Posted on 01/05/2005 9:47:11 PM PST by miltonim
Ethnic Chinese tell of mass rapes
Reports are beginning to emerge that hundreds of women and girls of Chinese descent were raped during the riots that swept over Indonesia last month.
As more women and girls - previously too scared to speak - come forward, a disturbing pattern of systematic rape has been revealed.
According to witnesses, the rioters would attack houses, rape the younger women, burn the house, and then move on to the next house. Girls as young as 11 were targeted, and were often raped in front of their families by as many as 10 men.
Ethnic Chinese, who made up only about 3% of Indonesia's population, have traditionally been made into scapegoats. When the rioting broke out in May, many Chinese shops and houses were looted and burned to the ground, and tens of thousands of Chinese fled the country.
The truth comes out
The BBC Jakarta correspondent says that many of the ethnic Chinese are Christian, and it was at church that they first overcame their shame and spoke about what happened.
As one woman spoke out about her experiences, another stood up and told a similar story, prompting others to do the same.
A terrible realisation dawned on congregations in Jakarta and elsewhere: the Chinese women had become victims of what looked like a campaign of mass rape.
Crisis groups have been set up to help the women, but there are still many unanswered questions, and there has been little official recognition of what happened.
The extent of the violence
It is still not known how many women and girls were raped. Many have already fled from Indonesia, and others are still too traumatised to report it and fear further retaliation.
An ethnic Chinese hotel manager, Lim Sian Tie, said many women tried to hide.
"The trauma is so unbearable, they don't want to see anybody. That is quite understandable. If they are known to have been gang raped they would prefer to commit suicide."
Our correspondent says that many of those who could not flee are still in hospital, their minds scarred and their bodies often horribly mutilated.
A doctor at the hospital said that she knew of at least 400 cases of rape. In one incident 68 Chinese women and girls were raped by groups of as many as 10 men who systematically worked through the floors of an apartment block in a middle-class, residential district.
Unanswered questions
Frequently the women were raped in front of their families and neighbours. One man described how he helped a mother and three daughters escape the country.
"On May 14 my friend's three daughters were put on the back of a truck by a group of men. They were repeatedly raped from four in the afternoon until three in the morning. The youngest was 14."
Our correspondent says the unanswered question haunting the Chinese community, still numb with fear, is who did this?
A number of victims have said that the men who raped them had crew cuts and tattoos and that they seemed to be drugged, or drunk. In the rumour mill of Jakarta, some have pointed to the same renegade units in the army which allegedly encouraged the rioters and looters.
OK you guys:
Quick question - what piece of data is conveniently omitted from the article (in the name of PC)?
Anyone want to bet on what the religion of the rapists is?
And all those Indonesian children who lost their parents to the tsunami are responsible for these rapes that happened 7 years ago. Yep.
Howdy Paleo - I've had enough of toll roads for tonight, and I beat you to the punch line.
"... and I beat you to the punch line."
Meant to say "... and I beat you to the punch line on this thread."
Geeze let me think!! Would it be Muslims, Islamic Fundamentalists??
Bill Clinton did it?
"Would it be Muslims, Islamic Fundamentalists??"
RACIST!, that's what you are. Did you ever consider that maybe these crimes were caused by others in Indonesia, like the....ehhh....and the ehhhhh....oh yea, the...ahhhhh.
Son of a gun, you're right. Sorry for my rude comment about you.
"Bill Clinton did it?"
Don't give him any ideas, the Chinese over there have been through enough!!
I repeat again: The threat to Western Civilization is not from Islamic Fundamentalism; It is from ISLAM!
Anyone delusional enough to believe the tripe about Islam being a peaceful civilization deserves his just deserts!
why does it always have to be the fundies? Your ordinary, run of the mill guy down at the mosque believes such behavior is both acceptable and necessary.
It is neither peaceful nor civilized.
If it was legal for Indonesian citizens to own a gun this wouldn't happen.
Hey I'm an AMERICAN!! Does that make me a RACIST!?
after all We target ILLEGAL ALIENS !! for deportation. We should Deport the Liberal Progressives too, they don't like it here amongest us Americans!!
No problem, I'm locked and loaded tonight!!
So does this explain Bill Clintons eagerness to go to Indonesia with lots of aid money?
"Hey I'm an AMERICAN!! Does that make me a RACIST!?"
I'm American too. And by definition, unless we have a clear association with the Democratic Party and attack minority conservatives - we are RACISTS - as far as the Libs are concerned.
How not to be a racist:
1) Oppose all Black and Hispanics aspiring to obtain positions of power as Republicans
2) Do whatever is necessary to keep minorities locked into deplorable schools.
3) Do whatever is necessary to assure Hispanics NEVER learn English. (i.e., bilingual education)
Do you support these positions? Well? Well? I think not. Neither do I. Therefore, using the Dem and MSM definition, we are both RACISTS.
Now have a nice day.
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