The Ten Most-Read Articles From Our First Year In Indonesia

Twelve months passed by just like that. At least that's how we feel at VICE's Indonesia office. When VICE opened our first office in Southeast Asia, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. There were already a lot of media companies targeting millennials and "generation z." We started with a really small team in August of last year and on 7 Nov. we launched our site.

In the year that followed we uncovered some interesting stuff in our first year. We learned what it was like to grow up with a gangster dad, met a former mujahideen, and spent a week eating nothing but fried chicken.

A lot of our favorite stories came from our freelancer network. We wouldn't have been able to do it without all of you. So if you've written for VICE in the past year, we want to take the chance to extend our heartfelt thanks.

Now, without further delay, here's our list of the best stuff we've published in the past year. If you don't see one of your favorites on this list, then tell us on social media. Your feedback helps us deliver the kinds of stories you want to read.

When Wulan Mayastika was a child her father ruled the Yogyakarta neighborhood of Badran. Even as a young girl, she noticed how some things about her father just didn't add up. Born Gunardi, most people call her father "Gun Jack"—a man who simultaneously owned a bakso stall and a car full of weapons. Our contributor Dea Karina talked to Wulan about her long journey discovering the many sides of her father.

"My father didn't follow rules, he created them," Wulan said.

Nasir Abas was once a seasoned mujahideen, a weapons expert who trained Islamic insurgents in the Southern Philippines and taught Bali bombers how to use a gun. He was a prominent member of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist organization. Today, he lives a quiet life as a business consultant. Writer Adi Renaldi spent a whole day with Nasir who went through his life's highs and lows—and what he misses from the old days.

Jakarta used to be a two club town, with Persija Jakarta in the city's center and Persitara in the north. Persitara was founded in 1979 as a collaboration between the city's north and its east—both hardscrabble places that felt removed from the realities of the city's wealthier center and south. The football club ceased to exist in 2014, but this year, a group of diehard supporters are trying to kick it back to life.

The most famous "breastaurant" in the world opened its doors in Jakarta in April. Writer Daniella Syakhirina auditioned to be a server at Hooters where recruiters made her put on a too small uniform and a pair of white knockoff Nike Airs.

What's behind a name, you ask? In this article, our contributor Alice talks about Suharto-era assimilation policies for Chinese Indonesians. When Gen. Suharto mandated the assimilation of "alien individuals" aka those of Chinese descent, it meant the the forced adoption of Indonesian-sounding names to replace original Chinese surnames, among others.

Agus Sutikno is better known as the street preacher. After enduring a hard life himself, Agus now goes around offering help, and housing, to the sex workers, street children, and drug addicts forced to live in the margins of Semarang.

Pop culture reflects the maturity of a nation. One of Indonesia's biggest television phenomenon, sinetron—whether you love it or hate it—is a mystery of its own.

A mature nation shouldn't forget its sins, no matter how painful it is. Our Makasar-based contributor, Eko Rusdianto, asked readers to look back to the vicious military actions taken by the Indonesian government during Seroja War in East Timor. Until now, many victims of human right violations and kidnapped children never received a proper apology from the Indonesian government.

In the past year, racism has been a hot national topic of debate in Indonesia. Many politicians tried to establish a demarcation line, separating those who claim to use the term "pribumi' in a colonial context against those who don't think it's downright stupid. We, of course, despise racism, and our writer Arzia Wargadiredja did a pretty good job tracing why the divisive word—from scientific, political and linguistic point of views—is still used today.

Indonesia's independent music scene grew rapidly since the fall of New Order government. However, lurking beneath the exciting community is Indonesia's problem with sexism and harassment towards its female members. Our writer Yudhistira Agato openly dissects the history and roots of this problem and what needs to be done to keep our music scene safe for everyone.