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Please don't forget us, say families of May riots victims
Jakarta Post - May 13, 2015
"He asked for permission to play with his friends but never came home," she said Tuesday during a May riots commemoration event in the mall's parking lot. Kusmiyati finally found her son's burned body at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta on Saturday, after he had been missing since the previous Thursday when the fire occurred.
Ruyati Darwin, 67, mother of Eten Karyana, said her son was just an ordinary English teacher who stopped by the mall on his way home from work.
"I was told he tried to save a little kid who was trapped in the burning mall. However, he never came out and left only ashes and a wallet," she said on the verge of tears.
Kusmiyati and Ruyati have never given up hope in pursuing justice and truth for their sons and other victims of the May riots. Together with other victims' families and several human rights organizations, they took part in an event held at the mall on Tuesday.
The first ever cultural event held to remember the riots was themed "17 Years of Staying Hopeful, Building Victims' Strength" and was organized by the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) and the Families of Missing Persons Associations (IKOHI). The event featured East Jakarta officials, lawmakers, young artists, community members and victims' families.
IKOHI secretary-general Zainal Muttaqin said Tuesday that he hoped the event could reach a wide audience. "The May riots are part of our country's difficult past, which needs not only reconciliation but also justice and the revealing of the truth," he said on Tuesday.
Komnas Perempuan chairwoman Azriana said she hoped the tragedy would never be forgotten. "Each year the commemoration is conducted to preserve our memories because the event happened 17 years ago. We don't want today's generation to forget," she said.
Nadia Felisia, a 22-year-old student of Trisakti University in West Jakarta, said she was aware of the riots but expressed doubt that her peers were aware of it. "I asked them if they knew of the May riots and they said they only knew four Trisakti students were killed near the campus. That's all," she said.
As many as 3,500 Trisakti University students sprinkled flower petals at the May 12 Tragedy Monument in West Jakarta on Tuesday and marched to the State Palace to honor their deceased seniors and demand the government resolve the human rights tragedy.
Raksa Santana, 22, a student of Atma Jaya University in South Jakarta, expressed concern about campus activism that was not disseminating information about the May riots effectively.
"If they give a speech, they are just talking to people who already know the facts, leaving others behind. You can't build awareness by throwing your fist in the air, instead embrace people by your side," he said.
Berkah Gamulya, the manager of a socially concerned band, Simponi, said that creative media, such as film and music, must be involved in disseminating information to ensure youngsters were reached and aware of the tragedy. (prm)
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