2.1 The Threat of Communism
While the Cold War is generally considered a bipolar rivalry, the Southeast Asian context had evolved into a tripolar security concern- involving the Chinese Diaspora in the various states and their Communist Chinese counterparts. In Thailand, domestic anxiety intensified due to the presence of the large Chinese population and their large shares in the domestic economy, which rendered them forces to be reckoned with. The Thai government sought to rapidly quash these sentiments through its policies mentioned above, all with the intention of promoting the state-supported homogenization of identity. Expressions of ethnic identity were seen as potential threats to national stability. However, in accordance with …show more content…
This reached a new low during the coup of 1965, which saw six army generals being ousted and the leftists taking blame, setting in motion mass hysteria. This also led to bloody anti-communist purges that killed hundreds of thousands, with the Ethnic Chinese being targeted. Ethnic Chinese were targeted as leftists due to the ‘simplistic equation of their ethnicity with the politics of communist China’ , sent to concentration camps and murdered. The ramifications of this have been long lasting, not least due to the fact that none of the victims have received any form of reparation, blighting the relationship between the Chinese and the Indonesian government. The cases have also not been adjudicated by international legal bodies, therefore depriving victims of justice. The Indonesian Attorney General has also refused to open an inquiry into this case, thus serving as a great impediment to national unity and the integration of Chinese into Indonesian society. Furthermore, the Indonesian school syllabus still glorifies this purge, which further tramples upon the dignity of the Chinese by institutionalizing their humiliation. Thus, it is clearly evident that the shadow of Suharto’s New Order still weighs heavily upon the integration of the Chinese who have been traumatized by the event, breeding enduring resentment amongst the
While the Cold War is generally considered a bipolar rivalry, the Southeast Asian context had evolved into a tripolar security concern- involving the Chinese Diaspora in the various states and their Communist Chinese counterparts. In Thailand, domestic anxiety intensified due to the presence of the large Chinese population and their large shares in the domestic economy, which rendered them forces to be reckoned with. The Thai government sought to rapidly quash these sentiments through its policies mentioned above, all with the intention of promoting the state-supported homogenization of identity. Expressions of ethnic identity were seen as potential threats to national stability. However, in accordance with …show more content…
This reached a new low during the coup of 1965, which saw six army generals being ousted and the leftists taking blame, setting in motion mass hysteria. This also led to bloody anti-communist purges that killed hundreds of thousands, with the Ethnic Chinese being targeted. Ethnic Chinese were targeted as leftists due to the ‘simplistic equation of their ethnicity with the politics of communist China’ , sent to concentration camps and murdered. The ramifications of this have been long lasting, not least due to the fact that none of the victims have received any form of reparation, blighting the relationship between the Chinese and the Indonesian government. The cases have also not been adjudicated by international legal bodies, therefore depriving victims of justice. The Indonesian Attorney General has also refused to open an inquiry into this case, thus serving as a great impediment to national unity and the integration of Chinese into Indonesian society. Furthermore, the Indonesian school syllabus still glorifies this purge, which further tramples upon the dignity of the Chinese by institutionalizing their humiliation. Thus, it is clearly evident that the shadow of Suharto’s New Order still weighs heavily upon the integration of the Chinese who have been traumatized by the event, breeding enduring resentment amongst the