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May 1998 monument hailed as 'sign of state responsibility'
Preserving memory: Mothers of victims of the May riots observe the May 98 Monument at the victimsâ mass grave site in Pondok Ranggon public cemetery in East Jakarta after the monumentâs inauguration on Wednesday
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span class="inline inline-center">Preserving memory: Mothers of victims of the May riots observe the May 98 Monument at the victims' mass grave site in Pondok Ranggon public cemetery in East Jakarta after the monument's inauguration on Wednesday. The monument was erected as a reminder of the victims and of the unresolved tragedy. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
The families of those who died in the May 1998 riots, as well those who survived, expressed relief on Wednesday that a monument marking the unresolved violence had finally been officiated, as activists commended the administration's role in realizing the monument.
The monument is the result of cooperation between the administration and the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan).
The families and survivors said it had eased much of the stigma, fueled by the view that the victims were looters and by the denial that many were raped.
'A neighbor told me my child deserved to die because he was among those who looted the mall,' said Imas, the mother of 17-year-old victim Kholid Yusmana.
Imas is not sure where her child's remains are, but comes every May to Pondok Ranggon public cemetery to pray for those who died.
Many people went missing on May 13. It was later revealed that the nearby Central Plaza Klender, now Citra Mall Klender, had caught fire, killing almost everyone inside.
Over 100 graves at the cemetery in one of the blocks are marked 'Korban tragedi Mei 98 [victim of May 98 tragedy].'
'You should all receive special privileges as the victims of the May riots,' said the administration's Citizen Monitoring Unit assistant to the deputy head Marulah Matali, who attended the event on behalf of Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama.
The city, he said, would ensure that the parents of the missing and dead would receive their rights, such as allowances for the poor and health coverage.
Ahok, during his tenure as the Jakarta deputy governor, laid the first stone for the memorial last year, which marked the beginning of its construction.
The monument designer, Awan Simatupang, said he had designed the monument in the form of a hand sewing a piece of torn fabric, to symbolize damaged situations and victims' families' wounds that needed to be healed by truth and justice.
'I chose a piece of fabric and a needle because most of the mothers of the victims are tailors,' he said.
Komnas Perempuan chairwoman Azriana said her organization was glad that the administration had responded favorably to the families' demands. 'This is a sign of the state's acknowledgement and responsibility for the tragedy,' she said.
No one has been held accountable for the May riots in Jakarta and other cities, which followed the May 12, 1998 shootings of four students at Trisaki University. The May 1998 monument was officiated by the victims' families, Komnas Perempuan and the administration at Pondok Ranggon cemetery.
Denial was the main obstruction to realizing the monument, said former commission chairwoman Yuniyanti Chuzaifah.
Current chairwoman Azriana said that 'until today, many still deny there were victims of sexual assault', despite the findings of the government-appointed Joint Fact-finding Team, which said there were 89 victims of rape, sexual assault and torture, mainly Chinese Indonesians.
'Continuing to push for victims to testify amid the absence of guarantees for their safety corners the victims even more, worsening their recovery process,' Azriana said.
'We do not talk of May 1998 to gain revenge,' Nancy Widjaja of the Indonesian Chinese Women Association told The Jakarta Post, 'but to ensure that such a thing never happens again. The young generation must know how to maintain harmony. Indonesia is not Indonesia without its diversity.'
City officials said Pondok Ranggon would be included as a 'religious destination' for tourists. (prm)
