The following article is a list of massacres that have occurred in Indonesia.
| Name | Date | Location | Deaths | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banda massacre | 7 March–late 1621 | Lontor, Maluku | 2,500–2,800 | Genocidal massacre of the Banda people by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) under Jan Pieterszoon Coen during the Dutch conquest of the Banda Islands. | |
| 1740 Batavia massacre | 9 October–22 November 1740 | Jakarta | 10,000+ | Pogrom of the Chinese community of Batavia by the VOC under Governor-General Adriaan Valckenier. | |
| Kuta Reh massacre | 14 June 1904 | , Aceh | 561 | Massacre of the inhabitants of Kuta Reh by the Korps Marechaussee te voet of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) under General Gotfried Coenraad Ernst van Daalen during the Aceh War. | |
| 1918 Kudus riot | 31 October 1918 | Kudus, Central Java | 10 | Pogrom of the Chinese community of Kudus by Javanese residents. | |
| 1942 Qantas Short Empire shootdown | 30 January 1942 | West Timor | 13 | The Corio, a Short Empire flying boat airliner, operated by Qantas, was shot down by Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service aircraft in the early days of the Pacific War during World War II off the coast of West Timor, Thirteen occupants were killed. Captain Aubrey Koch, along with another crewman and three passengers, swam to shore and were rescued. | |
| Laha massacre | February 1942 | Ambon, Maluku | 309 | Massacre of Australian and Dutch prisoners of war (POWs) by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) under General Takeo Itō during the Dutch East Indies campaign. | |
| Bangka Island massacre | 16 February 1942 | Bangka, Bangka Belitung Islands | 82 | Massacre of Australian and British nurses and POWs by the IJA following the Fall of Singapore. | |
| Balikpapan massacre | 24 February 1942 | Balikpapan, East Kalimantan | 78 | Massacre of Dutch civilians and POWs by the 56th Division of the IJA during the Dutch East Indies campaign. | |
| Pig-basket atrocity | 1942–1943 | Throughout the Indonesian Archipelago | Unknown | Killings of Allied POWs by the Japanese Kempeitai and the IJA under General Hitoshi Imamura during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. | |
| Pontianak incidents | 1943–1944 | Kalimantan | 20,000+[1] | Massacres of various Borneo demographies, in particular local ethnic Malay elites, by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. | |
| Bersiap killings | August 1945 – November 1947[2] | Throughout the Indonesian Archipelago | 3,500–30,000 | Revolutionary and intercommunal killings of Chinese, Europeans, Indos, Japanese, Minahasans, Moluccans, and other demographies by (fellow) native Indonesians during the Indonesian National Revolution; in particular between the surrender of Japan in August 1945 and the arrival of the Dutch military in March 1946. | |
| Bulu prison massacre | August 1945 | Semarang, Central Java | 200+ | Massacre of Japanese POWs by Indonesian revolutionaries during the Indonesian National Revolution. | |
| South Sulawesi campaign | 10 December 1946–21 February 1947 | South Sulawesi | 4,600–5,000 | Killings of Sulawesi civilians during the Indonesian National Revolution; 3,100–3,500 people killed by troops of the KNIL and the Korps Speciale Troepen (KST) under Captain Raymond Westerling, and approximately 1,500 people killed by Indonesian revolutionaries. | |
| 1947 Yogyakarta Dakota incident | 29 July 1947 | Ngoto, Bantul | 8 | ||
| Mergosono massacre | 31 July 1947 | Malang, East Java | 30 | Pogrom of the Chinese community of Mergosono by Indonesian revolutionaries during the Indonesian National Revolution. | |
| Rawagede massacre | 9 December 1947 | , West Java | 431 | Massacre of the inhabitants of Rawegede by KNIL troops under Major Alphons Wijnen during the Indonesian National Revolution. | |
| Rengat massacre | 5 January 1949 | Rengat, Riau | 400–2,600 | Massacre of the inhabitants of Rengat by KST troops under Lieutenant Rudy de Mey during the Indonesian National Revolution. |
| Name | Date | Location | Deaths | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kashmir Princess bombing | 11 April 1955 | off the Natuna Islands | 16 | The Air India Kasmir Princess (Lockheed Constellation) crashed into the sea near the Natuna Islands following a bomb explosion that killed 16 people. The aircraft was chartered by the government of the People's Republic of China to transport an official delegation to the Bandung Conference in Bandung. Possible suspects include a Kuomintang secret agent who used a bomb on the aircraft during its transit in Hong Kong, in an attempt to assassinate Zhou Enlai, who missed the flight. | |
| Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66 | October, 1965–March, 1966 | Throughout Indonesia | 500,000–1,000,000+ | ||
| East Timor genocide | 1975–1999 | East Timor (then under Indonesian occupation as the province of East Timor) | 100,000–300,000 | Indonesian genocidal massacre and state terrorism against the population of East Timor, from the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975–79 until the formation of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor in 1999. | |
