(1998, Indonesia) THE RAPES IN THE SERIES OF RIOTS

www.huaren.com ^ | Jakarta, July 13th, 1998 | Volunteers team for Humanity - I. Sandyawan Sumardi, SJ

[miltonim]

TIM RELAWAN UNTUK KEMANUSIAAN

(THE VOLUNTEERS TEAM FOR HUMANITY)

Jl. Arus Dalam No.1, Rt.001/Rw.012 Cawang, Dewi Sartika,

Jakarta 13630, INDONESIA

Tel./Fax: (021) 8094531, Email: galih@ indo.net.id

Early Documentation No. 3

THE RAPES IN THE SERIES OF RIOTS:

The Climax of an Uncivilized Act of the Nation Life

"About 11.30 a.m. I saw some people among the crowd stopping a car and forcing the passengers to get out, and then they dragged two girls out from the car. They take off their shirts and raped them. The two girls tried to fight back, but it was in vain." (An eyewitness, Muara Angke, May 14, 1998).

This is not a made up story, but a true story. It is only one of hundreds of rapes that happened during the riots on May, 1998. The vastness of the rape, according to the reports filed until today, are shown in various tables and testimonies in this very "Document"... After the riot then came out some statements that denied the fact of the rape. Well, it is better to silence the statements. The answer is clear already: the rapes did happen. And this happened to not only one or two, but to many women and girls.

"After the two girls could get away from the savage rapists, I came to them and embraced them. They begged me to help them finding a secure way to go home. Since I live in that district, I know well the short-cut to the main road. At the Cengkareng cross-road, I saw some nude women corpses, with their faces covered with newspapers. They must had been raped, for I could see the dried blood out to their vaginas, on which the flies swarmed. After leading the two girls the way, I went home through the same road. But when I arrived at the cross-road, the corpses had gone. But to where? Who took them?" (The witness, Muara Anke, May 14, 1998).

Probably some government officials likely to hold their old play: try going to cover the case up as if it never happened since there is no report at all on the savage rape during the riots. It is an easy thing to explain:

First of all, in this country, "having been raped" is a condition, which is considered shameful, or even a defect. That is why for sure the victim and their families try not to reveal what happened to them.

Second, since the physical and psychological suffering is very unbearable, the victims and the witnesses can only tell, although with difficulties, to the persons whom they trust. The fact that there is no report at all made to the government shows that until now the government has not yet been considered trustworthy by the people with such a problem.

Third, to many rape cases during the riots, the rapists also took the victims’ KTP (The Identity Card). And this decreased the possibility of the victims to complain and make reports. They have been silenced by their feelings of "disgrace", by terror or threat.

Lastly,, the members of the Volunteers Team for Humanity ("Tim Relawan"), who have been often contacted by the victims and the witnesses, many times get warnings not to continue their activities of "listening" and "helping" the victims. In this very country, even in the (supposed-to-be) reformation spirit, speaking about and listening sympathetically to the victims of the rapes is still considered a threat (to the state-nation? or to some official elements?). Even in the (supposed-to-be) reformation condition, seeking the truth has been accused of being a subversive activity. So we do not need to question why the international community halfheartedly counts on Indonesia, as if they are watching a group of barbaric creatures. Please do not ask why the investments from abroad have not yet come to Indonesia.

From the "absence" of the reports of the rapes to the government, we cannot conclude that the rape itself never happened. This "Early Documentation No. 3" precisely shows how vast the rapes mere during the riots. A single act of raping has been enough to be considered inhuman. Hundreds of rapes with similar brutal modus operandi were absolutely "systematic and organized massive uncivilized acts". The modus operandi were very similar to the ones that stimulated the riots on the middle May 1998. (Vide "The Early Documentation No.1 & 2).

Rapes: A Total Destruction of the Community

In the series of the systemic and organized rapes, as a nation we are facing the following phenomena:

