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Race relations between the Indonesian Chinese and the native Indonesians have always been problematic, also during the DutchDutch redirects here. For other uses, see Dutch (disambiguation). The Netherlands ( Dutch: Nederland is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a constitutional monarchy. It is located in northwestern Europe and borders the North Sea, Belgium colonialThis article refers to a colony in politics and history. For alternate meanings of colony see colony (disambiguation). In politics and in history, a colony is an administrative unit under the control of a geographically- distinct entity, usually an autono times, which the Dutch exploited for their own use. Rules were set in the early 20th century barring "Chinese citizens" to own land in Indonesia, which effectively displaced many Indonesian Chinese who were farmers at the time, or forcing them to intermarry into the native communities. The Dutch also often used the Indonesian Chinese as intermediaries in many trades, and created settlements for the Chinese in separate quarters in Batavia (now called Jakarta). Indeed, many of the Peranakan Indonesian Chinese -- similarly to their Singaporean and Malaysian counterparts -- were educated in the Dutch (western) system. After independence, many of these Chinese Indonesians left and went to The NetherlandsDutch redirects here. For other uses, see Dutch (disambiguation). The Netherlands ( Dutch: Nederland is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a constitutional monarchy. It is located in northwestern Europe and borders the North Sea, Belgium.
The Chinese Indonesians built their first schools in Surabaya in the 1920s, and by the 1960s many Chinese schools had been established in the major cities. The first Chinese newspapers were also printed during this era, and several Chinese political parties were established. These political parties range from those who saw themselves as part of the Indonesian nationalism movement, and those who felt that Chinese Indonesians are still Chinese citizens, a question that was left unresolved for many decades.
In the 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23s government regulations restricted the Indonesian Chinese to urban centers, and many were forced to relocate. Moreover, political pressures in the 1970Events January events January 1 Construction begins on Arcosanti, by Paolo Soleri, in Mayer, Arizona, located 65, miles north of Phoenix, Arizona. January 1 Unix epoch at 00:00:00 UTC. January 12 Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian civil war. Januarys and 19801980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. Events January-February January 1- April 1 National steel strike in United Kingdom January 1 Changes to the Swedish Act of Succession creates Victoria of Sweden, Crown Princess over her younger brother January 5 Hes restricted the role of the Indonesian Chinese in politics, academics and the military. As a result, the Indonesian Chinese were restricted mostly to trade and manufacturing. In the 1970Events January events January 1 Construction begins on Arcosanti, by Paolo Soleri, in Mayer, Arizona, located 65, miles north of Phoenix, Arizona. January 1 Unix epoch at 00:00:00 UTC. January 12 Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian civil war. Januarys, following the failed alleged Communist coup attempt in 1965, there was a strong sentiment against the Indonesian Chinese, who were accused of being Communist collaborators.
Most Indonesian Chinese were and are not Muslim, further fomenting negative sentiments from the mostly Muslim native Indonesians. This is ironic in light of the fact that many of the earliest Muslim evangelists in Java (who were called the Wali Songo or the nine ambassadors) were of Chinese ancestry. Government policy mandated all Chinese language teaching be banned from school; Chinese names were outlawed and most Indonesian Chinese were made to adopt Indonesian names. The established Chinese schools were nationalized and their facilities were converted to public schools. Moreover, many Chinese Indonesians are assigned different identity cards which show their ethnicity, and have to show proof of having rejected Chinese citizenship, despite being a native-born Indonesian. Many believed these laws were targeted to drive Chinese out of the country because family names and genealogy are an important part of Chinese life.
In 1998 during the fall of Suharto's 32-year presidency, numerous riots targeted the wealthy Chinese people in the country. Chinese homes were looted, burnt down; women were raped (the number of women who were raped is still unknown); men were killed. The events in 1998 were significant because unlike earlier actions taken against Indonesian Chinese, this incident aroused the interest and feelings of the ethnic Chinese in China and other countries. After the tragedy, some number of Chinese Indonesian have been migrating to another country, such as USA, Australia, Singapore, and especially Netherlands.
Many believe that the domination of the economy, and segregated life in many places, brought jealousy which leads to attacks and rejections. Most Indonesian Chinese are not politically active and hence fail to set legislation to protect their own interests despite their economically affluence. The situation is different in Singapore where the overseas Chinese are both politically and economically active. Some compare the situation of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia to the Jews in Europe before WWII.
Despite the regulations and sentiments against the Indonesian Chinese, many have succeeded in particular fields of excellence, most notable in the sport of Badminton. It is easily one of the most popular sports in Indonesia, with Indonesian athletes dominating the sport from the 1970s to the 1990s. Many of the key players and coaches are Indonesian Chinese, such as Susi Susanti, Alan Budikusuma, Rudy Hartono, and Liem Swie King. However, the economic crisis and riots of 1998 have forced many of them to move out of the country.