Another Side of Riot (1) Brutality, Abuse and Killing

The May 14 riot left such an acute trauma on the Indonesian ethnic Chinese community.  Those rioters  not only looted property, burned buildings and houses, but they also committed horrific sex crimes. Rapes took place in many areas. Girls were raped in front  of their own parents, wives in front of their husbands. And as though those were not  enough, in the district of West Jakarta, a father was forced to rape his own daughter. 

To this day, the father is still mentally unstable. A private bank in North Jakarta was attacked by 10 mobsters, said Ita Nadia, an activist that handles the rape cases, to Radio Nederland. Upon entering the  bank, those attackers instructed all Chinese employees to  do a strip dance. 

One of the sources in TEMPO Interaktif, called Andre, said that one of the Chinese girls who was forced  to strip-dance before she was raped on May 14, is now being treated in the Mental Hospital in Mangga  Besar (district of West Jakarta). The girl is now mentally  ill and has lost decency in her speech. She  often screamed "I want to dance naked, I  want to dance naked" and started to dance. 

TEMPO Interaktif who tried to investigate these cases met with some difficulties. Generally the victims were too traumatized to talk. "To meet face-to-face with the victims is xtremely difficult" some sources were quoted as saying. After painstaking search, we managed to find one source who was willing to share their torment, through the help of a  friend of the father's victim, named Thomas. 

According to Thomas, the victim was willing to share their story on condition of anonymity. TEMPO Interaktif and Thomas were then headed to their house in North Jakarta. Based  on their observation,  the subdivision is located in a remote and less-traveled area not  served by public transport. That led  them to believe that it took time to mobilize the  mobsters to the target place. It is a quiet neighborhood. "Some houses are empty,"  Thomas commented. He said that those empty houses have been sold, but  the new owners are still too afraid to move in. Others have been abandoned by the owners, and they  seek temporary shelters with their relatives in a safer place. Some even went as far as  Singapore.  After awhile, we finally arrived in front of a nice house. The house does not  seem to be well taken care  of and looks very quiet. 

A few people live in that house. A middle-aged woman opened the door. After waiting a  few minutes, a middle-aged man, named Edwin, came to greet us. He was without  expression. Thomas introduced  TEMPO Interaktif to him. When Thomas told him that  TEMPO Interaktif came to investigate the story  of his daughter's rape, Edwin covered his face with both hands. He was visibly shaking and started  screaming out loud," Savage..........savage....., why my daughter. What did we do wrong. What is our fault."  He  continued screaming and went back into his room. "Sorry, he is still in great pain," said  Thomas. 

According to the house-maid, Mr. Edwin often screams in the middle of the night. At times, he scolded  and screamed for help. He seldom eats, only drinks water most of the times, told the housemaid to  TEMPO Interaktif. So, what happened to his daughter that caused him so much agony? Unclear. We  were unable to obtain Edwin's own account  needed to shed some lights on the perpetrators. 

Based on reliable sources, called Joko, Edwin was so distressed because his daughter was raped in front  of him for hours on May 14, 1998. He went on to say, that on that day, very early in the morning, Edwin  went to Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta. When he heard that a big riot was about to break out, he immediately went back home. He was worried about his high-school daughter. When he arrived, he saw his daughter  and his other children safely home. He warned his children not to go out, because there was a mob of rioters on the rampage. 

Shortly thereafter, the mob started gathering in front of their house. They started  screaming.  "That house belongs to the Chinese. That house belongs to the Chinese". As though some houses in  that area have been targeted for attack, only those owned  by the Chinese. 

A number of men stormed into the house, and ransacked everything in it. They beat up  Edwin and tied  his legs and arms. Others held his daugther, brutally took her clothes off.  They then gang-raped that helpless girl. This entire tragedy took place before her father's very eyes. Edwin could only begged and  cried. He repeatedly offered those attackers some money, but that offer only met with violence. Edwin  was kicked around until he became unconscious. 

He didn't know what happened to his wife and his other two kids who hid on the second  floor. Unaware  of who may have helped him, Edwin realized the following day that he was at the hospital. His wife and the two kids were safe, but they were also sent to the hospital. His daughter who was brutally gang-raped, is  still being treated at one of the  hospitals in Central Jakarta. And to this day, Edwin has not recovered mentally. 

Translated to English by: D. Kadirun 

Preface 

Here I post a victim's account of the May tragedy. The original is in Indonesian, and I did the English translation (forgive some awkwardness in it). Spread the word around and let the world know what really happened. 
 

Beginning of the account 

My name is Vivian (not my real name), I am an 18-year old girl. I have a younger sister and a brother,  our family live in an apartment. 

