Latest news with #BJHabibie
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Witnesses to 1998 riots in Indonesia speak out after minister questions mass rape history
Read in Bahasa Indonesia Witnesses to the 1998 riots in Indonesia have spoken out after a prominent minister questioned the accuracy of historical records of the event, including on mass rape. Warning: This story contains details of sexual assault that may distress some readers. In May 1998, riots in Indonesia's capital Jakarta and massive student protests across the country culminated in the end of Suharto's 32-year dictatorship. Anger at the government over corruption, food shortages and mass unemployment led to the targeting of ethnic Chinese communities who were stereotyped as rich. At least 52 women — most of whom were ethnic Chinese — were raped during the riots, a government-appointed fact finding team later found. But in an interview last month about the government of President Prabowo Subianto's broader plan to rewrite national history, Culture Minister Fadli Zon cast doubt on records of mass rape. "Are there any hard facts? We can have a debate about that," he said. However, a fact-finding team created by former President BJ Habibie in 1998 concluded that mass rapes occurred during the riots. The team — which included the National Human Rights Commission, not-for-profit organisations, the military, and police — documented dozens of rape cases and said the real number of these sexual assaults was likely higher. Still, Mr Zon claimed the rapes were simply "rumours". "That's just a story. If there are facts, show them. Is it in Indonesian history books? Never," he said. But the National History of Indonesia, an official history book, does discuss the rapes in its chapter about the 1998 riots. "There were also rapes of a large number of women of Chinese descent," it says. The comments from Mr Zon have prompted many, including activist Sandyawan Sumardi, to revisit memories of the riots of 1998. Mr Sumardi was a priest at the time and vividly remembers the chaos at a major hospital in Jakarta which had called on him for help. "Even now, when I remember those times, I still feel dizzy. It was traumatic," said Mr Sumardi, who coordinated a group of volunteers at the hospital. One of the most harrowing stories Mr Sumardi recalled involved a Chinese-Indonesian university student from Tarumanegara University. "This student was raped in her boarding house during the day by two people," he said. "Because she resisted, the perpetrator pulled out the curtain rod and stabbed her in the stomach and, tragically, in her vagina, causing profuse bleeding. "Her face was destroyed, her mouth could barely move … then I approached her and was shocked because she recognised me," he recalled. "She told me she had begged for mercy and prayed 'Our Father' and 'Hail Mary'… but they still raped her," he said, pausing with tears in his eyes. "I didn't expect this feeling. I'm still angry." Women's activist Ita Fatia Nadia, who also volunteered in 1998 helping riot victims, confirmed the scale of the violence to local media. "There were 15 people I handled directly, and almost all of them had their genitals damaged," she told Tempo. "For me, the mass rape is not a rumour. It really happened." The 1998 fact-finding team found that rapes were systematic, racially targeted and occurred at looted homes across greater Jakarta. The report singled out the current president, Mr Subianto, who was then a special forces commander, for his alleged role in the disappearance of political activists and contributing to the unrest. It recommended he be court-martialled, though Mr Subianto was only dismissed from active service and never formally tried. In 1998, the ABC covered the fact-finding team's report. ABC Indonesia spoke with two people interviewed in the 1998 ABC report for this story, including Mayling Oey, a representative of the Chinese-Indonesian community. Now an emeritus professor at the University of Indonesia, Dr Oey said the minister's comments questioning the mass rapes had hurt people. "What the minister of culture did was very painful," she said. "There was a lot of violence … if he says it wasn't 'mass', perhaps because he didn't experience it himself." Dr Oey, now 84, became emotional as she watched the 1998 ABC report. "I didn't expect to feel this way," she said. She paused, tears falling, before adding: "It hurts." Marzuki Darusman, who spoke to the ABC in 1998 as head of the fact-finding team, pointed out this week that the fact-finding report was an official government document. Mr Darusman said revisiting the 1998 riots would only emphasise Mr Subianto's role in the unrest. "If [the report's findings] have to be proven as requested by the minister of culture, there must be an official accountability process," he said. "And thus, it will highlight the role of President Prabowo Subianto in the incident." Mr Zon has since attempted to clarify his comments about gendered violence in 1998. He said he was "certain" sexual violence occurred but questioned whether there was any legal or academic evidence the incidents qualified as "mass rape". "So, is there any evidence of that now? There never has been," he said. Legal expert and women's activist Nursyahbani Katjasungkana — who was also a member of the 1998 fact-finding team — rejected Mr Zon's comments. Ms Katjasungkana said the evidence of mass rapes set out in the fact-finding teams report was, in fact, legal evidence that met two international legal thresholds. The 1998 team found the rapes met the definition of "mass" because the assaults were widespread, occurring both within greater Jakarta and in other cities. The fact-finding team also found the sexual assaults were systematic, she said. Ms Katjasungkana said that just because an Indonesian court had not ruled on the crimes "that doesn't mean the incident didn't happen".
