murdered); and another 40,000 are being hunted down. Bodies lie in unburied heaps by the roadside because no one dares. to bury them. In the really 'red' areas all the males have been killed and in several cases everyone over the age of 10 was slaughtered. The Army technique was to send in the paratroopers who enter the villages and demand that. the local communists be pointed out.::. ... If the headman refuses, they shoot him. If he agrees, the para-
troopers tell the other villagers that the one way they can prove they are not communists is to murder the communists -- which thereupon they usually do. The death toll for Bali as of late January .. was about 200,000. East Java is at least as bad. For Indonesia as a whole 500,000 is probably the minimun.
“. “Prominent left intellectuals are being murdered now. Ninetyfive per cent of the CC-PKI [Central Committee of the Indonesian Communist party] have been murdered; the others are being held for trial or are abroad."
-- International Socialist Journal
{[January—February 1966].
A SILENT PURGE IN THE ITALIAN CP APPARATUS
Rome
Following the last congress of the Italian Communist party, commentators did not fail to call attention to the fact that those who had supported. Ingrao and voiced a leftist orientation saw the size of their representation in the Central.Committee reduced, although that body was considerably enlarged, their weight in the leadership cut down, although that: body was likewise enlarged, besides having a certain number of leaders eliminated who stood out in the left itself because of their more radical attitudes.
Three months after the congress, the latest reports enable us to get a clearer idea of the operation which the winning group had in mind. What they wanted in particular was to assure the: ~ "homogeneous" character of at least the: central apparatus by lining it up completely. on the majority positions. Consequently they have been progressively eliminating from this apparatus a whole series of elements who favor Ingrdo or who at least are leftist opponents. The more, particular target. has been the nucleus at the center which played a cértain coordinating role for the left. during preparations for the congress.
Multiple pretexts are offered, varying according to the case (these go from charges of displaying a factional attitude. to accusa-— tions of sympathy for Trotskyism). But the aim is the same -- the bureaucratic center is seeking to reinforce its grip on power by leaving to the leftist elements only a minimum number of positions in the apparatus ‘that could not be eliminated without provoking repercussions in the party. and. public polemics.
The first victim was Rossana Rossanda, a militant in charge of the party's cultural sector who became the prime target of the bureaucratic Alicata, especially after the appearance of an article by her in which she rather openly criticized a series of Togliatti's conceptions. In reality Rossana Rossanda had been eliminated even
before: the congress and now she has even been officially transferred — to-a new, much less important function. (At the -sdme time she has . suffered real ostracism in her own federation, ‘the: Milan federation controlled by the "toughs.") — . a i. oo
Another well-known leader of the left, Iuigi Pintor, was also shifted from the central apparatus and sent to a peripheral regional committee, while Aniello:Coppola, a leader of -the left in Milan, was: relegated for the time being to a-completely subordinate function Om . the staff of the party's official weekly.
..The assistant editor:of the theoretical magazine Critica Marxista, Romano Ledda; “also lost his place, and he now has only an obscure role in an absolutely secondary regional committee.
Iuciano Barca, in charge of the commission for mass work on a national scale, has also been shelved. Ba
As for Iuciana Castellina and Ninetta Zandigiacomo, two militants of the left, they have likewise vanished from the central apparatus. and are now working in the women's organization. (Ninetta Zand teLacame hhad already been eliminated from the Central Committee.
Others. are awaiting. final disposition. They no longer hold their . former, posts. but, they have not been given anything new. At least in certain cases the buréaucratic center would like to reduce them.to such demoralization. as to resign spontaneously from the apparatus. Sg . -
_ There was.also a rather grave episode. Silvio Paolicchi, a former national . ‘leader of the. cqoperatives and a member of the Central Committee before the. congress (on several occasions he took the floor to make leftist. speeches), was not only eliminated from the central apparatus put - also layed | off as a permanent employee. The accusation against him is‘that he contacted leaders of the Italian section of ‘the Fourth International.
