I'm also an ethnic Chinese living here in Southeast Asia. I've come across your web page only though a Chinese friend of mine. After looking over your web page, of course I would feel sympathy for my fellow Chinese in Indonesia & hate the Chinese government in China for not doing anything (except for a 'speech'). Although these Chinese are already Indonesian by citizenship, the Chinese, Taiwanese, & Singaporean government should at least provide transportation & refuge in their own country.

First, I would suggest that you pass on the web page to everyone, specially to a Chinese like what one would do to a chain letter, so that more & more would know about its existence.

Second, try to ask all Chinese governments to provide refuge for these people in their respective country. If they can provide it to the Vietnamese, why not a fellow Chinese.

Third, considering that many Taipans in Asia own airlines & shipping lines, ask them to provide free transport to these Chinese in Indonesia, & help them vacate the country..."If a drinking glass gets filled up, the only way to go is to spill out". Ask them not to think always of the profit. For God's sake, can they withstand reading articles about their own people being raped, killed & burned by another race? This sort of action is very humiliating to the Chinese race.

Sorry to discourage you guys, but do you think protesting in front of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington will be able to help the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia. Do you think that the Indonesian government doesn't know what's happening inside their country? If they can control the riots, they would have done that a long time ago. I think you should concentrate more of your effort in calling up Chinese owned companies who can provide assistance in vacating the Chinese people. Also, try to talk to the Taiwanese government if not the Chinese government, to provide shelter/refuge to our fellow Chinese.

Please try to work fast, because the as time passes by, more & more fellow Chinese are being humiliated.

Richard, somewhere in SouthEast Asia
The atrocities that occurred in Indonesia in May 1998 are twofold. The inhumane treatment of the Chinese population of Indonesia bears witness to the complete and utter corruption of this world.

The gang-raping and mass brutality caused to these innocents must make us really take a step back and evaluate the depravity of our society. How one could view such pictures as those of those raped and mutilated Chinese-Indonesian women and remain unmoved would be unhuman. How one could be responsible for such repulsive acts of self- satisfaction is merely bestial.

But it is too late. Those lives lost are indeed lost. However, the second atrocity is the lack of action on behalf of world governments - we have already witnessed the corruption and severity of the Indonesian 'government' - but what of our own? The Australian Government has en masse refused refugee status to the many Chinese-Indonesian who have fled to the country seeking refuge. On what grounds? Under the belief that the situation in Indonesia is now 'stable'. Forgive my ignorance, but exactly how much understanding of the racial riots that occured in May this year do the general public have? Do they know that people died - honest, innocent, hard-working people - and not by some natural disaster, but at the hand of their neighbour. How did they die? In sheer terror. The corpses of rape victims lie bleeding, and the fear of more instability looms, yet vulnerable, terrified people are told to 'go home', to pick up the pieces, and try to go on without fear, without a sense of safety, without any protection. I think that there is something terribly wrong with that.

Bec Coa

IHCC - Indonesian Huaren Crisis Center Back to Opini