Soeharto dead

One of the worst mass murderers of the 20th century, according to this report in today's SMH.

From the report:

"In terms of numbers killed," a CIA report noted, "the anti-PKI (Indonesian Communist Party) massacres in Indonesia rank as one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century, along with the Soviet purges of the 1930s, the Nazi mass murders during the Second World War and the Maoist bloodbath of the early 1950s." In his three decades in office, Soeharto uttered not one word of apology or regret for this slaughter.

Nor, for that matter, did Australia utter a word of protest. At a time when US and Australian combat forces were being sent to fight communism in South Vietnam, officials in Canberra were quietly pleased that the Indonesian army, aided by Muslim vigilantes, was "eliminating" the local communist party. Their only concern, declassified Foreign Affairs cables show, was that Soeharto and his generals might not have the stomach to complete the task.

He was a bad man. And the Australian government did not serve us well in relation to him.