Maria C. Sumarsih wins Yap Thiam Hien Award

Joining a select group of lauded Indonesian human rights activists, Maria Catarina Sumarsih received on Friday the 2004 Yap Thiam Hien Award for her consistent and courageous fight over the past six years in seeking justice for victims of human rights abuses.

Sumarsih, who works at the House of Representatives Secretariat, said she dedicated the award to her son, who was one of the 17 people killed in the 1998 shooting spree against students during a massive demonstration in the Semanggi area of Jakarta, and vowed to continue her fight to defend human rights "as long as her time and life allow to".

Her son, Bernardinus Realino Norma Irawan, was one of student demonstrators who were shot dead during a Semanggi incident.

"I may not have all the knowledge or great skills, but I do know that united victims are invincible," she told an applauding audience. -- JP