| Malari incident | 15–16 January 1974 | Jakarta | 11 | Student protests against New Order government corruption, high prices, and financial inequality turn into violent riots and a pogrom of the Chinese community of Glodok. | |
| Petrus killings | 1983 and 1985 | Throughout the Indonesian Archipelago | 300 to 10,000 | Extrajudicial executions of thousands of criminals and other offenders (including alleged political dissents) by undercover Indonesian Army, death squads and secret police forces. | |
| Kraras massacre | August–September 1983 | , East Timor (then under Indonesian occupation as the province of East Timor) | 200+ | Massacre of the inhabitants of Kraras by the Indonesian Army in collaboration with local Hansip during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. | |
| Tanjung Priok massacre | 12 September 1984 | Jakarta | 24–100+ | Killings of Muslim residents of Tanjung Priok by the Indonesian military, who had been protesting earlier arrests of mosque caretakers. | |
| Santa Cruz massacre | 12 November 1991 | Dili, East Timor (then under Indonesian occupation as the province of East Timor) | 250+ | Killings of East Timorese pro-independence demonstrators by the Indonesian Army during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor | |
| Kingmi Church massacre | 31 May 1995 | Hoya, Central Papua | 11 | Killings of Papuan refugees on their way to mass at the Kingmi Protestant Church near Hoya, by the Indonesian Army during the Papua conflict.[3] | |
| 1996 Timika shooting | 15 April 1996 | Timika, Central Papua | 16 | Mass shooting of five Kopassus officers, six Indonesian military officials, and five civilians by Kopassus Second Lieutenant Sanurip at the Mozes Kilangin Airport. | |
| 1997 Banjarmasin riot | 23 May 1997 | Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan | 137+ | Attacks against Golkar supporters, local Chinese and Christians, and businesses by supporters of the United Development Party in the run-up to the 1997 Indonesian legislative election. | |
| 1998 Banyuwangi massacre | 1998 | Banyuwangi, East Java | 143 | A witchhunt in Banyuwangi against alleged sorcerers spiraled into widespread riots and violence. In addition to alleged sorcerers, Islamic clerics were also targeted and killed, Nahdlatul Ulama members were murdered by rioters.[4] [5] | |
| May 1998 riots of Indonesia | 4–8 and 12–15 May 1998 | Jakarta, Medan, Surakarta, and elsewhere | 5,000 | There were dozens of documented accounts of ethnic Chinese women being raped. Other sources note over 1,500 people were killed and over 468 (168 victims in Jakarta alone) were mass gang-raped in the riots. There is a possibility of 5,000 dead.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | |
| Biak massacre | 2–6 July 1998 | Biak, Papua | 40–150 | Massacre of Papuan pro-independence demonstrators of the Free Papua Movement by Indonesian military and police forces during the Papuan conflict. | |
| Sambas riots | 1999 | Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan | 3,000 | Malays and Dayaks joined to massacre the Madurese. Madurese were mutilated and killed with 3,000 of them died in the massacres, and the Indonesian government doing little to stop the violence.[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] | |
| Liquiçá Church massacre | 6 April 1999 | Liquiçá, East Timor (then under Indonesian occupation as the province of East Timor) | 200 | Massacre of East Timorese Catholics by pro-Indonesia militias, mainly Besi Merah Putih, during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. | |
| Manuel Carrascalão House massacre | 17 April 1999 | Dili, East Timor (then under Indonesian occupation as the province of East Timor) | 14 | Killings of East Timorese pro-independence figures by the pro-Indonesia Aitarak militia under Eurico Guterres during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. Guterres has led the Indonesian Laskar Merah Putih militia in Indonesian New Guinea since August 2003. | |
| Suai Church massacre | 6 September 1999 | Suai, East Timor (then under Indonesian occupation as the province of East Timor) | 200 | Massacre of East Timorese Catholics by the Indonesian Army, police, and the pro-Indonesia Laksaur militia during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. | |
| Walisongo school massacre | 28 May 2000 | Poso, Central Sulawesi | 165–191 | Massacre of Muslim residents in villages around Poso city by radical Christian militants during the Poso riots as part of the sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians in Central Sulawesi. | |
| Atambua UNHCR office attack | 6 September 2000 | Atambua, West Timor | 5 | Angered residents and pro-Indonesian militiamen stormed the UNHCR office in Atambua. The mob then killed three foreign UN aid workers who were shot and hacked to death, two Indonesians were also killed in the riot.[16] [17] | |
