in an october 1965 coup the army took power after making a false claim that the assassination of several senior generals was organized by the communist party of indonesia. this was the start of suharto's new order. this government was violently anti-communist. pramoedya was head of people's cultural organisation, a literary group connected to the indonesian communist party. so, the new order regime called him a communist and enemy of the state. during the violent anti-communist purge in 1965-66, pramoedya was arrested, beaten, and imprisoned by suharto's government. he was named a political prisoner. his books were banned and he was imprisoned without trial, first in nusa kambangan off the southern coast of java, and then in the penal colony buru in the eastern islands of the indonesian archipelago.