Discrimination against people of Chinese descent in Indonesia has been carried out by governments in Indonesia since the time of the Dutch East India Company. Serious violence against Chinese people has occurred at irregular intervals since , when the soldiers of the Dutch East India Company killed up to 10, people of Chinese descent during the Chinezenmoord. The worst outbreaks took place in during the Indonesian National Revolution against Dutch rule.
There were significant outbreaks in the early s. Violence against Chinese also took place in after the failed coup attempt during anti-communist purges , [1] the main target of the killings were Native Indonesian communists. In , many Chinese businesses were burned down, while dozens of women raped during the May riots. Violence against Chinese Indonesians is generally limited to attacks on property, including factories and shops. Some observers suggest that Chinese Indonesians have become "the typical scapegoat " in situations where widespread discontent and social unrest becomes violent.
Terms considered disparaging against Chinese Indonesians have entered common Indonesian usage, at both the regional and national levels. The term Cina , the use of which was mandated in instead of the then-commonly used Tionghoa , was perceived as having similar negative connotations to Inlander for Native Indonesians.
In different regions different terms have come into use that reflect common stereotypes. The following examples are from Surakarta. After the end of Company rule and the introduction of metropolitan colonial rule in , legislation was introduced specifically against Chinese Indonesians.
One of the first was in and required ethnic Chinese to carry a special pass at all times. During the Sukarno regime in , all Chinese Indonesians were required to state their intent to stay Indonesian citizens [a] and in Chinese who were not citizens were forbidden from doing business outside of urban areas. Chinese Indonesians were urged to choose Indonesian-sounding names , [c] [10] forbidden to practice their traditions publicly, [d] [11] and required to obtain extra proof of citizenship. Based on Chinese artifacts found in Indonesia, China is thought to have had trading relations with the Indonesian archipelago since the first century B.
