Curfew Follows Riots Over Prices

A dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed in an eastern town after rioters, angry over rising prices, attacked stores and homes owned by ethnic Chinese. It was the second day of rioting in Ende, on the island of Flores, and came as Indonesia battles its worst economic crisis in three decades. Inflation and unemployment have risen sharply, and austerity measures enacted under a $40-billion bailout plan of the International Monetary Fund have added to the discontent. Although ethnic Chinese make up only about 4% of Indonesia’s 200 million people, they dominate commerce and are often targeted when prices rise.