Pogrom

Eleven years ago this month, Indonesia witnessed a barbaric, cruel, inhuman and merciless pogrom committed against its Chinese minority that was carefully and deliberately planned and orchestrated by government and military leaders. The same country today is busily trying to teach others the supposedly real meanings of human rights. They even deemed others as incompetent to be regarded as civilised nations. Indonesia's 1998 attacks against its minority were not an isolated incident that was sparked by currency speculators. Previously, the country had seen such incidents happening on and off, like clockwork, in many parts of the country, including in urban areas like Medan and in remote towns in the rural interior. Minority Chinese were referred to as 'aliens' and as such, not regarded as rightful citizens. Starting from the late 1950s and into the 1960s, minority Chinese were the focus of many discriminations, riots and murders. The fact that the Chinese were among the most submissive of the many minorities in the republic did little to assuage the constant anger and hatred directed against them. In 1959, the Indonesian government passed a law 'outlawing' so-called aliens from doing or carrying out business or trade in rural areas of the country.( BTW, this was not the first one). The passing of this law resulted in sporadic but widespread anti-Chinese violence that included much looting and arson. Much of the violence took place on the main island of Java. After murders, including 'executions' began to be carried out for 'failing' to obey the law, many people of Chinese descent fled to other parts of the republic (Medan and elesewhere in Sumatra). However, about 100,000 decided to leave everthing behind and flee the country altogether and the Chinese government actually sent ships to pick them up. Transport ships, not naval carrier taskforce fleets. In 1965, an attempted but unsuccessful coup staged by the PKI gave the Indonesian army the chance to seize power from the then prevailing government in Jakarta. Upon seizing power, the army generals started looking for scapegoats to justify their actions, and in the process, about 1 million to 1.5 million people lost their lives. Many of them were Chinese minorities, with entire families massacred right inside their own homes. The one general who emerged from the power grab was Suharto, and he had the active and participative support of the US. The American embassy in Jakarta supplied him with a long list of names, allegedly 'members' of the PKI and these had to be eliminated. The process of 'eliminating' or 'cleaning' Indonesia of these undesirable elements dragged on until mid-1966. Therefore, from late 1965 to mid-1966, Indonesia was involved in an unprecedented bloodbath, almost in every sense of the word. So much for teaching others about 'human rights'.

Wholesale slaughters were carried out, especially in the late evenings (nights) and their bodies were disposed of in drains and rivers. Anyone could be accused of being 'PKI' and that was enough for any innocent person to embrace death. There was no law, as the only law was the one sanctioned by the military: eliminate the PKI and their alleged 'supporters'. The killings were concentrated in Java, but other areas were also affected but on a relatively smaller scale. Sumatra and Kalimantan also saw anti-Chinese violence incuding acts committed by local inhabitants previously unaffected by racial sentiments. At the end of the mindless bloodletting, the Chinese minority had put in its 'share' of about one third or more of the fatalities. In 1968 Suharto became the officially elected President. He was to stay in power for the next thirty years. A man whose hands were fully stained with the blood of innocent people. He put his relatives and close supporters in important posts in his government as well as in the army and that was to spell big trouble for the minorities in the republic in the future. In 1997 the Asian currencies got into a deep financial mess due to reckless speculative activities and the Asian countries started experiencing very severe economic chaos. There was big trouble in the streets and loud noised were made for leaders to step down. By the beginning of 1998 the currency was almost worth next to nothing. In May 1998 students demonstrated in the streets of Jakarta against the government. Shots were fired and one or two students were killed. Their funerals later were used as the excuse to initiate a riot with people attacking the police and setting vehicles and buildings ablaze. At almost the same time, or just very shortly afterward, elite Indonesian army soldiers spread the word to turn the attack against the government into one targeting the Chinese minority. Chinese-owned shops and businesses were looted and set on fire. At the same time, Indonesian commandos from the unit led by the President's son-in-law carried out attacks against women in an apparently well-organised operation and the damage was done. Riots specifically targeting Minority Chinese quickly spread to other parts of the country for the next two days. The acts did not die afterward but were still carried out much later. There were stories that some people were responsible for unexplained 'unnatural happenings' ( believed to be the work of the army) and many innocent people were set alight and burned to death. Many were killed solely due to their skin colour. Chinese-owned houses were burned to the ground on the slightest excuse, be it a road accident or a careless stare. More than a thousand people lost their lives. Some fled to Singapore and these were targeted by the Indonesian authorities who confiscated all their money they had with them in forced body searches. A first hand account of the horrors can be found in many papers of the time, including an NST article of June 23 1998 page 19.

The article listed the number killed at 1,188 at the minimum. A quote from the article: '.. the Chinese - who are the most vulnerable - have become an object or victim.' The Chinese have certainly suffered very much more than anyone could ever ask from them and they mostly submitted meekly to their tormentors most of the time and fled when they could no longer bear it. There were no massed protests and no objections to the organised discriminations carried out against them. Yet Indonesia is quick to lecture others about 'democracy' and 'human rights'. People need to be aware that even today, many anti-Chinese regulations are still in place in that republic. People of Chinese descent still can be ruled ineligible for social aid and many other forms of discriminations are still practised today. Even as the Indonesian government tries to teach others a thing or two about enlightenment. Many other societies and nations with very peaceful records are today most reluctant to lecture others. Those who frequently violate the innocent and do harm most of the time are rather quick to 'teach' others. Sheer undiluted hypocrisy. The same over here.