At 9.15 am, a huge crowd had gathered around the apartment. They screamed, "Let's  butcher the Chinese!", "Let's eat pigs!", "Let's have a party!" We lived on the 7th floor, and we got a call from a  family who lived in the 3rd floor that the crowd had reached the econd floor. They even chased some occupants upstairs. We were all very frightened.  In our fright, we prayed and left everything in God's  hands. Afterward, we left our room and went upstairs to the topmost floor, as it was impossible to go downstairs. We got to the 15th floor, and stayed there with one of our acquiantances. 

Not long afterward, we were surprised because there were some of the crowd coming out of the  elevator right before we entered the room. We hurried into the room and locked the door tight. At  that time, we heard them knocked the other rooms' doors loudly, and there were  screams from  women and girls. The room was filled with fear. We realized that they would come to us. So we spread throughout the room and hid in corners. Inside, we could heard girls, whose age around 10-12,  screaming, "Mommy... Mommy..." "Mom... Mom... it hurts.." 

That time I didn't know what was happening. After about half an hour, the noise diminished, and we had  some guts to go out and check. It was indescribable. A lot, some of them girls, young girls, lied on the  floor. "O my God, what has happened?" Seeing all of this, my little sister, Veny, screamed histerically  and hugged his father. Tears started coming down from my eyes. With our acquaintances, a newly-wed couple, we started going downstairs. Reaching the 10th floor, we heard a scream for help. The scream  was very clear, and we decided to go down and see. But as we turned, we saw a lot of people. I saw a  woman in  his 20s being raped by four men. She tried to fight, but she was held tight. Realizing the  danger, we ran with all our might. But unfortunately, the mob caught Veny. We tried to rescue her, but  we had to give up. There were around 60 of them. They tied us--I, my father, my mother, Veny, Dony,  Uncle Dodi, Aunt Vera--with ripped sheet. 

They led us to a room. Uncle Dodi asked what they wanted, but they didn't answer. They cast an evil  and savage look. One of them grabbed Veny rudely and dragged her to a sofa. At that time, I knew that  she was in danger. I screamed loudly, and one of the mob slapped me. My father who also screamed was  hit by a wooden block, and he fainted. My mother  had fainted when Veny was dragged to the sofa.  I could only pray and pray that the  disaster would not befall us... 

Uncle Dodi kept trying to persuade them by offering money, but the effort was fruitless.  And in the  end they forcedly raped Veny. Not able to stand all of this anymore, I cried and closed my eyes. There  were about 5 people who raped Veny, and before beginning,  everyone always said, "Allahu akbar" (and  Islamic phrase in Arabic, meaning "God is the  greatest"). They were ferocious, brutal. Not long after  ward, around 9 men came to the  room and dragged me. I also had a chance to see them forcing and  dragging Aunt Vera.  But, I instantly fainted and everything was blank. 

I became conscious at around 5 or 6 in the afternoon. My head was in pain, and then I realized that  I had no clothes on my body. I cried. I was very depressed. I realized that my family were still there,  and obscurely I saw my father hugged my mother and Dony. I also saw that Uncle Dodi was lying on  the floor, and Aunt Vera was crying over his body. I felt  so weak, and fainted again. 

The next day, I was in the Pluit Hospital. My mother and father were beside me. With all the pains on  my body, I asked, "Mom, why Vinny, Mom?" I felt a stinging pain as I said  those words. I felt my cheek swollen. My mother instantly cried and couldn't speak any words, while my mother, holding his tears, managed to smile. After 4 days in treatment, my condition started getting better. With a sad look, my  father then told me what happened. 

After I fainted, 7 people raped me. At that time my father still couldn't see well after being hit with  the block. They raped me by rolling my body and hit it against the wall. Then, my father said to me,  "Vin, Venny has gone..." I was confused and instantly cried loudly.  "Why, Dad???" My father didn't  answer. He told me to rest and went out of the room.  I cried over and over again, feeling that my  life is worthless anymore. A week ago, after I  had been able to gone home, I was told everything that happened. 

When she was raped, Veny kept fighting, and so she was slapped repeatedly by her rapists. The last  time she fought, Veny spitted on one of them. Offended, the man grabbed a knive and stabbed it to  Veny's stomach. Brutally, he did it repeatedly until Veny drew her last  breath with blood all over her.  After I heard the story, I was shocked. My father then said that Uncle Dodi had the same fate, watched  by Aunt Vera who is also a victim of the rape. God... why should all of this happen? Now Aunt Vera stays  in her parents' house, accompanied by her sister. According to what the sister said, she is still shocked.  Her face is blank, and often she refuses to eat. Almost every hour, my mother and I cry over this tragedy.  I couldn't ever forget it. No matter what, they (the mob) are uncivilized people who have no sense of humanity. 
 