1. A total destruction of the life condition of the woman in our society. All the ethical principles agree that the highest value of living together is the human soul (persona). Under this is animal, and then matter (res.). It is impossible to live together without acknowledging and carrying out this moral principle. The series of the systemic and organized rape is clearly to be the total destruction of the most respected principle that makes possible our living together. Persona has been violated and been considered as res. This is the politics destroying living together.
2. There is one way to repair this total destruction: by applying the hierarchical moral principle above. It means that we have to put the women, the victims (personae), which have been considered as "things", on their dignity as personae... That is the urgency to help the victims as soon as possible, and not first to debate politically. The fact of the rape that many Chinese people had to suffer does not make it legal and acceptable. Rape is rape. An it destroys persons... Rape is not acceptable for anyone, Either Chinese or Javanese or Dayak or Irianese. Any government in this country with a conscience cannot avoid this urgent agenda to repair the total destruction.
3. From the modus operandi of the rape, filed until today, it is clear that the series of the rapes have a relationship with the destruction and the burning down of the buildings during the riots in middle May, 1998. As it is clear in Table 3 below, the series of rapes were carried out systematically and they were well organized, just like the riot. We civilians of this country demand the revelation of the network of the think tank and actors of the tragedies.
4. The revelation of the think tanks and actors of these activities is very urgent. While (a) the help and the direct assistance for the victims are being carried out, and (b) the volunteers who are helping them get security assurance, (c) the revealing of the mass rapists becomes a key for reforming our living together. It is not merely a juridical must, but also includes all urgent significance to the future. Without this, then, the government is legalizing the "rape" as the only way of how the politics in this country is carried out. Without revealing the network of the actors of the destruction, burning down, rape, the government is legalizing the destruction, the usage of criminals or the hired gangsters as the only way in the political practice in this country. So in the future history, we and our children will not be able to distinguish what is "good" and what is "not good" anymore, "civilized" and "uncivilized", in our lives together.
5. We write down this "Documentation" not to involve ourselves in the political intrigue and competition, but as a step that a lot of people of goodwill want, so that the net-work of the systemic and organized rape is uncovered. This "Documentation" is also our "nightmare" of the savage tragedy in this nation. Every effort to silence this demand of revealing the events denies the fact of the rapes. Since rapes did happen, stopping the publication of the fact means is a big lie and even criminal. To the victims, the rapes have destroyed their lives. To the ordinary civilians and the eyewitnesses, the uncivilized acts become unbearable memories.

"Since I saw the tragedy, I’ve been feeling disturbed in my life. When I close my eyes, the corpses of the women appear on my eyes. I’ve been very stressed. Since I cannot stand to face angst and fear, I decided to go home to my village." (An eyewitness, Muara Angke, May 14, 1998)

For many eyewitnesses, the border between "seeing" and "experiencing" is obscured, and so is the difference between "self" and "victim".

"After seeing accidentally a Chinese girl raped by many people, my young sister is so frightened and stressed. Her talking is disordered and her body is trembling every time someone comes near her. For two weeks she was in the hospital. I become doubtful if my sister only saw someone raped or she herself were also raped. Why her reaction is like that?" (A complaint of a girl’s sibling, June 1998).

The phenomenon shows how the effect of the rapes has been so far destructive to the inner life and daily life of so many people. This is a total destruction of our living together.

So the events have been internalized by some groups of people with the imagination that is most sadistic and inhuman:

"...on June 12, 1998, in the angkot (public transport) around the West Jakarta, there were 3 men about 25-35 aged, with the clean shirts. The were talking the news on the newspaper concerning the case of the rape happened to the small girl and the corpse mutilation. "Her memek (vagina) should be cut off for souvenir", said one of them. The other said, "and that should be put in the chemical water." Then the third said, "O ya...the hairs are there." Then they laughed. Since I could not stand hearing such a dialogue, I got down before arriving at my place." (The witness, June 1998).

That is an example of the destruction of the imagination on our living together.

The Extent of The Rapes

The extent of the rapes during the riots May, 1998, was not the result of fantasies. In this "Documentation", the place and the moment of the rapes can be recognized. The number of the victims will be mentioned as far as the data filed until the day this "Documentation" is written down. The similar patterns in the modus operandi of the rapes also gave a strong indication that the events have involved the network of planning, the think tanks and actors which are systematic and well organized.

Below are the data of the rapes. Under terror and with hard work are, data and information below were filed from the victims themselves and from the eyewitnesses, and not from the rumors or from the newspapers. With the respect and for the confidentiality demanded by the victims and the eyewitnesses (Cf. Ethic Code for Protection), their names and identities are not mentioned.

1. Locations of the Rapes

Table 1 shows the extent of the places where the rapes and the sexual abuses took place in Jakarta and the surroundings. Note the pattern. If the riot, the massive destruction and burning in May 1998 happened in all areas of Jakarta, the rapes only happened in West Jakarta, North Jakarta, and the other areas where the Chinese are concentrated to live and to work. We intentionally show this pattern so that we may note it.

