May 19,1998---John Howard

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Taiwan Tati Cultural
And Educational Foundation
B16F, No.3 Ta-Tun 2St.
Taichung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
May 19, 1998.

Dear Prime Minister John Howard,

It is a wonderful country Australian Perth, Australia, May 16-

Australia on Saturday said it will consider extending visas for visiting Indonesians afraid to go home and had arranged extra flights for its own citizens to return from Indonesia.

Australia's Immigration Department said any extensions would be decided on an individual basis and remain valid until law and order is restored in the troubles country, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said.

Nowadays condition, a daily Jakarta-to -Sydney service, would be changed to refugee's chaos. How to prepare the shelters for refugee may be the hardest issue over Australia.

"Humanism" and "security" would be the next problems for defending Indonesia's crisis.

In Indonesia; many of the damaged stores were owned by members of the Chinese minority, who dominate industry and commerce in Indonesia and who are often targeted as scapegoats in tough economic times.

Despite the lull in violence most stayed away from their damaged properties Saturday(May 16, 1998).

Other shopkeepers painted "indigenous-owned" and hung Islamic prayer mats on their walls to show they were members of Muslim majority and should be spared.

Indonesia's Chinese was attacked for a long time; political and economic crisis is the major reason to transfer hatred to Chinese, despite the truth-that President Suharto and his government handled most of business from ethnic Chinese. Indonesia's ethnic Chinese have no way be go, but keeping cooperation with Suharto's government.

As we know it ; the government's speaking; "the Chinese community make up less than five percent of Indonesia's 200 million population, but they control about 80 percent of the wealth in terms of capitalization on the Jakarta stock exchange. Five of the six largest companies in Indonesia are owned by ethnic Chinese."

Otherwise; "owned by ethnic Chinese; but handled by Suharto's government" that's the real contents.

Since Indonesia's independence from the Dutch after World War II, the ethnic Chinese have come to dominate commerce to such an extent that they are blamed for any price rises and form a natural target for popular anger.

During times of difficulty the authorities often use this to deflect unrest away from the regime and towards the Chinese.

I wrote the letter for appreciation to you and your government, and with best hopes that you will win election.

 

 

Sincerely Yours,
Yang Hsu-Tung.
President of
Taiwan Tati Cultural
And Educational Foundation

 

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