate the emperor (Commodus).

So that’s that. Feel free to ask question or comments.

“What we do in life echoes through eternity!” – Maximus Decimus Meridius