Vigil in support of Chinese Indonesians
By Orie Nakagawa
SYDNEY — "Even though I'm Chinese Australian now, I have a lot of sympathy with you", Thiam Ang, a Malaysian doctor who experienced the 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur, told a crowd of 700 people gathered in Hyde Park on August 29 to express their solidarity with the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia.
The candlelight vigil commemorated the 100th day since the fall of Suharto. Participants prayed for the victims of the recent anti-Chinese violence in Indonesia, instigated by the Indonesian military.
As candles were lit, Hyde Park was silent. The crowd prayed for the victims to be freed from the trauma and nightmares, and to live normally again without fear.
The organisers of the vigil, the Indonesian Welfare Association, appealed to the audience to fight against racism and violence against women.