CNA
03-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
1998 mass rapes to be left out of Indonesia's national history rewrite, ‘need to be proven': Culture Minister
JAKARTA: Mass rapes committed during Indonesia's 1998 riots will not be included in the government's ongoing national history rewrite project, according to the country's Culture Minister. On Wednesday (Jul 2), Fadli Zon also confirmed that the project would proceed, despite criticism from historians and human rights activists. 'We expect our national history to strengthen the nation's unity in diversity,' said Fadli during a meeting with the House of Representatives at the Parliament Complex, as quoted by local news agency Antara. Fadli said the revision of the country's official historical narrative aims to promote national unity that avoids deepening ethnic and communal divisions through a positive retelling of key events. This comes despite findings by an official independent fact-finding team, TGPF, in October 1998 which documented widespread sexual violence during the riots, with 52 rape victims verified, according to local news outlet Jakarta Globe. The report by the independent fact-finding team included 14 incidents of rape accompanied by physical violence, 10 victims of sexual assault and nine victims of sexual harrassment across Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya. It was previously received by former President BJ Habibie, who had expressed regret over the violence, noted Commissioner Dahlia Madanih of the National Commission on Violence Against Women last month. Speaking during the parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, Fadli acknowledged the 1998 sexual violence but questioned the use of the term 'mass rape', which he said requires legal and historical verification. 'Personally, I acknowledge and condemn the events but the word 'mass' needs to be proven,' the minister was quoted as saying by Jakarta Globe. 'We are not digging into who the perpetrators were, but ensuring it never happens again,' Fadli told lawmakers on Wednesday, adding that the government prefers to highlight narratives that unify the nation in the new history books. He said these included international achievements and global leadership roles, such as the Asian-African Conference, held in Bandung in 1955, and the Non-Aligned Movement, of which Indonesia was a founding member. Fadli's latest remarks on Wednesday sparked emotional reactions in the hearing from lawmakers MY Esti Wijayati and Mercy Barends from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). 'It hurts even more the longer you speak, Mr Fadli,' Esti was quoted as saying by Jakarta Globe, with her voice trembling as she recalled being unable to return home during the 1998 unrest. Following Esti's comment, Fadli apologised if his remarks came across as insensitive but reiterated that clear documentation and legal confirmation were necessary before the events could be classified as 'mass rape'. 'If it can be traced to who the groups and perpetrators were, it would be clearer,' the minister said, adding that he does not intend to deny or cover up the violence. Fadli, who is part of President Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra party, said that the history rewrite is targeted for completion by August this year to coincide with the country's 80th Independence Day celebrations. Last month, Fadli came under fire for his remarks that the mass rapes were 'all hearsay' and 'rumours', inciting concerns over the government's plan to launch a new 10-volume series of history books during Indonesia's Independence Day on Aug 17. Some historians say these history books will omit major human rights violations. 'This is about leaving a history for our children and grandchildren,' Fadli said on Wednesday. 'We have not updated our historical narrative for 26 years and this is our chance.' The unrest in Indonesia in 1998 arose from economic turmoil and mounting anger at former President Suharto's authoritarian rule. Chinese-Indonesians were targeted in riots that broke out in various cities in May that year, days before Suharto resigned. The violence remains a sensitive issue in Indonesia, with activists repeatedly urging the government to officially acknowledge and investigate the sexual violence against women. Rights groups have said that the lack of legal resolution continues to deny justice to the victims, many of whom remain silent due to fear and stigma. 'The survivors have borne the burden in silence for too long. This denial is not only painful but also perpetuates impunity,' Dahlia from the National Commission on Violence Against Women said on Jun 15, as quoted by Antara. 'When government officials say the rapes didn't happen, it deeply wounds us, especially Chinese-Indonesian women, who lived through that horror,' Diyah Wara Restiyati from the Indonesian Chinese Youth Association previously said in June, as reported by local media. A 30-page draft outline of the rewrite project only included two out of 17 cases of gross human rights violations recognised by Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights, media outlet Nikkei Asia reported. Some of the omitted cases include events involving President Prabowo, according to Nikkei Asia. Prabowo, a former general, was accused of orchestrating the 1997-1998 kidnapping and forced disappearance of 22 activists critical of Suharto, including 13 who are still missing today. Suharto was Prabowo's former father-in-law.
