Kesaksian Seorang Prajurit Komando Terpaksa Menangkap Kawan Sendiri

Testimony of a Commando Soldier, Forced to Capture His Own Comrades On the evening of October 2, 1965, after occupying Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, the Army Paracommando Regiment (RPKAD) was ordered by Kostrad Commander Major General Soeharto to withdraw. They were then ordered to search for the Army's top generals who had been kidnapped by the 30 September Movement (G30S/PKI) conspirators. Retired Lieutenant General Sintong Panjaitan, one of the historical figures in the operation to crush the 30 September Movement, recounts his testimony in the book "Sintong Panjaitan: The Journey of a Paracommando Soldier," written by Hendro Subroto. At the time, Sintong Panjaitan was a Second Lieutenant and platoon commander in Tanjung Company, RPKAD Battalion 3. Tanjung Company itself was led by Lieutenant Feisal Tanjung. In Hendro Subroto's book, Sintong Panjaitan recounts how he and his Red Berets were ordered to search for the generals kidnapped by the G30S/PKI conspirators. Sintong said the search operation for the kidnapped high-ranking officers and a first-ranking Army officer was focused on Lubang Buaya Village. However, the exact location was still unknown. The RPKAD intelligence team obtained the information from Second-ranking Police Agent Sukitman, who had previously been arrested by the G30S/PKI. At the time of his arrest, Sukitman was on patrol near the residence of Brigadier General D.I. Panjaitan in Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta. He was blindfolded, taken to an unknown location, and finally placed in a house he did not know the location of. After successfully escaping, he was finally brought before RPKAD Commander Colonel Sarwo Edhie Wibowo at RPKAD Headquarters in Cijantung. The house turned out to be located in Lubang Buaya Village, Pondok Gede District, Bekasi Regency. Based on Sukitman's information, First Lieutenant Feisal Tanjung was ordered to focus his operations in that area. Following the order from the Commander of RPKAD Battalion 1, on October 3, three platoons of Tanjung Company moved to search the sprawling Lubang Buaya Village. Sintong Panjaitan was assigned to secure a house used as a military training base for volunteers, as well as the surrounding area. First Lieutenant Feisal Tanjung ordered Sintong, "Tong, that's the training area for Pemuda Rakyat, BTI, Gerwani, and other PKI organizations. You check everything there, because that's where they were tortured. If they were killed, it was also around that place." Sintong ordered his men to thoroughly search the area. The other platoons did the same in their respective areas. A resident of Lubang Buaya Village, who happened to be in the area, told Sintong that there was a spot that looked like it had been recently dug and filled in. After the spot was dug up again, no signs of any bodies were found. He then pointed out another spot under a tree that had originally been a well, but it had been filled in and disguised. It was this loose soil that was then stepped on by Major CI Santosa, Commander of Yon 1 RPKAD. Sintong thought, "Maybe the victims we're looking for were thrown into that well." Sintong immediately ordered his men to dig. Members of Platoon 1 took turns digging. At a depth of about two meters, they found a pile of fresh leaves, banana tree trunks, and pieces of red, green, and yellow cloth. The pieces of cloth were similar to those used as markings by the 454th/Banteng Raiders Infantry Battalion from Central Java and the 530th/Raiders Infantry Battalion from East Java. One of the local residents offered to find someone who could help with the digging. They were people who usually dig graves. Sintong accepted the offer. After Platoon 1 had dug to a depth of four meters, four or five locals who usually dig graves came to help. The digging continued in turns between Platoon 1 members and the locals. After digging reached a depth of about eight meters, a foul odor began to develop in the well. Nevertheless, the digging continued. Shortly afterward, a villager who was digging screamed and demanded to be pulled up with a rope, unable to bear the smell that was irritating his breathing. A member of Platoon 1, who then entered the well, found a leg sticking out of the well. All the soil had been removed, and beneath it lay a body. Thanks to the help of local residents, RPKAD troops successfully located the bodies of the G30S/PKI kidnapping victims. Sintong immediately reported the discovery to Lieutenant Feisal Tanjung, who then passed the report to Major General Soeharto. #commando #kopassus #history