Table 1

Comparation Locations of The Massive Destruction-and-the Burning Down

And The Locations of The rapes-and-the Sexual Abuse

No	Area	Example of the locations of the riots	Example of the location of rape
1	Central Jakarta	Wahid Hasyim (Tanah Abang), Jiung (Kemayoran), Samanhudi (Pasar Baru), Galur, Cempaka Putih, Sumur Batu, Salemba, Tanah Abang, Harmoni
2	South Jakarta	Cinere, Pasar Minggu, Cipete, Fatmawati, Kalibata, Mampang, Bintaro.
3	East Jakarta	Pasar Rebo, Kramat Jati, Kampung Melayu, Klender, Jatinegara, Matraman, Rawamangun, Kalimalang, Penas
4	West Jakarta	Palmerah, Kebayoran Lama, Grogol, Roxy, Green Garden, Bojong Indah, Jelambar, Jembatann Dua, Jembatan Lima, Gajahmada, Glodok, Cengkareng	Angke,Jelambar, Jembatan Dua, Jembatan Tiga, Jembatan Lima, Jembatan Besi, Cengkareng, Glodok, Kota
5	North Jakarta	Kelapa Gading, Mangga Dua, Pantai Indah Kapuk	Pluit, Pantai, Indah Kapuk, Sunter
6	Around Jakarta	Depok, Bekasi, Lenteng Agung, Tangerang, Ciputat, Ciledug, Cikarang.	Tangerang, Bekasi

Source: The Documentation of "Volunteers Team For Humanity" (Tim Relawan untuk Kemanusiaan), the witness of the victims and the witnesses.

In a shorter description, the concentration of the areas where the rapes and the sexual abuse happened appears in the following picture. It is clear that the rapes and the sexual abuse were concentrated in West Jakarta, North Jakarta, and other locations around Jakarta.

 

Locations of the Rape in the Range of the Riots

 

Notes:

*The whole picture: The extent of the areas of the riot

* Grey shadings: The extent of the range of the rapes and of the sexual abuse.

What to conclude from the pattern of the areas of the rape above? First, the rapes and the sexual abuse happened in the areas of the riots where destruction, burning, and massive deaths happened (Vide "The Early Documentation No. 1 & 2). Second, the pattern clearly shows that the rapes and sexual abuses were directed to the Chinese. This phenomenon can be identified with the identity of the victims filed by "the Volunteers Team" even until today.

2. The Modus Operandi of The Rapes

As mentioned above, the rapes and riots happened at the same time. The patterns of the rapes were very similar to the modus operandi used in the riot. The similarity suggests that there must be a relationship between the two tragedies.

"A number of unknown people entered shop-house of a victim (R), looted the goods. Some of the people stripped her dress and forced her to watch her sisters raped. Having raped, these 2 girls were thrown away to down stairs which started being burned down. They died but R survived because someone helped her." (A story of the victim’s family R, L, M, on May 14, 1998 incident).

The characteristic of the rapes could be found in so many rapes and sexual abuse. One of them reads below:

"When a victim was at her home, tens of terrific unknown young men who wore old and faded shirts rushed her house and looted. Eight of them dragged her, stripped her dress and raped for 2 hours." (A story the victim L’s friend, on May 14, 1998)

As we mentioned at "Preparatory Document No. 2", the actors of the incident came from unknown places. They are different from the native residents. In some cases, victims could be saved from the rapes by local residents:

".. Among 4 young men who were driving motor-cycles, there was one shouting "separate girls and bring to school". The victims escaped from rape because the residents helped her." (A story of L & L, on May 13, 1998).

Below are the examples of the rapes and mass sexual abuse: what they did, and the indication of the ones who did.

 

