Our collective memory. R. Subiyanto, 68, (left), shows a picture of his son who died during the May 1998 riots, in the commemoration of the tragedy in front of Djarum Mei monument in Kampung Jati Selatan, Klender, East Jakarta, on Sunday. To commemorate the 1998 tragedy and the 15th anniversary of the reform movement in Indonesia, the National Commission on Violence against Women held a tour to a number of key sites of the riots to remind people of the tragedy as well as to push for justice for the victims. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)

A commemorative tour of Jakarta has been held to mark the 15th anniversary of the May 1998 riots that preceded the downfall of the Soeharto regime.

Survivors of the riots were among those who joined the tour, during which they visited some of the key riot sites such as that of a burned department store in Klender, East Jakarta ' now the Klender Mall.

'Families of survivors wanted to place flowers at the site; but, they were driven away by security guards at the mall,' said Sumamihardja of the Indonesian Chinese Council (Matakin), who was also the narrator during the tour, on Sunday.

He said a number of attempts to set up a memorial in the mall grounds had been rejected by the local administration and the mall's developer.

Some 200 people are estimated to have died in the burning building -- then named Toko Yogya. Several victims were accused of looting, which their families have denied.

The riots took place from May 13 to 15, 1998, following the shooting of Trisakti University students on May 12 in Jakarta. At least 1,000 people were killed during the riots, which took place simultaneously in several cities, including in Surakarta.

"My son Khalid was 12," said Suryati, a local resident whose son was accused of looting.

"He wasn't strong enough to carry a fridge."

Khalid was among numerous victims killed in the burning down of the Toko Yogya. Many of them could not be identified.

National Commission on Violence against Women chairperson Yunianti Chuzaifah said the event was crucial to commemorate the May 1998 tragedy, partly to prevent future generations from forgetting the incident, which the then Joint Investigation Team declared as an organized crime within an elite power struggle. (ebf)

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