A group that rallies for the families of May 13 tragedy victims has renewed calls for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the racial riot, which saw hundreds killed.

Persatuan Sahabat Warisan Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor (Pesawa) said the country needs to have an open discussion on the incident so the people can move on from the 1969 bloodshed.

“Yes, we need to have an RCI. We should.

“Only when we have an RCI, it can invite many scholars to come together to discuss (the tragedy). Not just anyone can come to talk about it,” Pesawa chairperson Tan Choon Cheng told Malaysiakini earlier today.

Malaysiakini met Tan during an event to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the racial riot, held at a special burial plot in Sungai Buloh, Selangor.

Pesawa chairperson Tan Choon Cheng giving his speech

The government had buried the remains of over 100 victims, including some who were unidentified, at the secluded spot near the National Leprosy Control Centre.

According to Tan, the association will submit an appeal to the government to set up an RCI.

He also called for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to declassify government reports on the incident.

He said it was pertinent for the documents to be revealed to the public so that everyone would know what really transpired on that day.

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“There are differing views on what sparked the May 13 incident.

“However, information that had been revealed to the public so far showed that there were culprits, with certain political ambitions, who worked behind the scenes to take advantage of racial distrust at the time to spark a riot in Kuala Lumpur.

“It was a pre-planned conspiracy. The May 13 riot was a racial conflict that had a very deep impact on Malaysia’s history.

“Despite 55 years having passed since the incident, it has continued to be a wound that most people are not willing to discuss,” he said in the speech.

READ MORE: May 13, never again: The 1969 riots that changed Malaysia

Tan stressed that the commemorative event and Pesawa’s struggle for the truth behind May 13 was not to open an old wound or sow more hatred among the different races.

Families of those who perished in the May 13 incident

Instead, he said, they aimed to use the incident as a point to foster reconciliation and unity between races.

Prayers for the deceased

The event which started at 9am was attended by over 50 people including family members of May 13 victims, religious leaders and people from various backgrounds.

Among them were PSM founding member Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim, Rawang state assemblyperson Chua Wei Kiat and academician Sharifah Munirah Alatas.

After speeches by Tan and Chua, a representative of Nasir delivered his poem on May 13 before a special prayer session commenced at the memorial site.

Abdul Halim Akili (imam of Sungai Buloh Hospital Mosque), Shi Yong Yi (the venerable of Fo Guang Shan), K Salladurai (priest from Sungai Buloh Sri Siva Subramaniar Temple), Tang Mun Choong (Malaysia Taoist Association), Tung Jing Xian (Sungai Buloh Gospel Hall) and Nicholas Hoh Jeng Kin (Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur) - took turns to lead prayers according to their respective religious beliefs.

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