Omah Munir (Munir's house), in Batu, a hill town not far from Malang, commemorates the human rights activist who was poisoned on a flight to Amsterdam in 2004.

It is definitely worth a visit. Two tips:

1. Get a mikrolet once you get to Batu.

The lilac mikrolet from Malang's Ladungsari terminal drops you off near Batu's Pasar Besar, and we walked from there. This is nice -- past the jolly alun-alun; past some lovely mosques; past bus shelters shaped like apples and bus shelters shaped like carrots; past roadside garden centres and touristic apple-picking enterprises; gaining views of the hills that grow ever more impressive as you climb (which you unremittingly do...) But it is quite a way... Including a tea stop, we walked for nigh on 1.5 hours... So get a mikrolet...





2. Prepare to come away really saddened...

This is not a place that's all about Munir. It highlights plenty of other cases, aims to educate visitors about the basics of human rights, and provides a library covering a range of subjects.

But the figure of Munir is colossally present. We read about his career, his increasing involvement with cases of injustice and violation; we see his favourite clothes (his best-loved T-shirt carries the slogan "Burma -- ASEAN's shame"); we become familiar with his relaxed, handsome-guy-next-door face, its expression always full of vitality; we see -- heartrendingly -- his delight at being with his new baby, born not long before he died; and we read a detailed account of his last hours -- in pain, suffering, cooped up on an aircraft, and then dead.



It is enormously moving.

The man convicted of his murder has already been released on parole, and the masterminds pulling the strings have never been brought to justice. Munir's case is an important element in Indonesia's ongoing struggle to eradicate impunity.

The Dutch government has named a street in The Hague after Munir. Activists hope this will spur President Jokowi to reopen the case.