Table 3

The examples Modus Operandi of the Sexual Abuses and the rapes

on May 13-15 1998

No.	Code name	Age/ Status	Date	Modus Operandi
1	S	A house wife (newly wed)	May 13	Some unknown people came to her home. Some of them threaten, "If you don't give money, I will rape you". While they plundered goods, she was stripped.
2	L and L	A house wife and her daughters	May 13	A mass of people came from 3 directions. There were 4 young men riding motor-cycle ordered, "burn, attack" and a group of young other men who wore old and faded shirts started damaging. This victim came down from the upstairs after her shop-house damaged and plundered. Among the young men, there was one shouting, "scoundrel Chinese! Damaging our country!". At the same time, he started scratching the victim and her daughters, and trying to strip their dresses. Among the 4 young men, there was someone shouted, "Separate the girls and bring to the school!" This victim survived from raping because the residents came to help her.
3	W and S	15 and 20	May 13	Tens of young men got out of a truck and attacked shop-house of the victim. They plundered goods, dragged the victims, stripped their dress and raped them. Some other ones burnt the shop-house and let the victims burnt inside the shop-house.
4	W and L	50 and 26 (A mother and her daughter)	May 13	Some unknown people destroyed and plundered the victim's house. Some of them forced son of the victim to rape his sister. They threatened, "If you refuse, we will burn you!" They also forced the servant of the victim to rape his boss. Raping continued by unknown people. The victim's house was burnt, brother-sister were thrown into the fire. Later, their mother suicide by jumping to the fire.
5	D	17	May 13	Tens of young men got out of 2 trucks and attacked shop-house of the victim. They plundered goods, raped her, even bit and broke off her nipple. After that, they burnt the shop-house. The victim could run away and escape.
6	R	26	May 14	Some unknown people entered R’s room. Some of them plundered goods, the others stripped the victim. The husband’s victim who tried to protect her, was hit by the rioters.
7	N	A house wife, 4 months pregnant	May 14	Some unknown people broke in the door of R’s shop-house and plundered goods. Some of them dragged and stripped her dress. Her husband, who wanted to help her, was hit by the actor. In the naked, the victim released herself and run away. When she was going down the stairs, she fell. Her foot was broken and had miscarriage. This victim died of bleeding at a hospital.
8	M, L, R	sisters	May 14	Some unknown people entered victim’s shop-house and plundered goods. Some of them stripped R’s dress and forced her to see her 2 sisters raped. Having raped, these 2 girls were thrown down to the burning ground floor. M and L died, but R could be saved by someone.
9	M	A house wife	May 14	Some unknown people entered victim’s shop-house and plundered goods. Some of them kept her husband and forced him to watch people stripping his wife.
10	L	23	May 14	On May 13 she and her family fled because of the rumor said that there would be students’ movement and riot. Nothing happened and she felt safe. She and her family went back to their home. On May 14 tens of terrific unknown young men who wore old and faded shirts rushed her house and plundered. Eight of them dragged her, stripped her dress and raped for 2 hours.
11	L	11	May 14	Tens of unknown people broke this victim’s house and plundered. They stripped her dress, raped, and damaged her vagina by barbed wire. This victim died at a hospital.
12	L	9	May 14	Some unknown people attacked this victim’s house, broke, and plundered. Some of them dragged this victim, raped and stabbed her vagina with a piece of glass. This victim died at the hospital in Singapore.
13	N and L	19 and 21	May 14	Tens of people damaged a shop-house of this family’s victim. They threatened this victim by saying, "Because you are Chinese, you are raped"... These 2 sisters then were raped by 7-10 people. Their shop-house was burnt and these 2 sisters were thrown away to the flame. Their parents saw all of the incident.
14	R, I, and D	18, 15, and 40	May 14	The victim’s shop-house was attacked by tens of unknown people. Some people plundered goods, some others raped this mother and her 2 daughters. Because of the emotional stress, R jumped over the windows and died. The shop-house then was burnt off. The mother and her daughter could save by themselves.
15	M	23	May 15	Having plundered and burnt this victim’s shop-house, some unknown people kneaded her breast.
16	L	A house wife	May 15	A group of unknown people entered a real estate. Some plundered goods, some stripped this victim’s dress. They forced her to dance on her bed. Her husband who wanted to help her, was dragged, hit and gashed his back. One of her neighbor who helping her, also was stabbed and died. Her son could be saved by her neighbors while her house was burnt. Nowadays this lady gets mad.

 

Source: Documentation of the Volunteers Team for Humanity. The stories came from the victims, their families, and eyewitnesses of May 13-15, 1998 tragedy.

 

 

3. The Victims of Mass Raping

The wide range of mass raping can be proven by the numbers of victims, relatives, friends, and witness as who told the stories secretly and sadly. From the very confidential report, we could collect the numbers of rape victim and sexual abuses. All of them are shown at Table 4. Among the victims, 20 died. The other ones physically and psychologically now are in very bad condition. Till July 3, 1998, there are 168 persons who told that they got mass raping and sexual abuse (152 persons are from Jakarta and its environs, 16 persons from Solo, Medan, Palembang, and Surabaya).

The numbers as we see at Table 4 are not the total numbers of the victims. Those are ones who had reported the incident until July 3, 1998.

