JakartaPost-May 13
For many of the victims and families affected by the bloody riots in May 1998, the hope for “closure” has slowly eroded with every passing year and every subsequent administration that has promised to bring the perpetrators to justice. Mere months before president-elect Prabowo Subianto is sworn in, however, they must once again put their faith in a government that says it is committed to upholding the rule of law but which is also inextricably linked to the nation’s dark past. Indonesians commemorated the 26th anniversary of the Trisakti Tragedy and the May riots on Sunday, paying respect to those who fell victim to the mass unrest that eventually spelled the end of the New Order regime. The Trisakti tragedy and the 1998 May riots have forever etched a dark chapter in Indonesia’s history, bookending the New Order era and precipitating the eventual resignation of then-president Soeharto later that month. The lives lost in the riots reached over 1,200, according to the joint fact-finding team. The victims encompassed activists facing repression from security forces and ethnic Chinese Indonesians who became targets of looting and gang rape in the midst of the chaos. The victims’ families have consistently called for justice and accountability throughout the years, with little to no results. Last year, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo designated a dozen past cases of human rights atrocities, including the tragedies in 1998, as gross human rights violations. Jokowi expressed regret over the incidents, a first for any Indonesian leader, and set off a process offering non-judicial settlements for the victims’ families. But many considered this gesture far from being enough. Dimas Bagus Arya, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), spoke of the need for the next government to offer the long-sought judicial path to uncover and indict the perpetrators of the 1998 incidents. Read more at:
