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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".
The Star
17-06-2025
- The Star
Rights group calls for probe into alleged extrajudicial killing in Papua
JAKARTA: Amid reports of increased military activity in Nduga regency, Highland Papua, following the release of a New Zealand pilot from rebel captivity, rights groups said that Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel have committed an extrajudicial killing of a Papuan civilian, an accusation the military has denied. On Friday (June 13), the Papua Justice and Welfare Foundation (YKKMP), supported by a coalition of civil society organisations including Amnesty International Indonesia, reported the alleged killing of 27-year-old Abral Wandikbo to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). YKKMP head Theo Yegerem previously told The Jakarta Post that Abral was a resident of Waredobobem village in Mebarok district, Nduga. Nduga was a regency where New Zealand pilot Phillip Mertens was kept for 19 months in captivity by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), before his release in September last year. According to YKKMP's investigation and testimony from a Waredobobem resident, Abral spent his days caring for his ailing father and had no known ties to any separatist groups. He was arrested by the TNI on March 22 and taken to a military base for questioning on suspicion of links to the TPNPB. After his arrest, Abral's family and several villagers visited the military base to assert his innocence. A soldier reportedly showed them two photos and a video from Facebook in an apparent attempt to link Abral to separatist movements. The soldier reportedly said Abral would be interrogated and released the next day. But when the villagers returned on March 23, they were told he had escaped while being transported to Kwit village, also in Mebarok. On March 25, Abral's family began their own search and found his body in a field outside of his village. His hands were tied behind his back with plastic handcuffs. His ears, nose and mouth had been mutilated, and the skin on his forehead was cut off. Theo of YKKMP said Abral's alleged killing came amid the TNI's growing presence in Mebarok. The district previously had no military personnel, but troops began arriving in January. Weeks into their deployment, the military reportedly dismantled several homes and a community health centre (Puskesmas) to extract timber and building materials. Following the Friday meeting with Komnas HAM, Amnesty said Abral's alleged killing constituted a gross human rights violation, citing violations of his right to life, personal safety and access to legal assistance during arrest. 'The government and the TNI must promptly and thoroughly investigate the alleged torture and extrajudicial killing of Abral Wandikbo, as well as the reported destruction of homes and public facilities,' Amnesty said. Meanwhile, Komnas HAM chair Anis Hidayah condemned 'the killing of a civilian by mutilation', saying that the right to life is a fundamental human right that must be respected and protected by the state. 'We will gather data and facts related to the case,' she said on Sunday. The military, in response, has denied allegations of an extrajudicial killing in the case of Abral. TNI spokesperson Brig. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi told the Post on Thursday that Abral, who allegedly also went by the name Almaroko Nirigi, was captured during a 'measured and professional' military operation, based on evidence showing he was an active TPNPB member. Kristomei said that during questioning, Abral had agreed to guide troops to Kwit village, where he claimed two military-issued firearms were hidden. However, while en route, Abral allegedly tried to escape and jumped into a ravine. Soldiers fired warning shots but did not pursue him or verify his condition due to security risks. 'Allegations of human rights violations like this are routinely made by the [TPNPB-OPM] whenever one of its members is shot. Conversely, when they brutally kill civilians, those victims are then claimed to be TNI intelligence agents or spies,' Kristomei said. When asked about the apparent mutilation on Sunday, Kristomei said that 'the TNI would never commit such savagery'. He also denied that the TNI had dismantled homes and the Puskesmas in Mebarok, saying troops had only cleared access to an airstrip for logistics delivery and had instead provided free medical services at the Puskesmas. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GLOBAL INDIGENOUS: Indonesian farmers fight company's eviction attempts