- Accusations of the same kind were levelled against Augusto Illuminati, former secretary of the Socialist Youth of Rome and a permanent employee of the central apparatus. At the congress of the Rome federation he came out for the left and was excluded from the slate of candidates. for the Federal :Committee after a sharp struggle. Tlluminati was also, laid off and it is rumored that he may face > expulsion. a ,
In addition, ‘a kind of offensive ‘has been launched even at, the level of the provincial . federations where Ingrao's partisans” hold a majority. For examplé, at Venice the secretariat has been' altered to give closer control over the secretary, who spoke in favor of Ingrao at the national congress. In other cases much greater caution is being displayed for the time being, but. the line is: absolutely ¢ clear.
Spe The designs- of the leading group’ are all the more dangerous inasmuch. as all this is occurring without any noise. There is little stirring behind the scenes and even those who are the targets of. the reprisals seen to be reacting in extremely feeble fashion. However}: the stakes are considerable, and not only” for the people in the Line of fire. ,
GERMAN UNIONS REJECT ANTIDEMOCRATIC LEGISLATION
- Frankfurt
“An important victory. was won. at the “seventh congress: of. the. German Confederation of Trade Unions [DGB] which: was held in Berlin May 9-14. Despite heavy pressure from the government, the mass. media, and: all. the’ ‘political parties, including the Social Democrats , the, delegates -+ by a vote of 251 to 182.-- refused to give up their — opposition to the projected “emergency laws" which would have con- ~ ferred dictatorial powers to the government in times of "tension."
The decision naturally saddened the bourgeois press. Complaints were registered that the unions, despite big wage increases and a shorter work week, are not willing to support the "free and liberal" state unless it is headed by a regime to their liking.
Without, doubt the attitude of the unions. will help stiffen. the. resistance of the Social Democratic party to. the proposed. _legislation, particularly, the (ugliest sections. : a ; .
Liibke , the ‘president of the German Federal Republic, appeared in person at the Berlin congress in hope of winning over the delegates. He: was received -with.boos -- the first time this has ever happened: ‘to the person holding. this sacrosanct office.
: The ‘outcome - of the, ‘pitterly.. debated issue must be weighed in the light. of the fact. that. the delegates were not only unionists 7 but members of the Social Democratic party -- many of . them holding | official positions (in municipal councils, the Tandtag, etc.) in both! organizations s:« . Doe, =
In a last minute maneuver, four Social. Democratic. menibers of parliament, who stand at the head of the Building Workers, Railway” Workers, Mine Workers,-and: Postal Employees and Workers unions, pressed for passage of a. resolution: calling for a special DGB con-. gress to decide on the question just before the "final draft" of ._ the legislation is presented for a..vote in parliament. Even this trick did not work.
“This means | ‘that for. the. ‘first time a serious rift has developed between union:officials and the heads of the.Social Democratic party. The question. of «dual toyal ty” can be settled only with great difficulty in: the long run. oe,
“Meany and. his. emissaries have been prodding the DGB to support the: U. Ss. war ini Vietnam. On the other hand’ there’ is a growing feeling of horror. among the German people over the U.S. war crimes. in Vietnam which: are: shown: quite: freely on television newscasts. Among union members. sentiment. is strong for withdrawing. the American troops” and letting the Vietnamese people decide for themselves. how they want to run their country. Caught between these pressures, the top union. : leaders passed an equivocal resolution calling on the German government to use its good offices to bring about a "peaceful settlement" in Vietnam. =
An encouraging change in attitude toward the workers states was registered at the congress. Resolutions were adopted to foster increased travel to countries like Poland and the USSR and to develop contacts with the trade unions there. With regard to East Germany, ‘however, the attitude will be determined in accordance . with. the outcome of talks scheduled for. July with the SED [Socialist Unity party -- the Communist party: of East + Germany! which were initiated by the Social Democrats. on
_ PROTESTS SAVE LIFE OF