Burned-out buildings remain a reminder of May 1998 riots
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Years after massive riots forced iron-fisted president Soeharto to resign in May 1998, many burned-out shop houses in Jakarta have yet to be restored, bearing witness to the full ferocity of one of the country's worst outbreaks of racial violence ever.
Most small traders and security guards in the affected commercial areas say that they have no idea where the owners are now or why they have not repaired the buildings.
"I don't know who owns this place," said Uni, who has converted a burned-out building on Jl. Lingkar Luar in West Jakarta into a Padang restaurant.
Although its walls are still standing, its doors and windows are missing.
Uni, who has been using the building for the last three years, said she did not know who owned the building or whether the owner was still alive, "but I pay Rp 350,000 (US$36.84) a month as a "rental" fee to security guards around here."
According to the Volunteer Team for Humanity, at least 2,244 people were killed in the riots, with the biggest number of deaths occurring in the Yogya Plaza department store in Klender, East Jakarta, where 288 looters perished.
The riots came hot on the heels of the killing of four Trisakti University students protesting against the Soeharto regime.
The disturbances saw many commercial centers in the capital, a city of around 10 million people, torched and looted, forcing many businessmen, mostly ethnic Chinese, to flee the country.
While most are believed to have returned to Indonesia, many are still living overseas.
Charred, deserted buildings are also still to be found along Jl. Daan Mogot and Jl. Kamal Muara in West Jakarta, and on Jl. Hasyim Ashari in Central Jakarta, as well as other parts of city.
There is no official data on the number of buildings damaged in the May riots but, according to the Volunteer Team for Humanity, thirteen markets, 2,479 shop-houses, 40 malls, 1,604 shops, 45 garages and 383 office buildings were damaged or destroyed in the riots.
The rioters also damaged or destroyed nine gas stations, eight public buses and minivans, 1,119 cars, 821 motorcycles and 1,026 private residences.
According to the team, the May riots resulted in losses of at least Rp 2.5 trillion (US$268 million).
Commenting on the deserted buildings, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) chairman M.S. Hidayat suggested that they might be owned by the government or problematic businessmen.
"Frankly speaking, I don't know why there are buildings that are still empty. Maybe they are owned by the government or businesspeople who are in trouble, or their ownership is disputed," Hidayat told The Jakarta Post.