It has been 15 years ago, but we could still remember vividly the May 1998 tragedy. May 98 was terrifying for us in the US. As the report of mass killing and rape emerged in the internet, we were terrified that we might not see our parents, brothers, and sisters again.
Most of us could recall the moment when it all happened. It was the end of spring semester. Students were having their final exams. We heard reports over the internet that there were riots and most businesses owned by either Christians or Chinese were attacked in Medan, Jakarta, and Solo. We saw a lot of pictures uploaded showing young girls raped, people burnt, and mob ransacked businesses.
We immediately called home. Some of our dads and brothers stayed on guard all night. Some of them even confronted the mob as they tried to enter their neighborhood. We prayed all the time for their safety. No good news still, the situation got worse by day. The capital city was uncontrollable anymore. Then, the unthinkable happened. President Soeharto resigned. It was unimaginable that he would resign unless he felt in danger. President Habibie was sworn in immediately. The next day the situation was under controlled immediately as if all the riots were orchestrated.
We were busy holding rallies and public hearings in summer 1998. We made sure our local communities known what truly happened. However, we did all these activities independently, uncoordinated, and reactive. We also did not have any hard data to back up our story. Although we had pictures of the mob burning our own houses, the Indonesian government denied the validity of our story. Their “independent commission” found there were no rape and killing. They could not find any witness that could validate the involvement of Indonesian military or government in May 1998. They blamed all those killing to the angry mob that innocently gather and move quickly from location to location.
We held the fifth OMC in the midst of this tragedy. The atmosphere was very somber at the beginning. At the end, we felt it might be one of the best OMC. We were strengthened, united, and focus on one direction. We were able to share our information and gathered testimony from actual witnesses. OMC 5 is significant because it united us. It solidified Indonesian Christians in the US to become a movement that seeks to bring impact to our beloved homeland, Indonesia.