Table 4

The Numbers of Rape and Sexual Abuse Victims at Jakarta and its environs

Date	Raping	Raping & persecution	Raping & burning	Sexual Abuses	Total Numbers of Victims
May 13	-	2	3 (all died)	4	9 (3 died)
May 14	101	17 (7 died)	6 (all died)	8 (1 died)	132 (14 died)
May 15	-	1 (died)	-	1	2 (1 died)
After May 15 until July 3	2 (1 died)	6 (1 died)	-	1	9 (2 died)
Total	103 (1 died)	26 (9 died)	9 (all died)	14 (1 died)	152 (20 died)

Source: Documentation of The volunteer Team for Humanity, May 13 - July 3, 1998

Notes: (1) These data come from the reports of victims, witnesses, and the victims’ families

(2) Data from the victims/their relatives told Volunteers team

(3) Volunteers Team could not make any communication with victims who did not give any report. There were reticence of victims, their relatives, doctors, and hospitals staff because of terror.

(4) The rape incident happened after May 13-15 riot were presented here because the modus operandi of the rape were similar to the ones on May 13-15 riot.

The statistics above are numbers mainly and do not record the threats, terror, persecution, sadness, tears, fear and loneliness of the victims. For the victims, the families and the witnesses unbearable memories remain.

When many volunteers started helping by paying attention and listening to the victims, they were terrorized and threatened. How can justice and the truth be found in this country?

4. Terror to Fact Finding

Since the victims got sympathy, funds, and volunteers who want to listen to them, the terror and intimidation happened to them, to their relatives, to the Chinese, to the hospital staff and the doctors who treated them, also to the volunteers. The characteristics of terror and intimidation are shown on Table 5 below:

Table 5

Category and Target of Terror to

the effort of searching and reporting raping victims and sexual abuse

Target of Teror	Category of Teror
	Threaten via telephone	Threaten via anonymous letter	Threaten from military agency	Threaten to victim’s children/ family	Distribution some photographs of raping victims	Rumor about riots and raping
Victims	Ú	Ú
Victims’ family	Ú	Ú	Ú
Hospital			Ú
Doctors			Ú
The Chinese	Ú	Ú			Ú	Ú
The members of Volunteers team	Ú	Ú	Ú	Ú

Source: Documentation of Volunteers Team for Humanity. The stories come from the victims, their families, doctors and hospital staff, eyewitnesses, common people, and members of the Volunteers Team for Humanity.

It is very clear that the target of the terror and threats are the ones who tried to find the truth. It proves how "the total damage of our living together" real. It shows that the hand over of power on May 21, 1998 was only a "forced drama" that performed on our political life. Deep inside the political turbulence we can find an old style of terrors and threat: violence, systematic, full of force, using racketeers and gangsters, military, hired assassin.

"You couldn’t continue this movement of finding victims. If you still going on, you know the effect. Remember! You have family, don’t you? If you still love yourself and your family, you have to follow my instruction. Careful! I am serious!" (An anonymous letter to a volunteer, June 1998)

or

"Do you need more grenade? I know where your children go to school, their school uniform, the time they go to school and come back..." (A threat from unidentified man who called up a volunteer, June 1998)

Facing all the terrors and threats, there is one movement happening among the people. Since all of the riots and the rape, there are more and more people feel that they should investigate and find the network of the architects and actors of the riot and the rapes. These people come from many backgrounds: religion, age groups, ethnic, social status. They have one goal, the disclosure of the architects and actors of the riots and the rapes. This network is a "public crime" and the architects and the actors are "public criminals". Also there are more people who do not only feel, but also give anything they can give for these humanity efforts. We can conclude this movement as an aspiration and striving of so many people in the society for justice and the truth..

GREAT URGENCY OF HELP AND REVELATION

After considering the rapes and sexual abuse as described above, now where are we to go? What steps can we take? This question is without any official statement quality, though, but with great urgency. There are some directions we can take:

1. Optimum Help to the Victims

More than just any political intrigue, we are facing hundreds of the rapes and sexual abuse victims. As described above, nowadays the victims are absolutely in poor condition: physical and genital organs damaged, very bad physical pain, psychoneurosis, temptation to commit suicide, living in fear and desperation. One thing we can do for them is to have an: I-do-care-attitude, i.e. emphatic and efforts to enhance their hope for the future.

