Anti-Chinese Violence in Indonesia, 1996-1999

Abstract

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Revisiting the May 1998 Riots in Indonesia: Civilians and Their Untold Memories

“…However, from the end of February, the protests intensified in Jakarta and surrounding areas (Panggabean and Smith, 2011). The military government attempted to deflect popular anger by scapegoated Indonesia's ethnic Chinese community, accusing them of playing a role in the collapse of the economy, which then triggered popular anger (Coppel, 1983; Purdey, 2006). Although there was prior unrest in other cities, such as in Medan, the main riots were triggered in Jakarta by the military shooting of four student demonstrators on 12 May.…”

“…Although there was prior unrest in other cities, such as in Medan, the main riots were triggered in Jakarta by the military shooting of four student demonstrators on 12 May. Over the following two days, more than 1000 people were killed, an estimated 400 ethnic Chinese women and girls raped, and shops and homes belonging predominantly to Chinese Indonesians were looted and destroyed (Heryanto, 2000; Purdey, 2006). Within a week, Suharto had stepped down and the military government fell.…”

“…The most extensive academic study on these events was conducted by Purdey (2006), who argues that the May 1998 mass violence should be regarded as a systematic attack towards Chinese Indonesians. The brutality and large scale of the violence towards Chinese Indonesians during the riots, Purdey explains, should be seen as the climax of a much longer history of violence towards this ethnic minority.…”

The assemblage of inter‐ethnic marriages in Indonesia

“…For example, Carey (1984) documents tensions during the Java War of 1840 in which the Javanese army attacked Chinese communities in Ngawi. Scholars also highlight the more recent 1965 (Cribb, 2001) and 1998 anti‐Chinese violence (Purdey, 2006) as important markers of ongoing inter‐ethnic tensions. The rise of anti‐Chinese rhetoric during the 2017 Jakarta election and in the blasphemy case of Ahok (Chinese Jakarta Governor) also suggest that considerable tensions remain between pribumi (indigenous/native of the soil, such as Javanese) and non‐ pribumi Indonesians (Kuntjara & Hoon, 2020).…”

Pola Perubahan, Wacana, dan Tren Konflik Sosial di Indonesia

“…Untuk daerah Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Barat, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Aceh, Sulawesi Pusat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, and Papua Barat berasal dari NVMS atau SNPK; sementara Banten, Jakarta, Jawa Barat, Jawa Timur, Jawa Tengah, Riau, Nusa Tenggara Barat, dan Sulawesi Selatan berasal dari UNSFIR-2. Di luar wilayah konflik kekerasan tersebut, konflik kekerasan yang muncul dari adanya kerusuhan berskala besar juga terjadi di Jakarta pada pertengahan Mei mendahului lengsernya masa kekuasaan Suharto atau yang dikenal dengan berakhirnya rezim Orde Baru, dan kerusuhan (riot) anti-Cina di kota Medan dan Solo (Purdey, 2006). Setidaknya sejumlah 1.193 orang meninggal dunia di Jakarta sementara kerusuhan di kota Solo menyebabkan 33 orang tewas dan diperkirakan mengalami kerugian mencapai 457 milyar akibat kerusakan bangunan fisik (Panggabean & Smith, 2011).…”