Indonesia is the largest country in Southeast Asia, and the absolute number of Indonesian Chinese was believed to be the largest in the region; that is, between three and five per cent. Recent studies based on the census show that the number is not as large as previously estimated (between 1.5 and 2 per cent), but it is still large enough for them to play a significant role in various fields, especially in the economic, social, and cultural fields, if not in the political field.

Due to political and economic reasons, the Chinese in Indonesia became the target of mob violence in May 1998, when anti-Chinese riots were rampant with looting, raping, and killing taking place. This May tragedy shocked the world. However, with the fall of Soeharto, the conditions of the Chinese in Indonesia have vastly improved, and many are of the view that they never enjoyed such a position in the Indonesian recent history. What are the real position and conditions of the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia?

As I see it, the Chinese in Indonesia have the following major characteristics.

Heterogeneity of the Ethnic Chinese in Indonesia

Chinese Indonesians are not a homogeneous group. They are divided by culture, political orientations, economic background, and citizenship. Culturally, the Chinese were divided in the past into locally born, Indonesianspeaking peranakans and foreign born Chinese speaking totoks. But nowadays the absolute majority is either peranakans or peranakanized totoks. In terms of religion, some are either Buddhists, Confucians, or the followers of a mixture of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism; some are Christians, and others are Muslims. Politically, they are divided into pro-Jakarta, pro-Beijing and pro-Taipei, but the majority is pro-Jakarta. Economically, they are also divided into upper class, middle class, and the lower class, and it appears that the middle class forms the majority. In terms of citizenship, they are divided into Indonesian citizens and foreigners, with the majority holding Indonesian citizenship.

Despite the heterogeneous nature of the Chinese community, the Indonesian authorities in the past, if not now, considered them a homogeneous group. They regarded the ethnic Chinese to be loyal to China (especially Beijing), not to Jakarta. They considered the Chinese a “foreign minority” who should become part of the indigenous population through total assimilation. This is particularly the case during Soeharto's rule.