The government and civilians must wholeheartedly help the people and help them with people they ran trust. To do this, let us consider the following:

2. Collaboration to Stop the Terror and the Threat

The victims, their families, the eyewitnesses, hospital personnel and doctors, the volunteers have been terrorized. Just take a look at the fear:

"Sorry, I’m not coming ... though I do want to talk with you about what happened. Just a few minutes after calling you up, we got a terror call. We are very afraid of having greater troubles ..." (From a mother of a rape victim to a volunteer, June 1998)

we have lost face in this "Republic of Terror and Fear" (Republik Teror dan Ketakutan). And this kind of republic has no sense of security. The security forces should be helping and can help a great deal. They should not be blaming civilians or the international community for believing that they the security forces, have "chickened out" in helping, been in agreement with or actually been part of the terror and threat. Surely the security forces have power and yet these. Incidents continue even up to now. (July 3)

Whether the security body will help or not, we are the civilians will continue to elaborate our effort to protect each other in helping the victims. To all businessmen and managers, all white collar and laborers, doctors and nurses, intellectuals and activists, this very effort is a real step to our longings for what we call the civil society. The heart of the civil society is civility... So the uncivilized, systematic, and organized rapes is absolutely a negation and a total destruction of civility, the very heart of the civil society.

3. The Death and The Resurrection of Living Together

The blurring between "civilized" and "uncivilized", good and evil so quickly penetrate our daily lives:

"Some days after the riot I went home by Bajaj. Usually I have to pay for Rp. 3,000,- But at that time the driver demanded that I had to pay for Rp. 10.000,- He even terrorized me by saying: ‘Got I to fuck you!?’ .." (A witness, may 1998)

What can we do to make up "the total destruction of our living together"? While we help the victims and efforts to stop the terror, one thing we can do together is to uncover the network of think tanks and actors for the rape and sexual abuse.

4. Contra "Scapegoat" Argument

The revelation of the network for the rapes and sexual abuse becomes the key to the renovation of our living together precisely because in the systematic and organized network lies the destruction of our lives. Perhaps we may argue about the roots of the tragedy and cleverly propose to solve the roots. For instant, people think that the root of all the uncivilized acts is poverty. This kind of argument has at least three weakness.

First, if poverty is the root, all societies that have been living in this condition must experience a long, long tragedy of rape (let’s say: Germany, Nigeria, Turky, India, Japan, Philippine, or Peru), since those societies also have groups of people living in poverty like Indonesia. The fact that those societies have no tragedy of rape, as Indonesia does, shows that there is no causal relationship between "poverty" and "rape".

If poverty is the root of the phenomenon, even on a large scale, second, the in silentio argument puts the poor as the only participants the rape and sexual abuse. It is not only absurd, but also has moral superiority arrogance of those who are not-poor towards to poor. What this very argument will show is a certain ideology that the poor are the only scapegoat. On the contrary, the fact shows that many victims (or victims-to-be) were saved by civilians, most of them of the poor.

Last, the argument that "poverty is the root of the phenomenon" is also an escapist argument: looking for other distantly related reasons. Perhaps this kind of argument sounds logical on a TV debate show or in a seminar forum, in viewing the urgency of the tragedy.

Now, those contra-arguments do not say that "poverty" is a great problem in this country. It is! But putting poverty as the only reason of the tragedy is escapism. It is more urgent than a debate of how poverty relates to the tragedy that we are to uncover the network of the think tanks and actors of the systemic tragedy.

5. A Sketch of the Direct Relationship between the Riots and the Rapes

The modus operandi as shown in the Table 3, the network of the think tanks and actors of the rapes cannot be separated from the ones of the riots on May 1998. The demolition, the burning down, and the rape are different elements of the same systemic and organized acts. A further step, a revelation of the network of the think tanks and actors of the rape will lead us to uncover the ones of the riots and vice versa...

The inseparable relationship between the think tanks and actors of both the riots and the rape is not a made-up story, and so is the term "the network of the think tanks" not. The facts of the systemic and organized plan and operation leads us to the conclusion.

" ... I am not an informant, but I am a commander who have stimulated the riot. I had recruited my 60 men from all armed forces units. I could easily rape these girls (pointing his finger toward 3 Chinese ladies). Killing you guys is an easy business ..." (A remark of an unidentified person who attended a meeting of the Volunteers Team in Central Jakarta, June 1998)

This systemic and organized plan has already been the attitude of some groups in our society:

"Long time before the riot, one day my friend and I bought bottled tea drinks for Rp. 5,000,- I refused and sensed of being extorted. But then came up some guys who had been sitting around before, and they terrorized us, "What! You Chinese will be swept off by now ...!" Being afraid, I reluctantly paid for ..." (From an eyewitness, May 1998).

Or,

"... Before the riot, a well-built man came up. He visited the poor housings around the Pantai Indah Kapuk. At first he just made acquaintances with the youth from the area. Then the unidentified guy treated them for meals, drinks, and smoking. It made them good friends. He then told them, "If you guys like, in a moment you can be getting many expensive goods, or fucking those amoys you never dare to touch!" (Some eyewitnesses, June 1998)

Or else,

"Long time before the riot, one day I went out somewhere by taxi. When I paid for the driver he refused it, saying, "It’s no need to pay for! You Chinese in a moment will be swept off and raped!" (A victim, June 1998).

