Abstract:

Mariman's computer store was among the many Chinese businesses that were attacked and burned during the May, 1998 riots in Indonesia--the same riots that toppled Suharto. While his friends and colleagues are rebuilding their businesses in Jakarta's Chinatown, Mariman has yet to recover financially and psychologically. Instead he runs a stripped down version of his store in his garage within a walled village of mansions. The inhabitants of this security-patrolled complex are all wealthy Chinese. Mariman has sent his eldest son to Malaysia for safety; he will likely continue on to Australia for a longer exile. His 9-year-old daughter doesn't want to leave Jakarta, but with violence continuing to erupt and elections drawing near, Mariman is growing increasingly nervous.