Airlangga Julio - The People versus Fadli Zon
From Talking Indonesia by Talking Indonesia
June 4, 2026 · 35 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the historical context and implications of the mass rioting in Indonesia in May 1998, focusing on key political figures involved.
Airlangga Julio - The People versus Fadli Zon Last month marked the 28th anniversary of the mass rioting, that shook Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, and other major cities for several days in mid-May 1998. There was widespread looting and arson, which resulted in the deaths of over a 1000 people and large-scale property damage and capital flight. Soon, it was also revealed that incidents of sexual assaults and rapes had occurred on a massive scale. The rioters’ targets were overwhelmingly properties and businesses owned by ethnic Chinese Indonesians. The victims of sexual violence and rapes were also, although not exclusively, Chinese, Indonesian women. In the following days, Suharto’s authority became fractured and his regime fell, ushering in the Reformasi era. Key actors involved in these events of almost three decades ago, are today at the centre of power in Indonesia. Prabowo Subianto, now President, was then Commander of Kostrad, the Army Strategic Reserve Command, and Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, now Defence Minister, was then Commander in charge of Jakarta, Pangkoops Jaya. At the time, Sjamsoeddin’s failure to protect the capital was singled out for condemnation. Around the fringes…
People in this episode
Host: Talking Indonesia
Guest: Airlangga Julio
Topics covered
- mass rioting
- Indonesia history
- political power
- Reformasi era
- ethnic tensions
- sexual violence
Keywords
- Indonesia
- Fadli Zon
- Prabowo Subianto
- mass rioting
- Reformasi
- ethnic Chinese
- sexual violence
- political history
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Indonesia, Jakarta
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