Again, after the riots of May 1998, the collective attitudes are just like the ones before and after the riots among some people.

"On June 25th, 1998, a group of female students were on a private car, driven from HI (Hotel Indonesia) to Plaza Senayan. One of them was a Chinese. They met a group of soldiers, of whom some gave a sexual abuse sign pointed to the Chinese one." (A witness, June 1998)

After considering the network of "the plan and the think tanks" let us discuss about the network of "the operation and the actors"... Again, Table 3 has shown both of the networks. One pattern that distinguished them is that the rape and sexual abuse clearly pointed to Chinese women of the Chinese housings and business area. (Vide the Table 1 and the Diagram). This specific selection of the area and target proves that there must be a systemic and organized network of plan and operation behind it.

6. An Urgent Revelation: Facts

The plan and the modus operandi of the riot and the rapes unquestionably involved the systemic and organized networks. Just like the riot that was not by accident, so was the rapes. Table 6 below will show the parallel of the inseparable patterns of both of the networks

 

Table 6

Modus Operandi Comparison between the Riot and rape Rapes

No.	the Riot	the rapes
1.	A conditioning efforts to gather people in a certain area, a target for demolition, looting, and burning down act, by spreading the rumors of the action	An effort of an ‘Indoctrination’ and mass conditioning to have the Chinese women as the target of the destruction, the slaughter and the rapes, by spreading the rumors of the action
2	The rumors were spread out by telephones, public transportation drivers, or persons	The rumors were spread out by telephones, public transportation drivers (taxis, Bajajs, Angkots), vendors, or persons
3	There was a certain people or group of people who acted as a provocateur and/or a leading-actor for the mass to do the demolition, the looting, and the burning down	There was a certain figure or a group of people who commanded or led the rapes
4	The actors were unknown to the local and were dropped by from a distant place	The actors were unknown to the local and were dropped by from an unknown place
5	The provocateur or the leading-actor yelled "anti-Chinese!"	The commander or the leading-actor yelled "anti-Chinese!"
6	During an after the riot, terrors and extortion were made in the forms of spreading rumors. These still keep going on when they are written down.	During an after the riot, terrors and extortion were made in the forms of: spreading the rumors, or pictures of the rapes victims, kidnappings and raping the Chinese women. These actions keep going on when they are written down.
7	The targets of the riot: shopowners, ruko, factories, business centers and housing areas.	The targets of the rapes is the Chinese.

Source: "Volunteers Team for Humanity" documentation, from the testimonies of the victims, their family and friends, and also from the eyewitnesses, May-June 1998.

 

Table 6 shows clearly how any accidental-factor-theory by no means can explain the fact of the riot and the rapes, (Cfr. "Early Documentation No. 1 and No. 2).

If both the riots and the rapes were merely by accident,

1) how can it explain the facts of the widespread tragedy and the great number of victims?

2) how can it explain the simulacrum (in the same time) phenomenon of most of the tragedies?

3) how can it explain the similarity of their modus operandi?

4) how can it explain the fact that both have the same target, i.e. the Chinese?

Those 4 questions are central to our point of view. Every single statement that says that all those tragedies were merely by accident has no evidence nor logic at all. The causality of the rapes and the riot is the result of the network of organized, systemic, and patterned plan and operation. So it involves the think tanks and the actors of the network.

Now, the next step is the revelation. These aspirations and demands are from many groups of our society: businessmen-women, international community, farmers, labors and white-collars, intellectuals and activists, public servants and the poor, children and students.

7. The Focus of the Revelation: The Network of the Think tanks and Actors

The patterns and the evidence are clear. Now, there is an unbearable question to answer: what to do with the net work of he think tanks and actors of the rapes (and the riot)? Just forget and shelve it? Or, together we have to uncover it?

To forget it means to shelve it. No difference. But how can we forget such thing if the tragedy already has been an unforgettable gray episode in the life of the victims, their families and relatives, the eyewitnesses and all of us? How can we forget such thing if it already has been a nightmare: part of the fear and trauma, of the depression and loneliness and desperation, and even part of the most inhuman fantasy of some of us? All those phenomenon already are data (happened) and facta (done). Our personal and communal lives are not only based on high salaries or GNP figures, but also on memories, whatever the memories contain.

