Memorial to May tragedy to be unveiled next week

Memorial to May tragedy to be unveiled next week

Kurniawan Hari and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri will inaugurate next week a
monument built in remembrance of the anti-Chinese riots that
swept several cities across the country in May 1998.

The memorial, dedicated by the Chinese-Indonesian Reform
Movement (Parti), is situated in downtown Kota, West Jakarta.

In the meeting with the President on Wednesday, Parti chairman
Lieus Sungkharisma said the monument would serve as a reminder of
the horrific riots so that there was never a recurrence.

He said the monument was a symbol of reconciliation offered by
the Chinese community, which aims to build better understanding
with other communities in the country.

"We don't want people to forget what happened, but nor do we
want to continue searching for the perpetrators of the incident,"
Lieus underlined.

The monument has been erected in front of the historical
Chandranaya building. It depicts two men, representing different
ethnic groups, holding a Garuda bird, the national symbol.

The May 13 to May 15, 1998 preceded an end to the 32 years of
authoritarian rule of president Soeharto and marked the beginning
of the reform movement.

During one of the country's saddest tragedies, hundreds of
people were burned alive in stores and supermarkets, stores were
looted and buildings burned down and dozens of Chinese women were
raped. Dozens of people remain unaccounted for.

However, nobody has been held accountable and sent to prison
for the tragedy. An inquiry by the National Commission on Human
Rights found gross human rights violations by security forces in
the incident, which was preceded by the May 12 shooting of four
Trisakti University students rallying against Soeharto.

Lieus said the monument should also remind people of the
failure of security personnel to maintain order. Security affairs
at that time fell under the Armed Forces, which at the time was
led by Gen. Wiranto, who is running for president in the July 5
election.

"Of course the Chinese community is worried about the
candidacy. We do not want to accuse anybody, but somebody with
that kind of track record will not be voted for by us," Lieus
said, referring to Wiranto.

Meanwhile, nearly 25 victims and families of various human
rights abuses met People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien
Rais on Wednesday to seek his support for bringing violators of
human rights to court.

Mugiyanto, a student activist who claims to have been abducted
by the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in 1997 and held prisoner
until 1998, called for the establishment of an hoc court for
human rights abuses.

"Pak Amien Rais must press for the formation of an ad hoc
court for human rights abuses that occurred in a few incidents,
including the May 1998 riots, the Trisakti and Semanggi tragedies
and other incidents," he said, reading out a statement.

The delegation represented victims and families of human
rights abuses in the aftermath of the abortive coup blamed on the
Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965, the Tanjung Priok
incident in 1984, the Lampung incident in 1989, the abduction of
students in 1997 and 1998, the Trisakti shootings, the Semanggi
incident and the May 1998 riots.

They also demanded that the government pay compensation to the
victims of human rights abuses.

Amien promised to convey their demands to the government.

Amien, a presidential aspirant of the National Mandate Party
(PAN), cracked a joke: "If you want me to do all this, please
make me president." His remark drew applause.