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View all search resultsUnresolved chapter of Reformasi
The demonstrations turned deadly on Nov. 13, when security forces used excessive force to disperse the crowds, killing 17 people and injuring hundreds. The incident later became known as the Semanggi I tragedy.
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Thousands of students and members of civil society took to the streets over several days, with major demonstrations on Nov. 13 and 14, 1998, to protest a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) convened under then President BJ Habibie. (The Jakarta Post Archive/Mulkan Salmona)
Six months after the fall of Soeharto, the struggle for reform turned deadly in the heart of the capital.
The Reform Era movement that brought down Soeharto's 32-year rule in May 1998 had raised hopes for a more democratic Indonesia. It called for an end to corruption, collusion and nepotism, greater political freedoms and an overhaul of institutions long dominated by the New Order.
Thousands of students and members of civil society took to the streets over several days, with major demonstrations on Nov. 13 and 14, 1998, to protest a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) convened under then President BJ Habibie.
Protesters demanded that officials and politicians from the New Order era step down and called for an end to the military's dual function, which allowed the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) to assume both military and political roles.
The demonstrations turned deadly on Nov. 13, when security forces used excessive force to disperse the crowds, killing 17 people and injuring hundreds. The incident later became known as the Semanggi I tragedy.
The photograph, taken on Nov. 14, captures the scale of the continuing demonstrations, with a massive crowd filling the streets and facing security personnel in red berets. Above the crowd, a banner accuses then-ABRI commander Gen. Wiranto and the military of killing students.
In its Nov. 14, 1998, edition, The Jakarta Post reported that security forces had deployed light tanks, armored personnel carriers and water cannons, while firing tear gas and bullets to disperse the demonstrators, who responded by throwing stones and other objects.
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