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.