CNA
17-06-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Indonesian minister's denial of 1998 mass rapes slammed by activists, officials
JAKARTA: An Indonesian minister's denial of mass rapes that took place during the country's 1998 riots has been slammed by rights activists and the National Commission on Violence Against Women. Culture Minister Fadli Zon's remarks that the mass rapes were 'all hearsay' and 'rumours' have incited fresh concerns over the government's plan to release new history books that some historians say omit major human rights violations. "What actually happened? We never truly know, as there has never been any hard evidence. Who said it was mass rape? It was all hearsay, and such rumours won't resolve anything," Fadli said in a podcast last week with media outlet IDN Times. He was discussing the government's plan to revise the country's official historical narrative by launching a new 10-volume series of history books during Indonesia's Independence Day on Aug 17. The project has been panned by historians in recent weeks, after a 30-page draft outline began circulating in limited circles. Fadli's remarks on the mass rapes flew in the face of past findings, including that by a government-sanctioned fact-finding team whose report documented 85 cases of sexual violence, including 52 rapes, in 1998. The report was received by former President BJ Habibie, who expressed regret over the violence, noted Commissioner Dahlia Madanih of the National Commission on Violence Against Women on Sunday (Jun 15). 'Denying the official findings of the fact-finding team is denying the collective work of this nation in the pursuit of justice,' Dahlia said, as reported by Indonesian news agency Antara. 'The survivors have borne the burden in silence for too long. This denial is not only painful but also perpetuates impunity,' she said. The unrest in Indonesia in 1998 arose from economic turmoil and mounting anger at former President Suharto's authoritarian rule. Chinese-Indonesians were targeted in riots that broke out in various cities in May that year, days before Suharto resigned. Fadli's comments were 'deeply hurtful' and dismissive of well-documented evidence of violence that targeted the Chinese-Indonesian community, said Diyah Wara Restiyati from the Indonesian Chinese Youth Association, as reported by news outlet The Jakarta Post. 'When government officials say the rapes didn't happen, it deeply wounds us, especially Chinese-Indonesian women, who lived through that horror,' Diyah said. Jakarta city councillor Fatimah Tania Nadira Alatas also criticised Fadli, saying his comments were unethical and an attempt to erase historical trauma. 'Historical wounds cannot be erased, especially not revised. The violence against women, particularly ethnic Chinese women, must be remembered so it never happens again,' said Tania, whose remarks were posted on the Jakarta NasDem Party's social media accounts. In the wake of public criticism, Fadli – who is with President Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra party – said he was calling for 'academic and legal caution' when referring to the incidents as mass rapes. He said the term carries serious implications and must be backed by legally verified data, and that he was not denying sexual violence occurred during the 1998 riots, reported news site Jakarta Globe. But Fadli criticised the fact-finding team's work. Posting on social media platform X on Monday, he said its report listed numbers without detailed corroboration of information such as names, locations or perpetrators. 'We must be careful because this affects national dignity and truth,' Fadli said. The Indonesian government's plan to launch new history books has been criticised by activists and historians. A leading historian, Asvi Warman Adam, has said the draft downplays abuses and is 'glorifying' the achievements made under Suharto's regime, The Jakarta Post reported. The draft outline includes only two out of 17 cases of gross human rights violations recognised by Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights, news outlet Nikkei Asia reported. Some of the omitted cases include events involving President Prabowo, according to Nikkei Asia. Prabowo has not commented on the project, Nikkei Asia reported. But he has previously said some former activists are now his supporters. Prabowo, a former general, was accused of orchestrating the 1997-1998 kidnapping and forced disappearance of 22 activists critical of Suharto, including 13 who are still missing today. Suharto was Prabowo's former father-in-law. Fadli claimed the accusations have been debunked when speaking to news agency Reuters last month. Reuters reported Jajat Burhanuddin, a historian involved in the project, saying there had been no state intervention so far. The 1998 kidnappings and torture of student activists would be included, Jajat reportedly said, although he declined to say whether Prabowo would be mentioned in those accounts. Fadli has said the project would have an Indonesia-centric narrative and aims "to reinvent the Indonesian identity". He has said it will involve over 100 historians and archaeologists from 34 universities and research institutions. But a coalition of activists and historians, called the Indonesian Historical Transparency Alliance, has said the project 'appears to be a deliberate effort to engineer the past with a single interpretation'. The coalition called last month on House of Representatives lawmakers to reject the government's bid to rewrite history. Hetifah Sjaifudian, chair of the House's Commission X overseeing education and culture, said the committee would meet with the Culture Ministry, and promised to urge the removal of the 'official' label from the new books to preserve space for open historical discourse, The Jakarta Post reported.
