VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Today in History over RRI World Service, Voice of Indonesia start from an event on on May 29, 1953 when Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay were the first people to reach the peak of Mount Everest.

Edmund Hillary, a New Zealand mountaineer and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese sherpa, became the first people to reach the peak of Mount Everest, the highest peak of the Himalayas. They reached the top of the mountain as high as 8 thousand 850 meters on May 29, 1953. In the ascent, Edmund Hillary was assisted by 150 professional climbers plus 750 people who supported provisions with a Sherpa guide named Tenzing Norgay. After the success, Edmund Hillary concentrated on improving the living conditions of Nepalese, especially the Sherpas.

I’ll switch to the Heysel tragedy of May 29, 1985 that killed 32 Juventus F.C supporters.

The Heysel tragedy occurred on 29 May 1985 during a football match between Liverpool and Juventus in the Champions Cup, currently called the Champions League at the Heysel stadium in Brussels, Belgium. The incident became an opaque history of English football even though at that time, the English clubs were victorious. Because of this incident UK teams were banned from playing at the International level for 5 years. The tragedy started when  fans of each club mocked and harassed each other. Then suddenly, about an hour before kick-off, the Liverpool hooligans broke through the barrier into Juventus tifosi territory. Juventus supporters tried to stay away but then a tragedy occurred. The barrier wall in the sector collapsed because it could not hold the burden of people who kept trying to push and jump over the fence. Hundreds of people fell on the falling walls. As a result, as many as 39 people died and 600 more injured. Some Liverpool supporters were then sentenced to three years in jail for being perceived as the trigger for the violence.

I’ll end Today in History with May 29, 1996 when President Soeharto officially declared the National Elderly Day.

National Elderly Day in Indonesia is commemorated every May 29 as a form of awareness and respect for the elderly. According to Law No. 13/1998 on Elderly Welfare, the Elderly are persons who are 60 years of age and older. The National Elderly Day was officially declared by President Soeharto in Semarang on May 29, 1996 to honor the services of Dr. Radjiman Wediodiningrat who in his later years presided over the first trial of the Indonesian Preparatory Agency for the Preparation of Indonesian Independence (BPUPKI). As a manifestation of respect for the elderly, the Indonesian government established the National Commission for the Protection of Senior Citizens -Komnas Lansia, and drafted the National Plan of Action for the Elderly under the coordination of the office of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare. Komnas Lansia was formed based on Presidential Decree No. 52/2004 and served as coordinator of efforts to improve the social welfare of the elderly in Indonesia.