TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A total of 131 members of Aremania—as supporters of the Arema FC soccer club are known—lost their lives in the Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang, East Java. They died in the crush or through suffocation after police and military personnel fired tear gas at the end of the game against Persebaya on the evening of October 1, after some supporters ran down to the field.
A week after the incident, not a single game official, police officer or All-Indonesia Soccer Association (PSSI) official has offered their resignation. President Joko Widodo even expressed gratitude that international soccer federation FIFA is not planning to sanction Indonesia. The independent team investigating the killings has named six suspects.
We agreed to refer to these deaths as a massacre. There was no logical reason for the police to fire repeated volleys of expired tear gas into the seating area. The police claim they were preventing spectators from entering the field cannot be accepted. Why? Because the only people there were Arema supporters. The Persebaya players were already in the changing room. There was no one on the field for Aremania to target their anger against.
And even in the seating area, the spectators were doing nothing wrong. But why were the police and soldiers angrily beating anyone who passed near them? The tear gas caused the supporters to panic and rush for the exit gates, which were locked.
There are many more facts that we uncovered after a week in Malang. We sent three teams to find out what really happened at Kanjuruhan that night. We wanted to know if the police had the skills and standards to manage soccer supporters.
We also wanted to determine who was to blame by examining the facts. If the police or the investigating team are unable to find these people, we will help explain matters in the context of what happened on the ground. Enjoy the magazine. No soccer game is worth people losing their lives.
Mustafa Silalahi
Main Editor
Deadly Expired Tear Gas
How were the police negligent at Kanjuruhan Stadium? Read our findings.
A Sketch in a Cracked Frame
The story of a teenager who died in the crush at an exit gate. Also, witness accounts from those who helped dying people.
Rumors from an Ice Vendor
There are still people trying to distort the facts related to the Kanjuruhan massacre.
Evading FIFA Sanctions
Why did FIFA not impose sanctions on Indonesia? How did the Indonesian government lobby the federation?
Tips to Prevent Pitch Invasion
How do the police handle supporters in soccer games overseas?
Interview with the PSSI Chair
Why is he blaming other people instead of offering to resign?
Editorial
Slaughter in Kanjuruhan
What are the proofs of police negligence?
NATIONAL
The Presidential Candidate Rush
Finding a Running Mate
Who are the perspective vice-presidential candidates that will run alongside Anies Baswedan?
A Brake Failure on the Formula E
Is it true that Anies Baswedan was involved in the Formula E corruption?
Interview with Anies Baswedan
How will he shake off the impression that he is the “father of identity politics”?
Editorial
The Impact of Anies Baswedan’s Candidacy
What will be the impact of Anies running for the presidency in 2024?
ECONOMY
Failure to Spark
PLN cancels its electric stove transition plan following public uproars. Is there any political pressure behind it?
Interview with PLN CEO Darmawan Prasodjo
PLN will redesign the LPG-to-electric stove conversion program after it is canceled this year. The company claims to have a strategy to resolve electricity oversupply.
Editorial
The Wrong Decision about Gas Stoves
The government cancels the gas-to-electric stoves conversion program. The endeavor to save state funds is waylaid by political image saving.
ENVIRONMENT
Banned by Data
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry banned five foreign researchers, accusing them of panting bad image of the ministry. It started from disparaging data on the orangutan population.
Why Indonesian Conservation Needs Independent Science
The system of open, transparent, and independent science is being undermined in Indonesia. What the country needs in the current biodiversity conservation crisis is the best information possible, not an alternative reality.
Editorial
The Anti-Science Minister
Barring the entry of five foreign researchers underline the anti-science and anti-criticism stance of Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya. This is a danger for the environment.
https://magz.tempo.co/read/opinion/39788/how-environment-and-forestry-minister-siti-nurbaya-k