Deusdedit RuhangariyoSpecial to ICT Around the world: North Sumatra farmers fight eviction against palm oil giant, Garden River First Nation student researches fish contamination levels in Canada, and Indigenous artists included in Minderoo funding recipients in Australia. A last-minute court ruling led an Indonesian palm oil company to pause the eviction of several hundred farmers from Aek Kuo subdistrict in North Sumatra, Mongabay reported on March 7. On Feb. 20, a local court authorized the eviction of farmers in Aek Kuo, granting PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART) permission to convert 83.5 hectares (206 acres) of land into an oil palm plantation. However, the farmers, who have cultivated the land for generations, consider the eviction a violation of their rights. In an effort to prevent their displacement, some traveled to Jakarta to seek support from Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights, known as Komnas HAM. The company carrying out the eviction, SMART, is a subsidiary of Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food, one of the nation's leading palm oil producers. Originally, SMART planned to remove the farmers on Feb. 28, but the court postponed the action until March 6 after Komnas HAM's mediation chief, Prabianto Mukti Wibowo, intervened. 'We came here to ask Komnas HAM for protection,' said Misno, a fruit and vegetable farmer from Aek Kuo, according to Mongabay. 'We rely on just 83.5 hectares to sustain ourselves,' he added. 'This land is our only means of survival.' After Indonesia gained independence in 1945, many workers took over land left unoccupied by departing European plantation firms. However, land disputes remain prevalent today, with companies often laying claim to areas that local communities have long inhabited. According to the Consortium for Agrarian Reform, a Jakarta-based advocacy group, Indonesia recorded 295 land conflicts in 2024 alone. The Aek Kuo farmers insist they hold legitimate documentation proving their tenure, including a Land Occupation Registration Certificate issued by government authorities in the 1950s. 'This document serves as official recognition by the government of the community's presence,' said Muhammad Syafiq, a researcher at the Agrarian Resource Center, according to Mongabay. Post-independence bureaucratic reforms have frequently created friction with older land titles, contributing to ongoing disputes. The farmers say SMART previously attempted to remove them in both 2012 and 2019. Past legal rulings have favored Sinar Mas, upholding its plantation permit – known as an HGU – over the community's claims. However, in a separate case within the same province, a judicial review sided with local farmers, rejecting a competing claim from state-run plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara IV (PTPN IV). 'We continue to seek an amicable solution as a sign of the company's goodwill,' said Sinar Mas spokesperson Stephan Sinisuka, according to Mongabay. A graduate student from Garden River First Nation is working to enhance the safety testing of fish in her community, CBC News reported on March 9. Jessica Pauze is conducting research by sampling inland lakes throughout Garden River First Nation's traditional territory, working to create a custom fish consumption advisory chart tailored to her community. While Ontario has been testing fish for contaminants since the 1970s, the province's approach is limited, as it cannot sample all of its 250,000 lakes. Furthermore, many fishers in Garden River don't consult provincial advisories because they are not easily accessible, and Pauze notes that the provincial method for assessing fish safety does not align with the needs of First Nation harvesters. 'From the Ontario guideline perspective, those values are based only on the fish filet, with the skin removed,' Pauze explained, according to CBC News. 'But we know that Indigenous communities often consume other parts of the fish that aren't considered in government advisories.' This highlights a significant gap in the current government approach to fish safety. Pauze is addressing this gap by testing fish from a wider range of body parts, including strips from the muscle to the belly, as well as examining fish stomachs for microplastics. Her research is ongoing year-round to determine whether contamination levels change with the seasons, as government research is only conducted during the summer and fall. Last summer, Pauze conducted preliminary research in Echo Lake and is now analyzing over 85 fish she collected, with a quarter of the testing completed for heavy metals and some stomach samples already showing microplastics. For her consumption guide, Pauze plans to test at least 15 fish per species per lake and is increasing community outreach to engage more local fishers. A few have already volunteered to help with sampling. 