Fighting not to Forget the Past
Peaceful “Thursday Actions” by the victims of past human rights violations have entered their 65th week. Not much has been achieved yet. THE sun was scorching as Maria Catarina Sumarsih opened a black umbrella across from the State Palace on Thursday last week. The mother of Bernardus Realino Norma Irmawan—who died during the 1998 Semanggi incident—along with 32 of her colleagues wore black shirts. There was no thundering of speeches as is usual at a demonstration. Their hopes were related through banners and umbrellas upon which were written a variety of demands calling for investigations in to past human rights violations.