May 1998 riots of Indonesia

May 1998 Indonesia riots
May 1998 Indonesia riots
Part of the fall of Suharto, 1997 Asian financial crisis and Anti-Chinese sentiment in Indonesia
	Rioters burning office furniture on the streets of Jakarta on 14 May 1998
Date	4–8 and 12–15 May 1998
Location	Major riots occurred in Medan, Jakarta, and Surakarta with a number of isolated incidents elsewhere
Caused by	Discontent over the New Order government; Alleged vote-rigging in the 1997 legislative election; Economic collapse as a result of the Asian financial crisis; Authoritarianism;
Methods	Rioting; Civil unrest; Looting; Arson;
Resulted in	Resignation of President Suharto and the creation of a new Development Reform Cabinet under B. J. Habibie; Independence of Timor-Leste; Beginning of the Reformation era;
Parties

Medan

Jakarta

Surakarta

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Map of Indonesia showing locations of the May 1998 riots

The May 1998 Indonesia riots (Indonesian: Kerusuhan Mei 1998),^[1] also known in Indonesia as the 1998 tragedy (Tragedi 1998) or simply the 1998 event (Peristiwa 1998), were incidents of mass violence, anti-government demonstrations, and civil unrest in Indonesia in May 1998. The events were mainly in the cities of Medan, Jakarta and Surakarta, with small incidents in other regions of the country.

The riots were triggered by corruption, economic problems, including food shortages and mass unemployment. It eventually led to the resignation of President Suharto and the fall of the New Order government, which had been in power for 32 years. The main targets of the violence were ethnic Chinese Indonesians, but most of the casualties were caused by a massive fire and occurred among looters.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

It was estimated that more than a thousand people died in the riots.^[8]^[9] At least 168 cases of rape were reported, and material damage was valued at more than Rp3.1 trillion (US$260 million). As of 2010, legal proceedings regarding the riots were stalled and not completed.^[10]

^ Purdey 2006, p. 141.
^ van Klinken, Gerry (25 September 1999). "Inside Indonesia - Digest 86 - Towards a mapping of 'at risk' groups in Indonesia". Archived from the original on 20 September 2000. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
^ van Klinken, Gerry (29 May 1998). "The May Riot". [INDONESIA-L] DIGEST. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
^ "ASIET NetNews Number 20 - June 1-7, 1998". Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
^ Horowitz, Donald L. (25 March 2013). Constitutional Change and Democracy in Indonesia. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107355248. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
^ Collins 2002 Archived 13 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine, p. 597.
^ Chinoy, Mike (16 May 1998). "CNN - Hundreds dead from Indonesian unrest". CNN. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
^ Friend, Theodore (2003). Indonesian Destines. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 532. ISBN 0-674-01834-6.
^ Hannigan, Tim (2015). A Brief History of Indonesia. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-0804844765.
^ Osman, Nurfika; Haryanto, Ulma (14 May 2010). "Still No Answers, or Peace, for Many Rape Victims". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010.

[FOOTNOTEPurdey2006141-1] Purdey 2006, p. 141.

[serve.com-2] van Klinken, Gerry (25 September 1999). "Inside Indonesia - Digest 86 - Towards a mapping of 'at risk' groups in Indonesia". Archived from the original on 20 September 2000. Retrieved 17 June 2015.

[ohiou.edu-3] van Klinken, Gerry (29 May 1998). "The May Riot". [INDONESIA-L] DIGEST. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.

[4] "ASIET NetNews Number 20 - June 1-7, 1998". Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.

[5] Horowitz, Donald L. (25 March 2013). Constitutional Change and Democracy in Indonesia. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107355248. Retrieved 17 June 2015.

[6] Collins 2002 Archived 13 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine, p. 597.

[7] Chinoy, Mike (16 May 1998). "CNN - Hundreds dead from Indonesian unrest". CNN. Retrieved 17 June 2015.

[8] Friend, Theodore (2003). Indonesian Destines. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 532. ISBN 0-674-01834-6.

[9] Hannigan, Tim (2015). A Brief History of Indonesia. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 978-0804844765.

[10] Osman, Nurfika; Haryanto, Ulma (14 May 2010). "Still No Answers, or Peace, for Many Rape Victims". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010.

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