VZCZCXRO0550
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #5917/01 1310003
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 110003Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4010
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 5287
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9430
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0804
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
ZEN/AMCONSUL SURABAYA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 005917 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM AMCONSUL SURABAYA 1311 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PINS CASC PGOV ID
SUBJECT: Makassar Killing Sparks Fears of Race Riot 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Protests led by thousands of 
university students in Makassar, South Sulawesi 
against an alleged killing of a local maid by an 
ethnic Chinese man briefly escalated into a near-riot 
in the evening of May 9.  Police ably negotiated with 
demonstrators to quickly and peacefully disperse the 
crowd, and Makassar had returned to normal by 
evening's end.  As of 1200 local time on May 10, local 
contacts had reported some noisy gatherings--mainly 
led by students yelling ethnic slurs--but no violent 
incidents.  A large group of students dispersed after 
police permitted them to meet with the suspect in the 
killing.  Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Makassar's most 
famous local-boy-made-good, publicly called for calm 
the evening of May 9, as did a united front of local 
student leaders from religious organizations.  Whether 
this issue gains further traction and devolves into 
widespread violence against the city's ethnic Chinese 
residents remains to be seen; ConGen contacts point to 
continuing police efforts to quell potential violence 
and local leaders' determination to keep things calm 
as important determining factors.  ConGen remains in 
close contact with Amcits resident in Makassar, and 
will issue a Warden message if necessary.  End 
Summary. 
 
What's the Story? 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Early reports of the incident sparking 
Tuesday's unrest had cited the recent killing of a 
wife by her ethnic Chinese husband in a domestic 
dispute-rumors later circulated that the wife was of 
local ethnicity.  As the situation developed, however, 
it appears that this was a separate incident unrelated 
to Tuesday's unrest.  According to ConGen contact 
Aidir Amin Daud, head of the South Sulawesi Election 
Commission, and local press reports, on May 4 the son 
of a local shop owner, Wandi Sandiawan, an unemployed 
ethnic Chinese resident of Makassar aged 24 or 25, 
severely beat his maid Husniati (also cited as 
Hasmiati) after she accidentally broke some glass. 
(Note: Some early media accounts reported that 
Husniati was also raped, but police have not confirmed 
this detail, and it was not present in later press 
reports.  End Note.)  On May 6, Wandi allegedly 
discovered Husniati dead in her room, and took her via 
ambulance to her village in the Sinjai regency about 
80 miles from Makassar city.  On May 8, police 
received a report of the killing, and moved to arrest 
Wandi the following day; he is being held in Metro 
Makassar police headquarters (Mapolwiltabes Makassar). 
According to police, Wandi smiled and laughed while 
police questioned him regarding the killing, leading 
them to suspect that he has a mental disorder.  Police 
are bringing in a psychiatrist to examine him. 
 
Police Move Quickly to Stem Unrest 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Even media accounts were quick to center on 
the alleged inter-ethnic nature of the case, with some 
articles claiming that the killing "smelled like 
inter-ethnic conflict".  Police moved quickly on 
Tuesday night to close the area surrounding the 
residence where the killing took place, and deployed 
thousands of officers to the streets to control 
potential unrest.  Police also said they were guarding 
Makassar's borders with Gowa and Sinjai regencies as a 
further precaution.  Calls for attacks against stores 
owned by ethnic Chinese residents apparently 
circulated widely via text messaging during the day, 
and some local ethnic Chinese shop owners in the 
city's centrally located Chinatown area chose to close 
their doors during the day and into the evening; 
ConGen received one unconfirmed report from a contact 
of a shop that remained open and was damaged. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Up to fifteen hundred people reportedly 
gathered in the street in front of the residence where 
the killing occurred beginning in the late afternoon 
local time on 5/9.  (Note: Makassar is one hour ahead 
of Jakarta.  End Note.)  Police redirected traffic to 
avoid further congestion.  The gathering was 
 
