China concerned over Chinese-Indonesians
China concerned over Chinese-Indonesians
BEIJING (Agencies): China is "strongly concerned" over the
sufferings of Chinese-Indonesians victimized by looting and
alleged rape in Indonesia's May riots, Foreign Ministry spokesman
Tang Guoqiang said Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
China has repeatedly urged Indonesia to discover the facts
behind the riots accompanying democracy protests that forced the
resignation of then president Soeharto, Tang was quoted as saying
by the official Xinhua news agency.
"Steps need to be taken to avoid such misfortunes happening
again in the future," Xinhua quoted Tang as saying.
Indonesia should protect Chinese-Indonesians' legal rights and
personal safety, he added.
Tang said Chinese-Indonesians had contributed significantly to
the economic and social development of the country.
Critics charge that Indonesia's security forces did little to
stop rioters who targeted ethnic Chinese, resented for dominating
business in Indonesia, and looted their homes and businesses.
Women's rights activists claim 168 girls and women were raped
during the violence, most of them Chinese-Indonesians. Twenty of
the rape victims were murdered by their assailants, the groups
say.
Outrage over the May attacks has grown steadily among Chinese
worldwide, sparking protests outside Indonesia's representative
offices in Taipei and Hong Kong. Women organizations in Singapore
and Malaysia have also condemned the violence.
Indonesian President B.J. Habibie has formed an independent
commission to investigate the rapes, in addition to a general
investigation into the rioting and other human rights abuses.
In a separate report, the China Daily said Chinese Foreign
Minister Tang Jiaxuan raised Beijing's concern Tuesday with his
Indonesian counterpart, Ali Alatas, during a meeting in Manila.
China has carefully filtered media reports on the riots that
led to Soeharto's downfall and has treaded cautiously on the
subject of the attacks against ethnic Chinese.
China has rejected outside criticism of its uncompromising
handling of political protests and ethnic troubles. It is also
mindful of the anti-Chinese bloodbath in Indonesia in the 1960s
when tens of thousands of Chinese were killed, many because of
perceived connections to the radical communist movement of
China's then leader Mao Zedong.