The Banjarmasin riot of May 1997 took place on May 23, 1997 on the last day of the election campaign for the
1997 Indonesian legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Indonesia on 29 May 1997. There were three simultaneous elections in one because voters were electing members of two levels of regional government (provincial and regency levels) as well as the national-level P ...
. In strongly Islamic
Banjarmasin, supporters of the
PPP were aggrievated by perceived abuses of power by the ruling
Golkar
)
, foundation =
, youth = AMPG (Golkar Party Young Force)
, women = KPPG (Golkar Party Women's Corps)
, newspaper = '' Suara Karya'' (1971–2016)
, headquarters = Jakarta
, ideology ...
party. After Friday prayers, thousands of people attacked supporters heading to a Golkar rally.
The ensuing violence resulted in the killing of several Golkar supporters, as well as attacks on the interests of big businesses, Christians, and the Chinese.
A
Batak Protestant Church
The Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (''HKBP''), which translates in English as ''Batak Christian Protestant Church'', is a Lutheran church that is oriented towards Protestant among the Batak people, generally the Toba Batak in Indonesia. With a b ...
, close to a large mosque, and its neighbouring Chinese-owned houses were burned, as well as the Catholic Saint Mary's Cathedral, two other Catholic churches, several Catholic schools, and a home for the elderly. In addition, 8 shopping malls,
Lima Cahaya
Lima Cahaya is a multi-outlet department store in the city of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. I ...
department store (the largest in the area at the time), Chinese-owned businesses, and churches of seven denominations, a Buddhist temple, two hotels, 21 cars, 130 houses, and four government buildings were damaged or destroyed.
In total at least 137 people were killed, mostly on the second floor of the Mitra Plaza mall, which had been occupied by looters reluctant to surrender to the surrounding police.
130 looters die in fire during Indonesian riot – CNN
. Articles.cnn.com (1997-05-25). Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
References
External links
Anarki Enam Jam: Rekonstruksi Kerusuhan Jumat Membara di Banjarmasin
{{Persecution of Christians
Anti-Chinese sentiment in Indonesia
1997 in Indonesia
Protests in Indonesia
Anti-Christian sentiment in Asia
Banjarmasin
History of South Kalimantan
Riots and civil disorder in Indonesia
Persecution of Christians by Muslims
Sectarian violence
Persecution of Christians in Indonesia
Anti-Chinese sentiment in Asia
Anti-Chinese violence in Asia