Attacker's body buried by police

Attacker's body buried by police

JAKARTA: The body of Hasballah, 22, one of two suspects in a
failed grenade attack in South Jakarta, became on Saturday an
object of contention among the Media Indonesia Group, the Taman
Iskandar Muda Association for Acehnese and the police.

The former two groups each wanted to take Hasballah's body
from Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for burial.

However, after a one-hour meeting at National Police
Headquarters, at 2:30 p.m. the police rejected the two groups'
request and instead decided to bury the body at the expense of
the police force.

The Acehnese association had offered to bury the body as
Hasballah's family felt at risk from a group of people Hasballah
had been associated with.

Later, the Media Indonesia Group, which is under the
chairmanship of Suryo Paloh, an Acehnese, offered to bury the
body.

According to Margiyanto, the head of the Cipto Mangunkusumo
morgue, it is uncommon for the police to claim a corpse.

Usually all unclaimed corpses, including those whose death is
still under police investigation, are buried at the expense of
the city administration.

South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Abdurrahman planned on
Saturday to bury the body immediately at Pondok Kemiri, East
Jakarta. -- JP