Pak Girijadi was a fresh graduate and working as a civil servant in a bank when he was arrested. He was identified by the regime because of his activities as a student activist while in university. He spoke of his time on Buru island as being in a "concentration camp" where they were forced to clear the forest and plant and manage plantations under the watch of the military. He was released in 1979 after being held for 14 years without trial.