Glodok
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In Batavia (now Jakarta), Dutch colonialism created commercial opportunities which attracted immigrants from many areas of what is now Indonesia. This economic activity also lured thousands of Chinese people to Java. Swift immigration challenged the city's limited infrastructure and created burdens on the city. Tensions grew as the colonial government tried to restrict Chinese migration through deportations. On 9 October 1740, 5,000 Chinese were massacred and the following year, Chinese inhabitants were ghettoized in Glodok outside the city walls.[1]
Today, Glodok is the Chinatown area in Jakarta, Indonesia. Centered on Gajah Mada Road, it has become a commercial hub for the relatively prosperous Chinese Indonesian community. Administratively, the area is a kelurahan under the Taman Sari subdistrict, West Jakarta.
In 1998, Glodok was badly scarred during rioting. Because some "Pribumi" Indonesians accused Chinese Indonesians of hoarding the nation's wealth, and because of the large concentration of Chinese Indonesians residing there, Glodok suffered severe violence during the Jakarta Riots of May 1998.
In 2006, prohibitions against Falun Gong and any activities thereof were posted in Glodok.[2] The government declared it a priority to ensure the safety of the Glodok area against any kind of Falun Gong activities, which it ironically associates with the Chinese state and communism.[3]
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[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Witton, Patrick (2003). Indonesia. Melbourne: Lonely Planet, pages 138-139. ISBN 1-74059-154-2.
- ^ Falun Gong in Jakarta - Indonesia Matters
- ^ ibid.
