KAMI (Indonesia)

File:KAMI KAPPI mass demonstration.jpg

Student demonstrations during the transition to the New Order, c. Template:Trim

The Indonesian Students' Action Front (Template:Langx), better known as KAMI, was a student organization founded and led by anti-communist university students in Indonesia.Template:Sfn The group was formed to spearhead the suppression of the Indonesian Communist Party, and the left-wing in general, following an abortive coup d'état attempt in 1965.Template:Sfn

Its core mainly consisted of Islamic, Catholic, and former Socialist Party youth groups.Template:Sfn Supported by the Indonesian National Armed Forces, KAMI staged political demonstrations opposing President Sukarno, thereby strengthening the position of general Suharto following the coup attempt. In january 1966, it released the Three Demands of the People which called for the dissolution of the communist party, a cabinet purge, and lower prices.Template:Sfn In much of its action, which included street marches and a campaign of pamphleteering, KAMI was supported by other similar groups, including high school students' front, the Indonesian Youth and Students Action Front, and a university graduates' front, the Indonesian Graduates' Action Front.Template:Sfn

Shortly after the killing of two student demonstrators outside the Presidential Palace in February 1966, Sukarno officially banned KAMI, however, this was ignored by the students and their supporters and backers within the military forces and the Indonesian National Police.Template:Sfn Ultimately, KAMI's protests led to the signing of the Supersemar which gave Suharto vast powers and led to the fall of Sukarno and the rise of the New Order.Template:Sfn Some former student activists were later feted by general Ali Murtopo, and became key figures in policy making and Golkar, the political vehicle of the regime.Template:Sfn In the 1970s, KAMI split between pro-government and anti-government groups. In 1973, the pro-government group became the core of the new Template:Ill.Template:Sfn

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