About the Troops Used for the Movement
About the Troops Used for the Movement
: Before, you said that, to carry out the movement that later was named the September 30th Movement, six combat battalions were readied. Is that correct?
a: Yes. : What were those six battalions?
a: From Cakrabirawa and Infantry Brigade 1. : From Cakrabirawa how many battalions?
a: One company. From Infantry Brigade 1, one battalion, and one from P3. : What is P3?
a: Pasukan Pembela Pangkalan [Airbase Defense Troops] of the air
force. One battalion. Then there were two combat companies. And then there was 530 and 454. And one battalion of volunteers.
: Before you said that Battalion 530 was from where?
a: East Java. : And 454 from where?
a: Central Java. : You were in Jakarta. How did you assemble those battalions? a:
I didn’t intentionally assemble them—I happened to be able to assemble them. Those two battalions happened to be assigned to Jakarta for Armed Forces Day [October 5]. And because we saw that this was a force we could use, we took advantage of the opportunity.
: You said it wasn’t intentional. I don’t quite understand. Why was
it just an accident that you happened to assemble two battalions? How was that, please explain, how?
a: Actually, one month before Armed Forces Day there was the news
that those two battalions, that is, the Raiders from East and Central Java, would be used for Armed Forces Day in Jakarta. Then we did some research into those two units. After that we
Appendix 2 t 257
thought that we could use them, and so we exploited the opportunity for using the troops, for reinforcing the troops, we had in Jakarta for the movement. So it wasn’t intentional—it was an accident because they happened to be assigned to Jakarta, and we, taking advantage of that, determined that we could invite them to join the movement.
: You said that it was one month before. When was that?
a: Around September tenth to fifteenth, we received the news that 530 and 454 would be assigned to Jakarta. : About September tenth to fifteenth, 1965, you heard the news that
those two battalions would be assigned to Jakarta. Who did you hear that from?
a: From East Java and Central Java. : More exactly from the Special Bureau?
a: From the Special Bureau in East Java and the one in Central Java. : How exactly did the news go?
a: It was that Battalion 530 from East Java was assigned to join the ceremonies of October 5 and that it would leave for Jakarta. : That’s it?
a: Yes. : There was no analysis or evaluation of the battalion? a:
I kept asking about the status of the battalion and was answered that it was a force that could be used for the movement. : Who answered you?
a: The Special Bureau in East Java. : For East Java, who was that?
a: Hasim. : And for Central Java, who was that?
a: Salim. : Did you ever receive a report that these battalions had been
approached by the Special Bureau branches in the provinces?
a: Yes.