Tasikmalaya - 1996 Riot

1996 Riot

The city of Tasikmalaya was the site of a widely-reported riot in late December 1996. Four people were killed and several churches and dozens of mostly Chinese-owned businesses were destroyed in the violence, which was triggered by allegations of police brutality. It was also fueled by frustration with allegedly corrupt local government officials. The event was among the earliest of many riots with religion- and class-based undertones that occurred in Java during the late 1990s.