Saturday, October 24, 2015

Indonesian writers' festival forced to cancel events linked to 1965 massacre

Ubud Writers and Readers Festival pressured to call off panels, exhibition and screening linked to 50th anniversary of massacre of alleged communists

An event at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali in October 2013.

An event at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali in October 2013. Photograph: Ubud Writers and Readers Festival/AAP
The announcement by organisers on Friday was unprecedented in the 12-year history of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and signalled heightened sensitivities in Indonesia around the 50th anniversary of the mass killings, in which about 500,000 people died.

The festival’s founder and director, Janet DeNeefe, said she was “extremely disappointed” to cancel the events, which included three panels, an art exhibit and a book launch. 
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