Gutted buildings bear witness to brutality of May 1998 riots

JAKARTA (JP): A number of buildings burned and damaged in the mid-May 1998 riots have been completely refurbished and are receiving customers.

Such a scene can be seen in West Jakarta's busy Chinatown Glodok area.

But scores of other buildings remain as they were a year ago after the city was rocked by a massive uprising of its own residents in many locations.

The building owners might have firm grounds for not removing the scars of the riots from their buildings, reasons such as the country's poor economy and the uncertain political climate.

But if one thing is for sure, it is that many people, especially domestic and foreign tourists, see the riot-torn buildings with their broken windows and burned facades as sights that testify to the brutality of rioters in the May 1998 mayhem, in which thousands died and which caused losses totaling billions of rupiah.

Some of the "testimony" can still be seen in Cengkareng and along Jl. Daan Mogot, Jl. Hayam Wuruk and in Kalideres in West Jakarta, Cileduk and Cipete in South Jakarta, Klender in East Jakarta and Jl. Samanhudi and Jl. Gunung Sahari in Central Jakarta.

The city administration is, of course, unhappy with the scenery.

After making a round-the-city trip recently, Governor Sutiyoso likened the capital and its damaged buildings to a face full of chicken pox marks.

"How will tourists be attracted to see the city if its condition is like this?" Sutiyoso complained.

Owners and employees of the destroyed buildings told The Jakarta Post recently that they would not restore the properties anytime soon unless the country's political climate stabilized.

They say they see no benefit in renovating at the moment because they are afraid their properties could again become the targets of looting and vandalism during the electoral campaign period between May 19 and June 4, or after the June 7 general election.

"My boss has decided to see how the political scene develops first before renovating. So I think there will be no construction work for at least one year," said Darmawan, watchman of a vandalized building on Jl. Hayam Wuruk in Central Jakarta. (ind)