Marsinah honored in monolog

JAKARTA (JP): Ratna Sarumpaet, the head of Satu Merah Panggung theater group, is paying tribute to slain labor activist Marsinah in a monolog and new book.

She will perform Marsinah Menggugat (Marsinah Accuses) at Taman Ismail Marzuki on Oct. 28. The show is held in conjunction with the publication of Ratna's book, Marsinah, Nyanyian Dari Bawah Tanah (Marsinah, Voice from the Underworld).

"This is my tribute to labor activist Marsinah, who paid with her life and innocence. The show is primarily about voices that could never be heard," Ratna said Thursday.

The 45-minute monolog will be staged in 11 cities in Java and Sumatra to mark the 27th anniversary of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI), the sponsor of the show.

The first staging of the play in September 1994 was based on the unpublished manuscript of Marsinah, Nyanian dari Bawah Tanah.

Marsinah was found raped and murdered on May. 8, 1993, in the East Java town of Sidoardjo, 25 kilometers from Surabaya.

She had been missing for three days after leading a protest against coerced resignation of 13 of her colleagues at a watch- making company in the town.

Ratna said the voices of Indonesian people were still unheard despite 52 years of independence. "I want to let people know that the human rights spirit and fight are still on." (02)