The May riots: Remembering the terror

The May riots: Remembering the terror

Tiarma Siboro and Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A group of human rights activists and victims have published a
book aimed at remembering the victims and recalling the terror
that stalked Jakarta during the 1998 May riots, one of the most
traumatic of the long list of events that have colored
Indonesia's history since independence.

The group hopes that the book will rekindle the interest of
the country's law enforcement agencies in the events given that
so little headway has been made in investigating what happened,
even after almost seven years.

"In the past four months, we have met with hundreds of
witnesses, who described the real situation on the ground during
the three days of unprecedented riots in the greater Jakarta area
in May 1998.

"Based on their testimony, we have come to the conclusion that
the riots were well-organized," said an activist from the
Indonesian Association for the Advocacy and Defense of Human
Rights (APHI), Raymond Simanjorang.

The May riots, which led to the fall of former authoritarian
president Soeharto, resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 people
and some 60 women, mostly ethnic Chinese, were gang raped or
subjected to other forms of sexual violence, according to a
report from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
Many buildings in various commercial centers in the capital and
surrounding areas were set on fire and looted.

But no one has been brought to book so far in connection with
the pogrom.

In the book, titled Reka Ulang Kerusuhan Mei 1998 (A
Reconstruction of the 1998 May Riots), the group identifies the
various places that were targeted by mobs during the
disturbances in Central, South, West, East and North Jakarta, and
some parts of Tangerang, Bekasi and Depok.

The book, which was launched in conjunction with the
anniversary of the riots, also describes how the mob violence
"was instigated by groups of unidentified men."

Hundreds of witnesses also testified that "the groups of
unidentified men were transported in trucks. They carried
jerricans filled with gasoline and instigated the mobs to loot
stores, locking in the owners and burning them alive."

The book also highlights the almost total absence of the
security forces on the ground when the disturbances were taking
place.

Documenting what happened during the riots and putting it down
on paper proved to be difficult, said Raymond, who explained that
many victims, especially those of ethnic Chinese descent, were
reluctant to talk about what had happened to them.

Raymond said that one chapter in the book was dedicated to the
terror experienced by the ethnic Chinese residents of the Mitra
Bahari apartments in Pluit, North Jakarta.

"Why can this country not find one single person who can be
held to account for the violence?," Raymond asked.

The book is the second of a planned trilogy. The first book,
titled Sebuah dokumentasi sejarah: menatap wajah korban
(Historical Documentation: Seeing the Victims' Faces) was
launched earlier last month.

The group is now in the process of finalizing the third book,
titled Kerusuhan May 1998: Kejahatan terhadap kemanusiaan (The
May 1998 Riots: A Crime against Humanity).

Lawyer and rights activist Albert Hasibuan urged the
government to fully investigate the riots to prevent any
repetition in the future.

"We must ascertain who was responsible for the anarchy. No
matter what verdict the ad hoc tribunal may hand down, someone
must be tried for these crimes," stressed Albert, a former member
of Komnas HAM who was involved in preparing an earlier report for
then president B.J. Habibie.

"The May riots resulted in massive destruction. They caused
material damage, physical damage and also moral damage. Dozens of
people of ethnic Chinese descent were forced to flee the country
following the anarchy," he said.

Albert added that vested political interests were the biggest
challenge facing a civilian administration in attempting to
uncover the truth behind the riots.