Yap Thiam Hien

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Yap Thiam Hien (* 25 May 1913 in Kutaraja, Aceh, Dutch East Indies; † 29 April 1989 in Brussels)[1] His father was Yap Sin Eng and his mother was Hwan Tjing Nio. He was one of the most notable people from Chinese heritage in Indonesia. As an advocate, he always fought for human rights, he realized that defense of minority rights made sense only as part of the larger struggle for the rights of all citizens.[2]

Yap moved from place to place when he was young to pursue his studies. He finally obtained Meester de Rechten degree from Faculty of Law, Leiden University, Netherland in 1947.[1] He went back to Indonesia and started his career as lawyer for Chinese people in Jakarta. In 1950, he opened a law firm together with John Karwin, Mochtar Kusumaatmadja and Komar. He opened his own law firm in 1970 and started as an active advocate. Since then, he always fought for human rights and equality for the minority group and poor people. He also established PERADIN (Persatuan Advokat Indonesia) and served as the leader.

Together with Buyung Nasution, Yap was one of the founders of Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI)[3], formerly known as Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH), which was a legal aid society to help the poor.[2]

In order to fight discriminative action toward Indonesian Chinese, in 1954 Yap established BAPERKI (Badan Permusyawaratan Kewarganegaraan Indonesia), a political institution for ethnic Chinese. BAPERKI was a left-wing Chinese political organisation banned after the 1965 coup for its links with the PKI.[4]

While attending the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development conference in Brussels, Yap suffered from internal bleeding and was treated at St. Augustin Hospital for two days before he finally died on April 25, 1989.

The Yap Thiam Hien Award[5]is a human rights award named after him to commemorate his steadfastness and commitment. The Yap Thiam Hien Award Program has been managed by the Human Rights Study Center Foundation (Yayasan Pusat Studi Hak Asasi Manusia or YAPUSHAM) since 1992.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Yap Thiam Hien (1913-1989) - Obor Pejuang Keadilan dan HAM
  2. ^ a b In Memoriam: Yap Thiam Hien (1913-1989) by David S. Lev
  3. ^ Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia
  4. ^ Non-conformist memoirs by Oei Tjoe Tat Memoar Oei Tjoe Tat, Pembantu Presiden Soekarno, Jakarta: Hasta Mitra, April 1995
  5. ^ Yap Thiam Hien Award
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