Indonesia

Indonesia is a country in Cyberpunk 2020.

Overview
Indonesia is the big gun of ASEAN, literally. This long island chain has the largest land and sea forces available, and the willingness to use them, anyone in "East Irian Jaya" will testify. During tie 2nd Corp War, they took advantage of turbulence to take over PNG. The public explanation is that they to stop cross-border incursions from Irian Jaya rebels taking sanctuary in PNG jungles. However, since they've been in they've made a fortune off of the jungle, teak wood to the Japanese leasing rain forest areas to pharmaceutical companies and leasing most of the eastern cities to SovOil for refineries and repair docks.

The navy is split into two areas. One half is off the coast of Australia ready to destroy attempts at aid for PNG and to help West Australia, and half guards the Malaccan Straits. This is main shipping route between Japan/China and the Indian Ocean.

The three main ethnic groups in Indonesia are: Indonesian, Malays, Chinese, and Arabs. The Indonesian Malays are guaranteed the best jobs and housing. Due to threatened past invasions from Chinese communist and economic dominance from Overseas Chinese. Indonesians have passed laws to keep the Chinese under control. Since the 90's Chinese education opportunities and government jobs have been severely restricted. Also, materials written in Chinese are banned. The majority of Chinese left in Indonesian cannot read or speak Chinese. There is underground net movement of Chinese texts and learning programs which the government is desperately trying to stop. Needless to say, the Indonesian encourage Chinese to go to Singapore, and many take them up on the offer. However, the Triads still do business in and do the Shanghai banks.

The Arabs (or Middle-Easterners for precise) are refugees from the Meltdown who were too poor to go Brunei,but not poor as to be moved to Mindanao. Mostly' they are Iranians and Turks. They came expecting Islam like they had back home and were stunned to find the Iaissez-fairez Islam, with native influences that exist in Indonesia and Malaysia. Many have joined the radical, anti-Chinese Sarekat Islam (Islam Association), and are working towards the enactment of Islamic law. The Jakarta army and business are trying to stop this quickly. The Sarekat Islam is based mainly in Irian Jaya.

Government
Where the 'Military is strong, Government is weak. With the death of President Suharto in 1998 the strong dictatorship that kept the military, MosIems, and corporations balanced against each other fell part. President Alkatiri sided with the military, as thousands of Moslems poured in from the Middle-East. During the struggle between the Muslim united Development Party (PPP) and the Military's Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), local industries begin to collapse. Soon the FACS slipped in by funding the PDI, and investing heavily in the country. Many PPP members left the party and joined Sarekat Islam.

Now, the Army is in Timor and East Irian Jaya (PNG), and the Navies are at their respective posts. The Moslems are fighting among themselves about whether or not to fight the government openly, and the local industries have been bought out by FACS and SovOil has the oil industry. Sound screwed to you?

The government is trying to relieve population pressure on the cities and main islands relocating people out to Timor Irian Jaya, Kalimatan, and other distant, untamed lands. Needless to say don't want to go, and sneak back soon as they can. Also, every so often, the government shows what little power it has by doing a "crime sweep." This is the rounding up of criminals, and those look like criminals and shooting them. One of the ways of the ways of determining criminality is by the presence of tattoos Remember watch your style when going into the SEA.

Economy
Despite all of the political problems, the economy is pretty good. The foreign corporations pumped quite a bit of yen into infrastructure, ports, and airstrips, especially in the more backwater areas. Of course, these are to facilitate the stripping of the forests, mining of the mountains, and delivery of crops, but it has added a lot of cash to the country. Unfortunately, a lot of the cash went into the pockets of local administrators.

Indonesia is at the edge of the Slick, so fishing and aquaculture hasn't entirely died here, and quite a few of the islands (Bali, Lombok, Sumba) have posh resorts for Corps on holiday. Half of Irian Jaya and East Irian Jaya has been leased outright, along with parts of Kalimatan, to Biotechnica and Tiger Medicines for biodiversity research.

The black market does quite well with drugs, guns, Chinese learning guides and software, communications equipment, etc. being smuggled in through the various islands. The pirates that lurk in the various coves and bays raid ships when they can, but mainly just carry contraband.

Jakarta
The capital city, on the island of Java, is pretty unpleasant. It's hot, dirty, and squalid, full of people who have moved in from the countryside looking for work Beggars are plentiful, especially from areas bought out by the corps. Some of the areas of interest to the Cyberpunk are the Chinatown area of Glodok, and the docks at Sunda Kelapa. Menteng is the Corporate HQ and residential area. Unless you have business, and/or look respectable, you'll get hassled by the guards. The best area for picking up info, jobs, and "necessary items" would be in Monas. This is a pretty standard city, unfortunately.

East Irian Jaya (Formerly Papua New Guinea)
This used to be a territory of Australia, and locals and expats were treated rather equally. After independence, the new government started an anti-expat campaign, which unfortunately drove out most of those best able to help run the country. As a consequence, the govemment floundered, and became an easy target for Indonesia. (This is also the area where "cargo cults" came from, as the tribes were isolated until the late 1800's) The area is still under tribal alliances, and hordes of young men go to the cities, especially Port Moresby, looking for work and not finding any. They end up living with their wantoks (families), and becoming rascals (violent troublemakers).

ElJ's highlands are being ripped up in some locations for the gold and copper, where other areas are under Bio-Corp control. Either way, the tribes are displaced. When they try to go back to their lands, the Army settles it Quickly. The corps in the cities stay behind guarded barbed wires in aircon offices, ignoring as best as possible the declining situation outside their walls.