Unair Student Executive Body Urges New Students to Remember Reform-Era Activists Herman and Bimo
The Student Executive Body (BEM) of Airlangga University (Unair) welcomed new students with an unconventional approach, inviting them to remember the disappearance of two Unair students during the 1998 Reformation era. In circulating photos and videos, BEM Unair officials led new students in unfurling a 5x1 metre poster reading, ‘Return Herman-Bimo, Unair students declared missing since 1998’. Following this, a BEM official delivered an oration stating that Herman and Bimo were victims of enforced disappearance in 1998.
The Chairman of BEM Unair, M. Rizqi Senja Virawan, stated that the poster was displayed during the inauguration of new students on Thursday, 30 July 2026. The poster serves as a notification to new students that certain Unair students fell victim to enforced disappearances by the New Order regime, specifically Herman Hendrawan and Petrus Bima Anugrah, both of whom were students of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at Unair in 1998. “They disappeared and have not returned to this day,” Senja told Tempo on Saturday, 1 August 2026.
Senja continued, noting that these two activists symbolise the long-standing history of activism at Unair, marking it as one of the campuses whose students went missing during the Reformation. The Minister of Social and Political Affairs of BEM Unair, Daniel Nikon Martua Situmorang, stated that the poster was his team’s idea. Every new student inauguration features various movement-related issues.
This year, the team decided to focus on an internal Unair issue to ensure that both students and university leadership remember the case. “Last year the issue was external or governmental. This year we are focusing on internal matters because Herman-Bimo have been missing since 1998, and it appears the campus has been failing to maintain the memory of this event,” said Daniel.
Daniel added that Unair activists who fought during the Reformation tend to be forgotten by the university, unlike some Jakarta-based campuses such as Trisakti, which continue to honour their students. Consequently, he noted, it is unsurprising that some Unair students are unfamiliar with the two activists. By displaying the poster, BEM Unarr hopes new students will understand the history of activism and movements on their campus. “If we do not introduce them, who else will preserve the memory of Herman and Bimo?” said the Unair Law student.
In addition to the poster, BEM Unair displayed several slogans on videotron screens during the ceremony, including: ‘Indonesia Emas or Anxious’, ‘Where are the 19 Million Promised Jobs?’, ‘President Zionist Henchman, Free Palestine’, ‘Take Firm Action Against Corruption in Surabaya Zoo’, and ‘Protect without Discriminating, Humanise without Excluding’.
According to Daniel, these issues were selected to spread awareness among new students, particularly regarding corruption, Palestinian independence, and the current regime’s failures. This year, Unair inaugurated 9,416 new students across Undergraduate, Applied Undergraduate, and Diploma programmes. The ceremony took place at the Airlangga Convention Centre (ACC), Unair Campus C.