Shops still closed near plan crash site<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
Munir Sitepu has locked himself in his home for four days since a
\nMandala airplane plowed into a densely populated area in Medan on
\nMonday. Munir whose house is located near the crash site did not
\ncare for the curious onlookers wandering around his neighborhood.
\nHe also gave little attention to the presence of a team
\ninvestigating the crash.<\/p>\n
Occasionally, he opened the door and stole a glance at the
\ncrash site, which has been the center of attention for a few
\ndays, not only for Medan residents, but also for people out of
\ntown.<\/p>\n
After viewing the wreckage and activity from his doorway, the
\n48-year-old foodstall owner quickly returned to his new found
\nhabit: locking himself in at home. He was still deeply
\ntraumatized by the plane crash that left 149 people dead. \"The
\ntrauma will return if I see the plane wreckage,\" said Munir who
\nopened the foodstall in his house a year ago.<\/p>\n
The deep trauma has forced Munir to temporarily close his
\nfoodstall, which is located in the business district. \"I don't
\nknow when I will reopen,\" said Munir.<\/p>\n
Munir recalled that when the Boeing 737-200 plane went down on
\nMonday morning, he was preparing food. Suddenly, he saw the
\nplane's wing crash into a resident's house and then the plane
\nskimmed along the road and crushed everything in its path,
\nincluding cars and motorcycles.<\/p>\n
One among the motorcyclists swept along by the giant iron bird
\nwas a salesman riding a motorcycle, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Before he died, the salesman waved at me in attempt to ask
\nfor help. It was tragic,\" said Munir while pointing at the
\nmotorcycle wreckage.<\/p>\n
Munir is just one among many residents in Padang Bulan area
\nwho has chosen to shut their shops temporarily following the
\nMandala plane crash. Like Munir, residents cited trauma as the
\nmain reason behind the temporary closure.<\/p>\n
While some residents closed their shops, others had to
\nstruggle to cope with life as their shops had been destroyed and
\nthey had nothing left. Those whose houses and shops had been
\ndestroyed by the airplane demanded on Friday that the government
\nand Mandala Airlines provide them with compensation. Ariston
\nSebayang, 44, one among them, complained that to date, no
\nofficials from the government or airlines had collected data on
\nthe amount of the losses he incurred in the accident. Ariston
\nlost his coffee shop and a car showroom in the grisly accident.
\n\"We need money in order to restart our business,\" said Ariston.<\/p>\n
According to data at a command post set up near the crash
\nsite, at least 16 residences and shophouses, and 32 cars and
\nmotorcycles were destroyed in Monday's crash.<\/p>",
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