Reformasi

In July 1996, President Soeharto crossed a point of no return. Small but vocal student groups were staging daily demonstrations to demand 'reformasi' - Indonesia's byword for democratic reform. Disturbed by the unprecedented show of dissent, Soeharto cracked down. But by demonstrating that he would cling to power through force, the 74-year-old president dashed hopes for a peaceful democratic transition. The world's fourth largest nation was rolling towards a high-stakes political crisis - pittin