'Our project is based on community-based sampling, so it benefits Garden River directly. The samples we test come from the community's harvesters and the fish they eat,' Pauze said, according to CBC News. This community-centered approach fosters greater transparency and trust in the data. Having grown up with a strong connection to water and fishing, Pauze sees her work as a continuation of the knowledge passed down by her family, seeking to combine Indigenous wisdom with academic research for the benefit of her community. Nine artists from Western Australia will launch bold new projects with the help of the Minderoo Artist Fund, which offers grants and residencies to mid-career creatives, National Indigenous Times reported on March 7. The Minderoo Artist Fund has announced its 2025 recipients, supporting nine Western Australian artists with grants and residencies to develop new projects. Among the recipients are Indigenous artists Gary Hamaguchi and Mark Coles Smith. Hamaguchi, a Jaru/Noongar/Japanese filmmaker, will create 'Kodj,' a sci-fi film about a Noongar father teaching his son traditional survival knowledge to combat an alien invasion. Coles Smith, a Nyikina musician, will produce 'Kalaji 2,' an electronic music album focused on cultural resilience. Hamaguchi shared that his partner's grandfather, who possessed deep knowledge of traditional customs, once taught him how to make a kodj (axe). "He knows all the knowledge about how to build tools … as an adult, he actually took me out and told me how to make a kodj," he explained, according to National Indigenous Times. Expressing gratitude for the funding, Hamaguchi said, "Being a freelance filmmaker with a young fella and a family, it's hard sometimes. … This funding helps with that and lets me work on the project." Established in 2020, the Minderoo Artist Fund supports mid-career creatives, including dance artists, musicians, writers, visual artists, and theatre-makers. Each recipient will receive a $35,000 grant or a six-week residency at Forrest Hall in Perth. The fund aims to nurture vibrant communities through investment in the arts. Minderoo Foundation co-chair Nicola Forrest AO expressed excitement about the impact of this year's cohort, which reflects the diverse range of artistic talent in WA. Other recipients include: Laura Boynes (dance), Alan Fyfe (literature), Sarah Nelson (theatre), Elise Reitze-Swensen (music composition), and Fleur Schell (visual arts & community engagement). Residency recipients include: Emma Fishwick (dance) and Hiroshi Kobayashi (visual arts). The event also recognized WA author Holden Sheppard with the Minderoo Artist Award, a $50,000 grant to support his work on the sequel to Invisible Boys, addressing themes of discrimination and masculinity in Australian Rules football. My final thoughts are in Indonesia where the eviction of farmers in Aek Kuo exposes the persistent injustice faced by Indigenous and local communities. These farmers have cultivated this land for generations, yet they are being forced out by powerful palm oil corporations. The court's decision disregards their historical ties and documented land rights, favoring corporate interests over human rights. Such actions reflect a troubling pattern where legal loopholes and bureaucratic inefficiencies enable land grabs that displace vulnerable communities. Granting Indigenous communities authority over their land is essential for protecting their livelihoods, culture and economic stability. When people are removed from their ancestral lands, they lose not just their homes but also their primary source of income and cultural identity. Research shows that Indigenous land stewardship promotes environmental conservation, preventing deforestation and biodiversity loss. Stripping them of land rights not only deepens economic inequality but also accelerates environmental destruction. To ensure justice, Indonesia must strengthen land tenure policies that prioritize community claims over corporate expansion. The government should conduct transparent reviews of historical land ownership and recognize verifiable claims like those of the Aek Kuo farmers. Independent human rights bodies such as Komnas HAM must be empowered to mediate conflicts and hold corporations accountable for unlawful land seizures. Legal frameworks should also be reformed to close loopholes that companies exploit to justify evictions. A sustainable way forward requires legal recognition of Indigenous land rights, stronger policy protections, and corporate accountability. The government must balance development with social justice, ensuring that economic growth does not come at the expense of vulnerable communities. Companies like SMART and Sinar Mas should engage in fair negotiations rather than resorting to forced evictions. Recognizing and respecting community land rights is key to achieving both social equity and sustainable land management in Indonesia. Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
