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Story: Indonesians

Chinese Indonesian refugees

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Chinese Indonesian refugees

Following ethnic riots in Indonesia hundreds of Chinese Indonesians arrived in New Zealand. They had jumped on a plane and chose New Zealand as a destination as there was no visa requirement. The refuge seekers felt that they would be persecuted or killed if they were forced to return: at the April 2000 meeting pictured here they hired a security guard to protect their identities. Although most were eventually granted residency, some were sent back.

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New Zealand Herald

Reference: 15 April 2000

by Bastiaan Beetjes

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Indonesians – Settlement, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/900/chinese-indonesian-refugees (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 4 March 2009.