Defying his parents’ admonition that he should simply accept his position as a member of a minority community, a young Chinese-Indonesian man has bravely reported to the police a group of men who reportedly assaulted him because of his ethnicity last Friday evening.

Andrew Budikusuma, 24, needed five days to recover from his injuries and to obtain evidence such as CCTV footage. One day after the attack he recounted the incident on his Facebook account, which immediately attracted public attention.

“My parents actually asked me not to file a police report but rather resolve the problem through dialogue, but I decided to proceed with legal action because I think that they have to be held responsible for what they have done,” Andrew told reporters at the police headquarters on Tuesday.

Andrew was on a TransJakarta bus en route from Kuningan, South Jakarta, to his home in Pluit, North Jakarta, when the incident occured.

The employee of a startup company said he boarded the bus at the West Kuningan stop at 8:30 p.m. His attackers got on the bus at 9 p.m. and immediately glared at him, shouting “You’re Ahok, aren’t you?” referring to Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who is also of Chinese ethnicity.

When the bus reached the JCC bus stop in Senayan, several of the gang attacked him and tried to drag him off the bus. Andrew hit one of his assailants with a glass bottle that was within reach, which apparently deterred the others from continuing the assault.

“Probably they had just been fired by their Chinese boss. It was their last salary day. They might have been furious and then vented their anger on me,” Andrew suggested, when asked to guess the motive for the attack.

People of Chinese origin were denied their full rights as citizens of Indonesia until after the fall of Soeharto in 1998. In the past they were often treated differently from their compatriots. Although they constitute a small minority in the country there is a long-held perception that they dominate the national economy.

Andrew’s actions have gained the support of other Chinese-Indonesians who claim they feel emboldened to take the same action should they suffer similar abuse.

Shanty Jayanti Putri, 25, said that she felt encouraged to pursue equal rights. “Of course I would report it to the police. I am an Indonesian citizen; I have the right to receive protection from the country,” she told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Andris Juliawan, 30, said that the incident could have happened to him as he frequently felt negatively prejudged on account of his ethnicity.

“I don’t care about their race, religion or background. If someone assaults me, I will report it to the police,” the entrepreneur said.

The chairman of Human Rights watchdog Setara Institute, Hendardi, praised Andrew’s courage in filing a police report. It reflected the rising awareness of fighting for equal rights among citizens, he said.

“He could become a pioneer for other Chinese. This should be a good opportunity,” said Hendardi.

“We have seen improvements, such as how many Chinese-Indonesians have become engaged in politics in the country. Although there is still some racial discrimination, the situation is getting better now as compared to the past,” he said. (win/fac)

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