Five hundred people died in the riots, which targeted businesses seen to be linked with government policy and price rises. More than 3,029 buildings were burnt down or damaged and 950 cars and 513 motorcycles were destroyed. Some of the staff had to stay overnight at the office due to transport difficulties, he said. Despite this, LAI went ahead with the celebration of the UBS Day of Prayer on May 15 and Dr Daud Soesilo, UBS Translation Consultant based in Malang, came to preach. Uneasy We anticipated that many of the guests would not come due to the situation, said Mr Supardan.
People are uneasy about travelling.
When Dr Soesilo arrived in Jakarta he found a very different atmosphere to the city he knew. Smoke was still rising from some of the burning buildings. How appropriate this text was in the face of a culture of death, God s Word is the source of life. We thanked God that Bible House in Jakarta, the Translation Offices in Bogor and the printing plant in Nanggewer were undamaged. Chinese Christians suffered Although there does not appear to have been any specific targeting of minorities in the violence, Chinese Christians suffered because they were identified with the business community.