Indah Setiawati and Corry Elyda, Jakarta – Even after 16 years, the bitter memories of the May 1998 tragedy are still an open wound in the hearts of survivors and families of the victims. With no legal resolution as closure, these people visited a variety of riot sites to pray for their loved ones on Tuesday.

Around 50 people comprising families of the victims and activists from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) sprinkled flower petals in the area of the Klender Mall in East Jakarta where dozens had died in a fire amid the May riots.

Yati Andriyani, the deputy coordinator of the advocacy department of Kontras, said the families joined the event for personal reasons, which included praying for their loved ones. Later that day, they also went to cemeteries in Klender to visit the graves of victims who were buried there.

"By holding this event, we want to remind people that such a tragedy should never occur again. We also want to remind the President and the Attorney General that they have not revealed the facts and the truth behind the riots," she told The Jakarta Post.

Yati said the group would go to the mass grave of hundreds of victims at Pondok Ranggon Cemetery in East Jakarta on May 18.

She said the mall management responded well by allowing them to hold the event. Last year, families of survivors who wanted to place flowers at the site were reportedly driven away by securitsy guards at the mall.

Meanwhile, the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) will hold a history tour to mark the 16th anniversary of the May riots.

Komnas Perempuan commissioner Neng Dara Affiah said the group would visit key riot sites and the tomb of Souw Beng Kong, the first "captain" of Jakarta's Chinese community, which was located in Mangga Dua Selatan in North Jakarta.

The visit to the tomb was a token of respect toward the Chinese-Indonesians who were victims of the May riots, which are also referred to as the anti-Chinese riots.

"We will start at 8 a.m. at our office. Our tour will end at Pondok Ranggon Cemetery where we will hold a ceremony. We expect Pak Ahok [Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama] to attend the ceremony," she told the Post.

Meanwhile, Ahok reiterated his support for building a monument in Pondok Ranggon Cemetery in remembrance of all the victims.

After a meeting with Komnas Perempuan at the City Hall on Tuesday, he told reporters that he had asked the city administration to support the development of the May tragedy monument at the cemetery.

Ahok said there was no problem with the request. "If there is a land issue, just chip in to procure the land," he said, adding that he personally was also willing to contribute if the commission asked him to.

Ahok, a politician from the Gerindra Party, whose chief patron is Prabowo Subianto, supported the calls for a resolution to the tragedy. "It is the authority of the central government to do so, but I urge them to resolve all issues resulting from the tragedy," he said.

The number of victims in the riots varies from one source to another, and the government has never issued an official number.

The report of the joint-fact finding team (TGPF) found the total number of fatalities in Jakarta ranged from 288 to 1,217. The sources were the Jakarta administration, the police, the Jakarta Military Command and the May Volunteers Team.

The May Volunteers Team, which presented the highest number, found that 1,190 were burned to death while 27 died of other causes such as being shot. The TGPF also found that 52 women, mostly Chinese-Indonesians, experienced sexual abuse ranging from harassment to gang rape during the May riots.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/05/14/victims-may-riots-remembered.html