Uit de APC Nieuwsgroep: act.indonesia
Uit de APC Nieuwsgroep: act.indonesiaFINANCIAL TIMES
MONDAY AUGUST 10 1998 Asia-Pacific
MALAYSIA: Race rumours spark fears
Internet-inspired run on sugar, flour and rice follows fears of racial unrest
involving expatriate Indonesians, writes Sheila McNulty in Kuala Lumpur
Rumours on the internet of a resurgence of racial unrest in Malaysia sparked a
weekend run on sugar, flour and rice. Some businesses also sent workers home
and closed early.
Abdul Rahim Noor, inspector-general of police, dismissed the reports as
speculation and rumour but expressed surprise at the extent of the panic.
"This clearly shows that the racial clashes in 1969 are still lingering in
people's minds, he said."
The 1969 street clashes pitted the ethnic Malays, a majority but historically
poorer, against the large Chinese minority, which holds much of the wealth.
They prompted a race-based economic policy which since then has sought to give
Malays economic parity.
But the recent economic crisis has undermined these efforts.
Both ethnic groups are struggling to pay debts and keep businesses running. In
addition, in an effort to help revive the economy, which is expected to
contract more than 5 per cent this year, the authorities have rolled back
Malay equity quotas, the cornerstone of the race-based policy.
Many suspect the rumours were aimed at foiling the government decision not to
extend work permits for many foreigners when they expire on August 15.
The majority of Malaysia's 2m foreign workers are Indonesians.
In the run-up to the deadline, the capital has been rife with rumours that
Indonesians had stocked up on machetes and planned to incite riots to keep
from being repatriated.
Tensions between Indonesians and Malaysians have been high since the regional
financial crisis resulted in an influx of illegal Indonesian immigrants
seeking work.
Malaysia does not have enough jobs for them and, has been deporting them by
the thousands.
Several months ago immigrants in a deportation camp attacked Malaysian police
with swords carved from fence posts and barbed-wire-covered spears to protest
against deportation, provoking a confrontation in which one corporal was
killed, 27 policemen were injured, and eight immigrants died.
While some suspect the authorities will relent for fear of a second flare-up
so close to the September 11-21 Commonwealth Games, the authorities maintain
they will proceed with deportations. Malaysian forces have been in evidence on
the streets of the capital to prevent Indonesians attempting to incite riots
by pitting Malaysians against one another.
On Friday users were unable to log on to Jaring, the Malaysian internet
service provider, for much of the day.
Many suspected the authorities had blocked access to limit the spread of the
rumours, but that could not be confirmed.
Mahathir Mohamad, the Malaysian prime minister, warned such rumours would
persist: "This will happen more often, of course, because there are
irresponsible people who will deliberately incite unrest in Malaysia and cause
problems."
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TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath,
Surrey CR7 8HW, UK
Phone: 0181 771-2904 Fax: 0181 653-0322
email: tapol@gn.apc.org
Campaigning to expose human rights violations in
Indonesia, East Timor, West Papua and Aceh
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