Chinese-Indonesians stream into Padang with fears of unrest
PADANG, West Sumatra (JP): Hundreds of Chinese-Indonesians, worried about being targeted in another bout of racial riots in Jakarta and Medan, have been arriving in this province.
Their numbers have been on the rise over the past week. Hotels in Padang and the cool holiday resort of Bukittinggi have reported a dramatic surge in occupancy rates.
Idham Radjo, owner of Maninjau Indah Hotel, said rooms started filling up a week ago.
"The surge bewildered me at first, but then I realized that they were frightened people seeking a safe place to stay during the campaigning," he said.
West Sumatra Police chief Col. Dasrul Lamsuddin, who has closely watched the influx of Chinese-Indonesians, said on Saturday he had recorded more than 700 people coming from Jakarta and Medan.
The minority ethnic Chinese have in the past been targeted in times of hardship. The latest big anti-Chinese riots broke out in major cities across the country in May last year.
Dasrul said the authorities had taken all necessary measures to protect Chinese-Indonesians seeking a safe haven in West Sumatra.
"They will get protection like any other Indonesian citizens in the province," he told journalists.
In case unrest cannot be prevented, the authorities have prepared three large halls to accommodate them.
"I believe that rioting is very unlikely to occur in West Sumatra given that the Minang (West Sumatra natives) have no racist sentiments. They accept migrants," Dasrul said.
West Sumatra is the proud home of the Love Friends Association, which promotes racial harmony.
Association chief Ferianto Gani expects "thousands" more Chinese-Indonesians to come to West Sumatra if the authorities are able to prove that the area is indeed safe.
Ferianto said West Sumatra is a good choice because it is safe and living costs are relatively low. For example, in the Maninjau Lake tourist resort, one can rent a homestay room for Rp 5,000 per night and even less for a longer stay.
"Going to West Sumatra is certainly better than going overseas," he said. "Chinese-Indonesians are accepted here because they mingle with locals. Many of them speak the Minang dialect."
Discrimination
On a related issue, the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP) promised in the West Kalimantan capital of Pontianak on Saturday that it would scrap all laws that discriminate against ethnicity and religion.
For example, Law No. 14 of 1967, a legacy of the authoritarian New Order regime, explicitly discriminates against people of Chinese descent and people from eastern provinces, said Usman Effendy Yong Kiem Sang, an executive of PPP's West Kalimantan chapter.
The law bans, among other things, the use of Chinese characters and language in public. It prohibits Chinese- Indonesians to perform cultural events.
"If such laws are maintained, religious and ethnic conflicts will only worsen," he said. (28/pan)