Batu expected to name street after slain activist Munir

Activists from Batu, a hilly town near Malang in East Java, hoped its local government would name a street after murdered human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, an activist said on Monday.

â??The naming would be a tribute to Munirâ??s legacy,â? human rights activist Raden Ani was quoted saying by kompas.com.

Batuâ??s activists and residents, Raden said, proposed that a street connecting Sidomulyo village and Pandanrejo village in Bumiaji district be named after the Batu native.

Born in Batu on Dec. 8, 1965, Munir is one of the founders of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

In 2007, young activists and citizens had pitched the idea to the late Batu Mayor Imam Kabul, but did not receive any response.

The idea was recently resubmitted when the administration plans to name several streets.

â??Hopefully, this idea and aspiration of youths and citizens will be welcomed by the city administration,â? she added.

Contacted separately, an official with the Batu administration, Imam Suryono, admitted that they were discussing the proposal.

â??We are still discussing the proposal with related agencies. In addition to the city government, we also will involve police [in the discussion]. Hopefully, Munirâ??s name can be included as a street name,â? he said, citing that the naming ceremony was scheduled for Tuesday.

Munir was allegedly poisoned with arsenic on board a Garuda Indonesia plane flying him from Jakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7, 2004. His remains were buried in Sisir cemetery in Batu.

A former Garuda Indonesia pilot, Pollycarpus Budihari Prijanto, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail,

although observers allege he was not the main actor behind the murder. (yps)