| Jakarta Stock Exchange bombing | 14 September 2000 | Jakarta | 15 | A car bomb exploded in the basement of the Jakarta Stock Exchange, triggering a chain of explosions in which a number of cars caught fire. Most of the dead were drivers waiting by their employer's cars. | |
| Christmas Eve 2000 Indonesia bombings | 24 December 2000 | Medan, Bandung, Batam, Ciamis, Mataram, Mojokerto, and Pekanbaru | 18 | Series of coordinated bombings of churches in Jakarta and eight other cities which killed 18 people and injured many others. | |
| Sampit conflict | 18–28 February 2001 | Sampit, Central Kalimantan | 500 | Massacre of Madurese migrants by Dayak natives, with violence later spreading throughout Central Kalimantan. | |
| Bumi Flora massacre | 9 August 2001 | Julok, East Aceh Regency, Aceh. | 31 | Dozens of TNI soldiers opened fire against workers of PT Bumi Flora, a rubber and palm oil plantation in East Aceh, killing 31 people, 7 injured and 1 missing.[18] [19] [20] [21] [22] | |
| 2002 Poso bus attacks | 5 June–8 August 2002 | Poso, Central Sulawesi | 7 | Bombings and a shooting targeting public transport in Poso, Central Sulawesi by radical Islamic militants as part of the sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians in Central Sulawesi. | |
| 2002 Bali bombings | 12 October 2002 | Kuta, Bali | 204 (including both bombers) | Coordinated bomb attacks occurred on in the tourist district of Kuta, Bali. The attack was the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia, killing 202 people, including 88 Australian citizens and 38 Indonesian citizens.[23] A further 209 people were injured. Various members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a violent Islamist group, were convicted in relation to the bombings, including three individuals who were sentenced to death. | |
| 4 April 2003 | around Wamena, Jayawijaya Regency, Papua | 53 | Following a raid on an Indonesian military armory which killed 2 soldiers, around 7,000 civilians were forcefully relocated and around 50 died. | ||
| 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing | 5 August 2003 | Jakarta | 13 | Suicide car bombing of the Marriott hotel. | |
| 2003 Aceh New Year's Eve bombing | 31 December 2003 | Peureulak, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam | 10 | A New Year's Eve concert in Aceh were bombed by suspected separatists. | |
| Australian Embassy bombing in Jakarta | 9 September 2004 | Jakarta | 11 (including the perpetrator) | A one-tonne car bomb, which was packed into a small delivery van, exploded outside the Australian embassy at Kuningan District, South Jakarta, at about 10:30 local time (03:30 UTC), killing 11 people including the suicide bomber, and wounding over 150 others. Jemaah Islamiyah claimed responsibility for the attack. | |
| 2004 Poso bus bombing | 13 November 2004 | Poso, Central Sulawesi | 6 | A bomb exploded on a minibus carrying Christians. | |
| 2005 Tentena market bombings | 28 May 2005 | , Central Sulawesi | 22 | Two bombs were detonated at an open air market frequented by Christians. | |
| 2005 Bali bombings | 1 October 2005 | Bali | 23 (including 3 perpetrators) | Three suicide car bombings target a resort and Kuta town square, places popular with western tourists. | |
| 2005 Palu market bombing | 31 December 2005 | Palu, Central Sulawesi | 8 | A butcher's shop that was frequented by Christians and sold non-Halal food was bombed. | |
| 2009 Jakarta bombings | 17 July 2009 | Jakarta | 9 | 9 people killed following the bombing of the JW Marriott Hotel and Ritz-Carlton. | |
| Tarakan riot | 27–29 September 2010 | Tarakan, North Kalimantan | 4 | A violent riot between native Tidung and migrant Bugis following the fatal mugging of a Tidung elder by Buginese youths; further escalation is avoided through a government-mediated peace agreement between the communities. | |
| Bloody Paniai case | 8 December 2014 | Paniai Regency, Central Papua | 5 | Killings of civilians protesting military misconduct by the Indonesian Army during the Papua conflict. | |
| 2016 Jakarta attacks | 14 January 2016 | Jakarta | 8 | Several explosions followed by gunfire occurred with a Starbucks and a police station appearing to be the main targets. The attack involved seven participants. | |
| 2018 Mako Brimob standoff | 8–10 May 2018 | Depok, West Java | 8 | Five police officers and one militant were killed and four others injured in a standoff between security forces and terrorists in a detention center. Hours after the end of the siege, an Islamic militant fatally stabbed a policeman at the police detention center before he was shot by another policeman. | |
| Surabaya bombings | 13–14 May 2018 | Surabaya and Sidoarjo | 28 | A series of terrorist attacks. The attacks killed 15 civilians, mostly churchgoers, and injured 57 others. 13 perpetrators also died as a result of the bombings. | |
| Nduga massacre | 1 December 2018 | Nduga Regency, Highland Papua | 20 | Massacre of 19 non-Papuan civilian workers and 1 Indonesian Army soldier by West Papua National Liberation Army fighters under Egianus Kogoya during the Papua conflict. | |
