Human rights campaigner Munir laid to rest in his home town

Human rights campaigner Munir laid to rest in his home town

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post/Batu

Not far from the intersection, at No. 169 Jl. Diponegoro in Batu,
Malang, East Java, on Saturday, a green tent was erected and
hundreds of wreaths laid out to honor human rights campaigner
Munir.

A representative of the Said Thalib family said Munir, who
never used his surname, meant "light" -- and it was evident that
he had lived up to his name. The little tourist town did not wait
for state recognition -- the mayor immediately announced that he
was honored posthumously as "the best son of Batu."

Apart from many famous figures who turned up for the funeral
were the many people to whom Munir had gave courage and "light"
-- including wives and mothers whose husbands and sons went
missing or were killed in various incidents in the turbulent late
1990s. They traveled by bus for nearly 30 hours to Malang.

Munir, who was staunchly critical of the Indonesian Military,
was a co-founder of the Commission for Missing Persons and
Victims of Violence (Kontras) and the Indonesian Human Rights
Watch (Imparsial).

The body of Munir -- who died onboard a Garuda flight to the
Netherlands last Tuesday at the age of 38 -- was flown to
Indonesia on Merpati Nusantara flight MZ-3300. The flight landed
at the Abdurrahman Saleh air force base in Malang.

Whether they knew him personally, or had only heard his name
via the media, thousands of people arrived at the small house to
express their condolences.

Haji Bani, a neighbor, said, "I was shocked to hear the news
of Munir's death. I wish to pay my last respects and to pray for
him." The 53-year-old man has lived in the area for 20 years. "He
was socially very active as a boy," he told The Jakarta Post.

At about 10 p.m., Munir's body arrived with a long motorcade.

The takbir (praise to God) sounded as his coffin was removed
from the hearse. People struggled to touch the coffin as it was
carried along.

Prominent figures among the mourners included lawyers Adnan
Buyung Nasution, Todung Mulya Lubis, Trimoelja D. Soeryadi, Batu
Mayor Imam Kabul, Constitutional Court president Jimly
Asshidiqie, activists Teten Masduki, Yenny Rossa Damayanti and
Syahrir.

Munir's mother, Jamilah, wept beside his body. Munir's
children, Soulthan Alif Allende and Diva Suukyi Larasati, were
comforted by their mother, Suciwati, in the back room. "Friends
across the country cried when they heard about the news.
Indonesia has really lost a genuine fighter," Todung said.

Recalling his first meeting with Munir, Adnan Buyung said, "I
asked the thin young man with the quick tongue to come to
Jakarta, as the country needed a man like him ... his spirit will
still be in the hearts of activists throughout Indonesia."

Munir's older brother, Rasyid Said Thalib, said one thing that
the family remembered most was Munir's ability to help any
person, no matter his own condition.

On top of that, Munir always forgave his adversaries. "He was
not a vengeful type, but forgiving," he said.

The funeral procession left the house at about 10 a.m.,
with prayers performed at At Taqwa mosque. Munir was then laid to
rest at the nearby, unkempt, Batusisir graveyard, thousands of
miles away from the Kalibata heroes' cemetery in Jakarta where
some have suggested he should be buried.