Saturday, June 6, 1998 

BEHIND THE SILENCE 

"Dozens raped" during days of pillage   <By John Aglionby in Jakarta> 

A women's rights monitoring group in Indonesia is investigating reports that dozens of  women were  raped during the rioting last month that contributed to the downfall of  President Soeharto. 

The Mitra Perempuan centre said there had been so many reports of women, particularly those of  Chinese descent, being raped, abused and publicly humiliated, that it was to launch its own inquiry  even though police reported no cases of sexual abuse during riots  that swept Jakarta and surrounding  areas from May 13 to 15. 

"We think dozens of women were attacked, but it could be more than 100 by the time we finish our inquiries," the centre's volunteers co-ordinator, Dhanie, said. "It appears people have been paid to  stay silent." 

Most of the attacks happened in Chinatown in west Jakarta, where thousands of buildings were looted  and burnt in three days of violence after security forces shot dead four students. 

The authorities say 550 people were killed in the riots but, according to the country's official human  rights body, the National Commission on Human Rights, the true figure is more than double that. The commission says it, too, is investigating cases of rape. 

Ms Dhanie said the incidents ranged from "mild" cases of sexual harassment, such as 10 women who  were taken from a bus, stripped and forced to bathe in a stagnant roadside pond, to extreme cases,  including a pregnant mother and her three daughters who were either raped or molested in front of a cheering crowd. 

One worshipper at a church in west Jakarta said an indigenous Indonesian woman had stood up during prayers on Sunday to ask forgiveness for not coming forward to report what she had seen in her street. 

"This woman described how a mob surrounded a house with two Chinese women inside and said if they  did not come out the house would be burnt. But the women preferred to die than be raped by the mob.  They stayed inside and were burnt alive. 

"It turned out after the service that almost everyone had heard similar stories." 

Many victims have said that in most cases the perpetrators were not part of rampaging mobs of urban  poor. "There are clear signs that much of the violence was orchestrated," said Christianto Ariswandi,  a Chinese electronic goods shopkeeper whose premises were looted. 

"Even with the history of hatred against us, the locals would not have considered causing so much  damage. After all, it is their neighbourhood, too." 

He and many others believe elements within the military co-ordinated the violence. 

Ms Dhanie is not surprised that not one woman has reported the abuse to the police. "People are  afraid they will either be raped again by the police or they won't be treated confidentially. There is a  stigma about sexual abuse in Indonesia and women prefer anything to suffer the public humiliation of  being raped." 

Ms Dhanie says she doubts that the centre's investigation will change attitudes. "Our society and  culture are so patriarchal I believe it will take at least another generation before we have anything  like equal rights here. 

"Practically all the female victims said those doing the raping were cheered on by their friends." 

Set up in 1995, Mitra Perempuan is the only organisation caring for abused women in Indonesia. Ms  Dhanie said: "The Government not only tolerates the repression of  women, but actively supports it." 

The Guardian   

 By Irwan Firdaus 
Associated Press Writer 
Wednesday, June 10, 1998; 1:45 p.m. EDT 

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- A 12-year-old girl repeatedly raped in front of her parents was one of  dozens of ethnic Chinese women attacked in the rioting that swept Jakarta  last month, human rights groups reported Wednesday. 

The organizations say they have documented more than 100 cases of rape and sexual assault during  the rioting, in which mobs of looters and arsonists destroyed hundreds of Chinese-owned stores in  anger over the country's economic decline. Fearing for their lives, many ethnic Chinese fled the  country. 

Social workers said some of the sexual attacks appeared intended to terrorize Indonesia's minority  Chinese community. 

"Women were gang-raped in front of their neighbors. Some were stripped naked and forced to dance.  They were humiliated,'' said Nugroho Katjasungkana of a coalition of social welfare groups. 

The rioting, together with student-led democracy protests, helped end President Suharto's 32-year authoritarian rule, but nearly 1,190 people were killed in the violence. 

Ita Nadia of the women's group Kalyanamitra told the Jakarta Post about the girl, who was raped by  seven intruders who forced her parents to watch. 

In a separate attack, a man said a group of rapists mutilated his wife with a razor;  another man said his  two sisters were gang-raped and then thrown into a burning  building, where they died (photo). 

Indonesia's Chinese Christian and Buddhist minority make up only about 4 percent of the predominately Muslim population of 202 million. But they dominate the country's economy and industry, and are often made scapegoats when the economy sours. 

Indonesia is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in 30 years, as inflation  and mass unemployment have soared. 

The government-appointed National Human Rights Commission is investigating the rape allegations as  well as other violence against the ethnic Chinese. Last weekend, new President B.J. Habibie called on Indonesians to end racial discrimination against  the Chinese community. 

But social workers said investigations would be difficult, with rape victims too ashamed  or afraid to press charges and witnesses and suspects hard to track down.