INDONESIA - MIGRATION IN 1999

As it moved slowly out of the financial crisis, Indonesia experienced momentous events in 1999, particularly with the unexpected election of Abdurrahman Wahid as president. The new president provided some hope for the ending of ethnic conflicts, which characterized the civil and political life of the nation throughout the year. Episodes of unrest initiated in January in the Moluccan island of Ambon with a clash between Christian and Muslim populations. Perhaps 30,000 were displaced by the conflict and fled to neighboring Sulawesi. A different conflict erupted in March in West Kalimantan between Dayaks and Madurese. Dayaks demanded the expulsion of all Madurese from West Kalimantan to end a conflict, which dates back to the late 1960s. However, Madurese constitute 8 percent of West Kalimantan’s 800,000 people, and expulsion was not very feasible. Nevertheless, the government considered relocating on a voluntary basis 30,000 Madurese to a small offshore island, but the military opposed it. A third conflict was originated by the separatist movement in Aceh and was met with violence by the military. To escape from the conflict, perhaps 200,000 non-Acehnese (Javanese, Batak Muslims and Christians) have sought refuge elsewhere. Separatists blame the military for years of violation of human rights and demand a referendum to separate from Indonesia. The government has responded with the offer of a special autonomy for the region.

The most dramatic conflict involved East Timor. Fighting the 1975 annexation to Indonesia, East Timorese were finally able to obtain a national referendum, which was held on 30 August, with the choice between independence and autonomy. More than 90 percent of 430,000 voters cast their ballots, and the results showed that almost 80 percent voted for independence. Violence perpetrated by the military backed pro-Indonesia militia ravaged the country, setting in motion a huge exodus toward West Timor. It was estimated that 70 percent of the buildings were destroyed and 75 percent of the population displaced. Eventually, a UN peacekeeping force led by Australia brought order back to the country, but the return process of those displaced in West Timor has not been smooth or speedy. In November the UN Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET) estimated that of the whole East Timor population (850,000-890,000), approximately 410,000 were refugees (260,000 in West Timor and 150,000 scattered in other parts of Indonesia). A few thousand found refuge in Australia and later returned voluntarily.

Although some commentators traced the origin of ethnic conflicts in Indonesia to the vast transmigrasi program implemented by the government for many years, others indicated that ethnic conflict was often artificially created by forces with interest in destabilizing the country.

Among Indonesian migrants abroad, domestic workers in Hong Kong called the attention of media on their working conditions, including underpayment, denial of statutory holidays and long working hours. As economic conditions in Indonesia did not experience dramatic improvements (the currency stabilized, but GDP contracted by 1.5 percent and export decline by 6 percent), many continued to seek employment abroad, particularly to neighboring Malaysia, to the Middle East or to Taiwan.