Jakarta – Dozens of older men and women belonging to the Victims of New Order Human Rights Abuse Association (Pakorba HAM) met French human rights activist, Danielle Mitterand, here today. In the two-hour meeting held at the Utan Kayu Theater in East Jakarta, some members of Pakorba asked the wife of the late former French president Francois Mitterand to support the trial of former President Soeharto in international court.

Danielle welcomed the idea. The founder of the international human right organization, the Danielle Mitterand French Liberation Foundation, established in 1986, said that Soeharto's corruption-collusion-nepotism (KKN) case has little meaning for her. "It is more important for me that he be tried for human rights violations. All of us attending this meeting have the same desire," she said in French and interpreted by her friend, Edlina Eddin.

However, Danielle asked the victims for their patience while they wait for justice. "If Soeharto or his cronies leave Indonesia and stay abroad, human rights abuse victims living overseas can report to the file a complaint with the police," she suggested.

Danielle, a mother of two children, is visiting Indonesia at the invitation of her close friend Sulami. Sulami, the founder of the 1965-1966 Murder Victims Research Foundation (YPKP), is a former political prisoner. She was arrested for her activities as secretary-general of Gerwani – a woman's organization allegedly affiliated with the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Danielle, looking spry at 76 years of age, will stay for another eight days in Indonesia. She will meet other human rights abuse victims during visits to the Central Javanese cities of Yogyakarta and Klaten, and other cities in Java and East Timor.

When the meeting ended, some members of Pakorba requested a firm commitment support from the first winner of the Elie Wiesel Foundation Human Rights Award. When the request was interpreted, Danielle just smiled. "I hide nothing in my smile," she said. She then added, "I will definitely mobilize my staff and other organizations that have cooperated with us for a long time. I make this commitment to myself and to all my comrades here." Participants gave warm applause to her final statements.