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.