For now, then, we are living in a nightmare of the rapes and the destruction. First of all, we have testimony that the rapes and the massive destruction did happen. Second, we testimony that hundreds of the victims of the tragedies are part of the uneraseable gray episode of the political history and of our way of living together in this very country. Lastly, we also have testimony that the tragedies have already blurred (even have destroyed) the difference between the "good" and the "no-good" things, "civilized" and "uncivilized" in our society . And this is an undeniable sign of a total destruction of the life of this very nation.

It is clear that forgetting and shelving these brutal tragedies is not more than merely an escapism. It is just like using anesthetics. After the anesthetizing effect has gone, other brutal tragedies will follow one after another. Then we are living through these chains of brutality. There will be bloodshed, and other victims will be lining up.

That is why we and all people of goodwill are demanding that the network of the think tanks and actors of the rapes and the destruction be uncovered. Every single politician, or party, or group, or political process that does not adapt this urgent agenda for humanity is not more than a power broker that has no ear to the wide range aspirations of the civilians. It is not only in the name of "justice", but the revelation also becomes a key step to reforming the difference between "good" and "evil", "civilized" and "uncivilized", in our living together. But literally we are to say that there is no public crime without any public criminal. Now, the investigation especially must be directed to:

1. The network of rapes and massive destruction that obviously has certain patterns, is systemic and organized.
2. The network of the operation of rapes and massive destruction that obviously has certain patterns, is systemic and organized.
3. The planners of the rapes and the massive destruction, whether they are of government body, of the armed forces (ABRI), of any exclusive syndicate, of groups of bandit or hired gangsters, or of any other group in the society.
4. The actors of the rapes and destruction, whether they are of the government body, of the armed forces (ABRI), of any exclusive syndicate, of groups of bandit or hired gangsters, or of any other group the society.

A systemic and organized "public crime" only can be coped with by a systemic and organized "public anti-crime"... So the investigation only can work if there is a network of all: the victims and the eyewitnesses, any civilian and the leaders of the government body, groups of religious men and women from any religion, groups of volunteers for humanity, experts and common people, labors and students, groups of any association and government elements.

To those who are in the government body, all of you have special interest in the tragedies, precisely because you consider yourselves the managers for our life in this nation-state. Especially to the leaders of the armed forces, all of you have special interest in the tragedies, because you consider yourselves the managers for the security of our life in this nation-state. All of you can contribute significant help to the investigation.

We do know that all of you smartly and strictly keep an eye on, investigate, and spy on anything and anybody: from the lives of the laborers to the vendors’, the student activities to the retired generals’, from the discussion-groups to the activists for humanity’s, from the published books to any meeting. For decades you are expert in these. There is no activity in the society that can escape your monitors. And it has been an enduring pattern: complicated bureaucracies, the arrest of those whom you dislike.

If your expertise in these matters and alike has been proven so far, then, you should easily recognize and find the network of the think tanks and actors of the rapes and the destruction on May 1998. Well, perhaps some of you cannot see the plank in your eyes. But for sure this is not true for thousands of you who are in charge of the security of this very nation and state. Many of you must know exactly the network.

This "Documentation" is not only out of our deep concerns, but also we hope that this one will be useful to all of you. It is clear that the pattern, the operation, and the modus operandi of the tragedies are systemic and organized and involve many planners and actors, as you can read in this "Documentation". (Vide Early Documentation No. 1 & 2).

Please feel free to use all the documents, while groups in the society are doing our best in helping the victims. You know that there are more and more people wait to see your significant help in uncovering the network of the rapes and the massive destruction.

If not, please do not blame us that there are more and more people believe that many "government" and "security" elements are useless. Or, perhaps they still work but they agree to or even have involvement the tragedies.

Epilogue

To all civilians, the government, the armed forces, and to the children of the future generation of our history, we are handing the "Documentation" in; in order to re-learn about the differences between what’s "civilized" and "uncivilized"; in order that our children and grand children re-learn the differences between what "good" and "no-good" are for our life together.

 

Jakarta, July 13th, 1998

Volunteers team for Humanity

 

I. Sandyawan Sumardi, SJ

Secretary

 

 

[miltonim]

Muhammad's Koran-inspired persecution of Christians, Jews and all non-Muslims continues...

[eclectic]

Blah, blah, blah... The basic fact that these are Moslems raping infidels is not mentioned ...

[Bon mots]

Now we are dropping food an water on Indonesian Islamists. I believe that before long we will be dropping cluster bombs on them.

The country is lost.

[tkathy]

We are sending vast sums of money to these vile beasts.