National Scene 1997

National Scene 1997

Photo A/B/C: Drought

JP/leo, Reuters, Special

HOT AND DRY: It was a long, hot dry season this year as Indonesia
experienced failed harvests and widespread forest fires. A man
walks over parched earth in Wonosari, Yogyakarta, after
collecting grass (photo far left). In Kalimantan and Sumatra,
hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest and land caught fire
causing a choking haze to envelop much of Indonesia and
neighboring countries. Military officers (photo left) help put
out a brush fire in Sumatra. As the western part of Indonesia
dealt with the fires, provinces in the eastern part of the
country were hit with food shortages as a result of the severe
climatic conditions. More than 600 people died in Irian Jaya due
to drought-related diseases. Children were the most vulnerable
(left) as a combination of lack of food and diarrhea hit several
regencies in the province.

Photo D/E/F: Ravage

JP/afs, JP, JP/30

RAVAGED TIMES: Unrest became another unwanted feature this year
as a series of riots rocked various cities. A National Human
Rights Commission member (above photo walking in dark suit)
examines the carnage of a riot in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan,
where at least 123 people were killed. Meanwhile, only rubble
remains at a shattered market in Pontianak, West Kalimantan,
(photo above right) after tensions between Madurese and Dayak
groups flared up resulting in hundreds of reported deaths and
massive property damage. Separately, in September, an anti-
Chinese shook the city of Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, for three
days (photo right).

Photo G: Bank

JP

DON'T BANK ON IT: A crowd gathers in front of the Bank Harapan
Sentosa building in West Jakarta after the government closed it
down. Sixteen banks were forced to close and liquidate their
assets in November after the government received a bailout
package from the International Monetary Fund.

Photo H/I: Crash

JP/leo, Antara

PONDERING THE REMAINS: Two major air crashes occurred this year.
On Sept. 26, a Garuda Indonesia A-300-B4 airplane crashed shortly
before it was to land at Polonia Airport in Medan, North Sumatra
(below). All 234 on board were killed. Less than a two weeks ago,
a Boeing 737-300 of Singapore's SilkAir airlines plunged into an
estuary of the Musi River in South Sumatra. Search teams have
found few remains of the plane and no intact bodies have been
found. Families and friends have little to go by except body
parts and discovered identity cards to identify their loved ones
(photo left). The cause of both accidents is still being
investigated.

Photo J/K: Accidents

JP, JP/bay

ACCIDENT PRONE: It seemed that 1997 was a year filled with
accidents. Air crashes alone accounted for five accidents, taking
the lives of 421 people. One of these was a CN-235 plane which
crashed at Gorda Airbase, West Java, killing six people (above
right). Human error and negligence accounted for many of the
lives lost on Indonesia's streets. Thirty-two people died when an
intercity bus collided with a dump truck at the Cakung-Cikunir
toll road, East Jakarta, on Sept. 15 (right).