Residents of Jembrana village discover human bones allegedly belonging to victims of 1965 mass killings
The residents of East Tegal Badeng village in Bali’s Jembrana regency reportedly discovered human bones allegedly belonging to victims of the Indonesian mass killings of 1965 after digging up an old well earlier this week, following a series of “supernatural” events that the family living in the area claimed to have experienced.
According to reports from local media outlets, Kadek Suryawan from East Tegal Badeng village decided to dig the old well beneath his house after his daughter was allegedly possessed and began to ask for the well to be dug up.
“A few days ago my daughter was possessed, [she] started yelling, asking for the old well to be dug up and to take the bones for a proper funeral,” Suryawan told Kumparan.
Suryawan believes that the bones belonged to victims of the Indonesian mass killings of 1965, which had targeted party members of the long-banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
In 2003, Suryawan built a three-bedroom house on top of the old well, where he and his family has been living. Members of the family claimed to have fallen ill many times over the years, with instances of possession having taken place as well.
Suryawan’s older relative, identified as Ketut Suara, who claimed to have been a witness to the bloody anti-communist purge in the village, said that the old well was used to dump the bodies of about half a dozen victims, two of whom were Suara’s own relatives.
At the time of writing, authorities have yet to respond to the findings.
Related: Newly declassified files show US gov’t knew disturbing details about 1965 mass killings in Indonesia