JAKARTA 00005917  002 OF 003 
 
 
apparently noisy, but there were no reports of 
violence.  Separately, dozens of students at two local 
universities--Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) and 
State Islamic University (IAIN)--attempted to conduct 
"Sweeping" activity, targeting ethnic Chinese passing 
in front of the universities.  In one unconfirmed 
report, students at the IAIN pulled aside one ethnic 
Chinese resident walking in front of the university, 
and asked him to deliver a short public statement to 
condemn Husniati's killing.  In one incident shown on 
national television, youths forced an ethnic Chinese 
man from a vehicle and then had him read a similar 
statement.  (Note: Both UMI and IAIN are known for 
their relatively constant demonstrations and other 
student unrest centered on a range of issues, from 
political to economic.  One 2004 riot at UMI, 
involving a serious clash with local police, prompted 
the removal of the then South Sulawesi Police Chief. 
Professors at both institutions have repeatedly 
bemoaned to ConGen over the years their lack of 
control over the student body, and the propensity of 
under-informed, bored students to be an easy 
flashpoint for unrest on even minor issues.  End 
Note.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) Police continued to patrol local streets 
throughout the night.  On Wednesday May 10, as of 1200 
local time in Makassar, groups of students from 
various local universities were carrying out noisy 
demonstrations in several areas of the city, ConGen 
contacts say, but there were no reported violent 
incidents.  A group of approximately one thousand 
students from several local universities carrying 
bamboo and wooden sticks demonstrated in front of the 
Makassar police station where Wandi is being held, but 
dispersed after police allowed them to meet with him. 
In a potentially positive sign, one demonstrator threw 
a rock at an ethnic Chinese-owned shopfront, but was 
reportedly immediately prevented by fellow 
demonstrators from taking any further action.  Most 
shops in Chinatown remained closed.  A group of 
approximately one thousand people were reportedly on 
their way to the city from Husniati's village. 
 
Local leaders in control 
------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) ConGen contacts credit local leaders' quick 
public moves to quell the unrest as a key factor in 
restoring calm and preventing further violence. Vice 
President Jusuf Kalla, Makassar's best known and most 
influential native son, gave a press conference on 
Tuesday at the vice presidential palace in Jakarta to 
call for calm, which our contacts in Makassar say was 
closely watched by many residents.  Wearing a 
traditional Makassar shawl, Kalla publicly urged 
Makassar residents to eschew violence--mentioning 
specifically that this could negatively affect the 
city's economy--and pressed police to fully 
investigate the case in order to bring the perpetrator 
to justice.  Kalla also told reporters he had spoken 
with the South Sulawesi Governor, police Chief, and 
Makassar mayor regarding the case.  Youth leaders from 
several religious organizations including the Islamic 
Students Association (Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam - HMI) 
and the Union of Indonesian Christian Students 
(Persatuan Mahasiswa Kristen Indonesia - PMKRI) also 
held a joint meeting on May 9 to urge residents-- 
particularly students--to calm down. 
 
Amcits Doing Fine 
----------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) ConGen Surabaya was initially alerted to 
events in Makassar in the early afternoon of May 9 by 
Makassar area Warden Chris Sperduto, and remains in 
close and regular contact with him to assess 
developments and remain abreast of any potential 
incidents involving Amcits resident in Makassar. 
There are few Amcits currently living in Makassar.  In 
addition to the Warden, ConGen Surabaya and EmbJakarta 
officers have spoken to other long-term residents who 
live near the city center.  There are currently no 
Fulbright scholars in Makassar.  An Amcit English 
Language Fellow was at the IAIN in Makassar on May 9 
 
JAKARTA 00005917  003 OF 003 
 
 
when the unrest broke out there and University staff 
escorted him safely home. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Election Commission Chief Daud reminded 
ConGen that Makassar tends to be particularly 
sensitive to the dangers of anti-ethnic Chinese 
sentiment because of past similar incidents, most 
recently almost ten years ago when an ethnic Chinese 
man believed to be mentally ill killed the daughter of 
a professor at the IAIN in Makassar.  There were mass 
riots throughout the city, and many ethnic Chinese- 
owned shops were looted and destroyed.  Neither local 
police nor military acted to quell the violence, and 
it was "chaos everywhere," Daud remarked.  Despite 
some seeming parallels, however, Daud and other 
contacts tell us firmly that this most recent 
situation is different: Quick and proactive police 
actions to establish security throughout the city, 
negotiate with demonstrators, and tamp down on 
isolated incidents, along with clear and public 
statements from a range of local leaders, including 
the influential Vice President, are important and 
notable differences that may stem future violence. 
Makassar's unrest-prone student body, notoriously 
difficult to predict and control, may be the deciding 
factor in how this situation evolves over the coming 
days. 
 
PASCOE