| 2019 Papua protests | 19 August–23 September 2019 | Throughout Indonesian New Guinea | 31–33 | Papuan protests throughout western New Guinea, fueled by an incident of racism in Surabaya and the ongoing Papua conflict, resulted in 5–7 civilian deaths in clashes in Deiyai Regency and 26 deaths from looting in Wamena and Jayapura. | |
| 2019 Indonesian protests and riots | 23 September–28 October 2019 | Throughout Indonesia | 5 | Mass protests by students in major Indonesian cities against new government legislation, resulting in the deaths of 3 protesters in Jakarta and 2 others in the Bloody September incident in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. | |
| Llaga killings | 20 November 2020 | Llaga, Central Papua | 4 | Killings of Papuan civilians by the Indonesian Army near the village of Llaga, two youths were shot one dying and the other only suffering injures, around an hour later one teen, one child and a civil servant were executed, during the Papua conflict.[24] [25] | |
| 27 November 2020 | , Palolo, Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi | 4 | Murder of a Christian family By Terrorist Group East Indonesia Mujahideen. Seven houses, including a house usually used as a place of worship for Christians, were burned.[26] [27] [28] | ||
| Bilogai Hospital incident | 16 February 2021 | , Papua | 3 | Torture and killing of three brothers by the Indonesian Army while two brothers were visiting their injured brother after he was shot during rioting, during the Papua conflict.[29] [30] | |
| Kalimango murders | 11 May 2021 | Napu Valley, Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi | 4 | Four farmers were killed by East Indonesia Mujahideen, The attack was said to be a revenge for the killing of two members of the group, including Santoso's son, two months prior.[31] [32] | |
| Nipuralome killings | 4 June 2021 | , Central Papua | 3 | the killings of Papuan civilians in the village of Nipuralome, where a man (village chief) and his wife were killed as well as another man being killed, during the Papua conflict. Beny Wenda accused the perpetrator to be the TNI and Polri.[33] [34] However the Cendrawasih Commands spokesperson claimed the perpetrators to be members of the separatist movement who attacked the Aminggaru Airport.[35] On 27 May 2022, one of the perpetrators, Lerinus Murib, member of Bumunggur and Titus Murib of TPNPB Kodap III was shot dead by Damai Cartenz Task Force.[36] | |
| 25–27 January 2022 | Haruku Island, Maluku | 3 | A customary land dispute between two villages leads to a violent riot; local leaders deny religious conflict, despite different religions between the communities.[37] | ||
| Telkomsel BTS tower shooting | 2 March 2022 | Beoga, Central Papua | 8 | Killings of civilian workers at a Telkomsel telecommunications facility by West Papua Liberation Organization fighters during the Papua conflict. | |
| Nogolait shooting | 16 July 2022 | Nogolait, Highland Papua | 11 | Killings of non-Papuan and Papuan residents of Nogolait by West Papua National Liberation Army fighters under Army Tabuni, Egianus Kogoya, and Yotam Bugiangge during the Papua conflict. | |
| Timika killings | 22 August 2022 | Timika, West Papua | 4 | Killings of alleged OPM members by the Indonesian Army, who were attempting to buy weapons from the soldiers; they were shot, dismembered and their bodies stuffed in sacks and thrown in the Pigapu River, during the Papua conflict.[38] | |
| 12 November 2022 | Kai Besar, Maluku | 2 | A customary land dispute between two Catholic Kei villages and a Muslim Banda village leads to a violent riot; religious conflict is denied by local leadership.[39] | ||
| 2023 Wamena riot | 23 February 2023 | Wamena, Highland Papua | 12 | A violent riot between Papuan residents of Sinakma, Wamena and Indonesian security personnel following the arrests of two Batak merchants on suspicion of child kidnapping during the 2023 Indonesian child abduction scare. | |
| Brazza River killings | 14 September 2023 | Brazza River, Papua | 5 | During clashes in the Dekai district, members of Yotam Bugiangge KKB group, Wosak Battalion, part of Kodap Nduga-Darakma under Egianus Kogoya were killed by the Indonesian Army near the Brazza River after fleeing from Nduga.[40] | |
| Jagakarsa child killings | 6 December 2023 (bodies found) | Jagakarsa, Jakarta | 4 | A father of four children Panca Darmansyah (41)[41] beats his wife to the extent that she had to be hospitalized. Subsequently, he was reported to the police and summoned to the police station but refused, citing the reason of 'taking care of the children.' Later, he killed his four children between the possible dates of 3–6 December. The lifeless bodies of the four children were discovered lined up in their bedroom, while their father was found in the bathroom, covered in blood with cut wounds on both wrists (possibly attempting suicide after committing the murders) on 6 December.[42] [43] [44] [45] |