Gutted buildings bear witness to brutality of May 1998 riots<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A number of buildings burned and damaged in the
\nmid-May 1998 riots have been completely refurbished and are
\nreceiving customers.<\/p>\n
Such a scene can be seen in West Jakarta's busy Chinatown
\nGlodok area.<\/p>\n
But scores of other buildings remain as they were a year ago
\nafter the city was rocked by a massive uprising of its own
\nresidents in many locations.<\/p>\n
The building owners might have firm grounds for not removing
\nthe scars of the riots from their buildings, reasons such as the
\ncountry's poor economy and the uncertain political climate.<\/p>\n
But if one thing is for sure, it is that many people,
\nespecially domestic and foreign tourists, see the riot-torn
\nbuildings with their broken windows and burned facades as sights
\nthat testify to the brutality of rioters in the May 1998 mayhem,
\nin which thousands died and which caused losses totaling billions
\nof rupiah.<\/p>\n
Some of the \"testimony\" can still be seen in Cengkareng and
\nalong Jl. Daan Mogot, Jl. Hayam Wuruk and in Kalideres in West
\nJakarta, Cileduk and Cipete in South Jakarta, Klender in East
\nJakarta and Jl. Samanhudi and Jl. Gunung Sahari in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The city administration is, of course, unhappy with the
\nscenery.<\/p>\n
After making a round-the-city trip recently, Governor Sutiyoso
\nlikened the capital and its damaged buildings to a face full of
\nchicken pox marks.<\/p>\n
\"How will tourists be attracted to see the city if its
\ncondition is like this?\" Sutiyoso complained.<\/p>\n
Owners and employees of the destroyed buildings told The
\nJakarta Post recently that they would not restore the properties
\nanytime soon unless the country's political climate stabilized.<\/p>\n
They say they see no benefit in renovating at the moment
\nbecause they are afraid their properties could again become the
\ntargets of looting and vandalism during the electoral campaign
\nperiod between May 19 and June 4, or after the June 7 general
\nelection.<\/p>\n
\"My boss has decided to see how the political scene develops
\nfirst before renovating. So I think there will be no construction
\nwork for at least one year,\" said Darmawan, watchman of a
\nvandalized building on Jl. Hayam Wuruk in Central Jakarta. (ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gutted-buildings-bear-witness-to-brutality-of-may-1998-riots-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}