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Who Masterminded the 1998 Mass Rape in Indonesia and How Has the Media Reported It?
By Arpan Rachman
Following a recent controversy over an official’s denial of a 1998 mass rape in Indonesia, Arpan Rachman conducts his own analysis of how three mainstream Indonesian media outlets have reported on the case and issue in recent years.
Indonesia’s last authoritarian chapter collapsed in May 1998 amid the thunderous roar of rebellion. Jakarta and some other cities became chaotic canvases, marked by the flames of burning malls and the cries of those trapped inside as the country’s fury boiled over. More than 1,200 lives were lost in the pandemonium.
The systematic rape of ethnic Chinese women left scars that still haunt the nation’s memory. In the end, the walls of the Suharto regime’s power, unyielding for 32 years, crumbled beneath this tidal wave of unrest.
According to a Human Rights Watch report, statements ...Read more
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Media Diversity Institute (MDI) works internationally to encourage accurate and nuanced reporting on race, religion, ethnic, class, age, disability, gender and sexual identity issues in media landscapes around the world.
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