Revisiting the May 1998 Riots in Indonesia: Civilians and Their Untold Memories

This paper examines the recollections of civilians about May 1998 riots in Indonesia, as told an anonymous online survey. These caused deaths estimated 1000 people and saw targeted attacks on Indonesia's ethnic Chinese community, including state-led mass sexual violence against Chinese-Indonesian women girls. Despite their scale, there has never been any official redress for these they remain a taboo topic rarely discussed publicly. Little is known how Indonesians remember events, with research into personal or collective memories challenging, given public silencing by government. Here, we present findings from survey completed 235 which revealed sometimes deeply riots. Examined thematically, both confirm general understandings reveal novel information communities coped during violence.