JAKARTA (Reuters) - A new
Indonesian film puts the spotlight on the sensitive issues of racism
and rape involving the minority Chinese community during the bloody
riots that led to the downfall of
former President Suharto
10 years ago.
At one level, the movie
"May" is a simple story about a fictional Chinese-Indonesian woman
raped during the May 1998
riots when more than 1,000 people were killed in
Jakarta.
Most who died were
trapped in burning buildings, as mobs rampaged through the streets
focusing attacks on Chinese houses and shops.
But the film also
explores the broader human tragedy behind the riots that broke out
during the height of the Asian financial crisis.
"It is a reflection of
the 1998 incident. We made the movie not only to remind people, but
(because) we want this incident to never happen again," said Viva
Westi, the film's director, adding that not only Chinese but everyone
was the victim of the riots.
Ten years on, rights
groups say people who lost family and homes are still waiting for
justice while the issue of rape has never been dealt with because of
the silence of the victims and the reluctance of the public to
acknowledge any sexual abuse.
Thousands of Chinese
Indonesians fled the country during the riots, which brought to a head
years of economic and social tensions between indigenous
Indonesians, called pribumi, and the ethnic Chinese.
Aside from ethnic
differences, most pribumi are Muslims and most Indonesian Chinese are
not, and there was also resentment over what many other Indonesians
saw as disproportionate economic influence by the Chinese.
An independent team set
up to investigate the riots found that 85 women, mostly ethnic
Chinese, were sexually assaulted, but authorities dropped the inquiry,
citing lack of evidence.
"It (the movie) is about
humanity. It's about how this event impacts the lives of individuals.
But it's also political. We made this movie because many of the
problems are still unsolved," said Ade Kusumaningrum, the film's
publicist.
"We cannot re-enact the
riots because every person has a different interpretation. There is no
simple truth ... But we wanted to portray the main tragedy from
a woman's perspective."
GUILT
In a break from the usual
crop of horror and teen films in Indonesia, Westi's movie is a rare
and sensitive look at the riots through the eyes of May, the
Chinese-Indonesian woman, who was separated from her boyfriend and
mother in the riots.
May flees to
Malaysia and
builds a new life as a pub singer, but 10 years on she is still
traumatized by the events that left her pregnant and filled with anger
toward her boyfriend, Antares, believing her fate would have been
different had he rescued her.
Apart from dealing with
May's crisis after reuniting with Antares, the movie also delves into
the guilt felt by many indigenous Indonesians at the fate of the
Chinese minority.
In the film, a
laundryman, Gandang, struggles to deal with his success at the expense
of May's mother, who sold her land to him for a plane ticket to escape
the riots.
"The character of Gandang
is the analogy of the Indonesian government. He never did anything for
10 years, but he enjoyed everything without explaining what really
happened," she said.
Although many Chinese who
fled during the riots have returned in recent years and the community
has made progress in some areas, deep scars remain and it is still
trying to find its exact place in the world's most populous Muslim
nation.
Under the autocratic rule
of Suharto, ethnic Chinese were initially major targets of mass
killings of alleged communists and communist sympathizers, and
subsequently their culture and language were severely restricted.
Even so, the community,
which represents only about 3 percent of Indonesia's population, had a
strong influence over big swathes of the economy, and some of the most
wealthy had close links to Suharto.
The National Commission
on Human Rights said the movie was an important reminder of a past
many may have forgotten or are reluctant to accept.
"Raising the facts of May
1998 is necessary, to tell the public that it has indeed happened and
that women were victims," said Hesti Armi Wulan, deputy chief for
external relations.
"The general public must
understand the bitterness of
rape victims, because the trauma will never stop."
(Editing by Ed Davies and
Jerry Norton)