Freedom or death

Episode of Series “Riding the tiger”.
Indonesia has one of the most militarised and organised populations in the world. From a very young age Indonesian civilians undertake training in various forms of youth groups, neighbourhood councils etc. which are all linked to the military government. In this episode the strength and power of the military is traced back to the feudal roots of Indonesia; to the resistance movements against the Dutch colonisers; the role of the Japanese army in training the Indonesians; and the underground resistance of the late 1940s which overthrew first the British occupiers of the country, then the returning Dutch administration.