Bus conductor testifies in tragedy trial

Bus conductor testifies in tragedy trial

JAKARTA (JP): The conductor of a passenger bus which plunged
into a river in North Jakarta last March, killing 33 passengers,
testified yesterday in the trial of the driver, Ramses Silitonga,
in the North Jakarta District Court.

Poltak Pakpahan said he and some passengers of the bus had
told Ramses to stop speeding. "But he ignored our pleas and
continued speeding," Poltak told judge Soemarjono.

Poltak said that traffic had been light on March 6, 1994, the
day of the accident.

"The bus was heading to Senen in Central Jakarta from Semper
in North Jakarta and when we reached the Plumpang area, North
Jakarta, Ramses started to drive at a speed of between 70 and 90
kilometers per hour," Poltak said. The conductor said things got
worse when Ramses tried to avoid a hole in the road by turning
the wheel sharply to the right. "When he tried to turn the wheel
back to the left the bus hit a concrete roadblock."

Poltak said that when the bus collided with the roadblock he
heard the passengers screaming and saying, "Allahu Akbar, Allahu
Akbar" ("God is Great"), over and over. He said he then jumped
out of the bus. "I fainted and was unconscious for about 15
minutes."

He said that after regaining consciousness he saw that the bus
had plunged into the Sunter river. "I immediately left the area
before crowds gathered at the accident scene because I was afraid
people would vent their anger on me," Poltak said.

The conductor said he had not known the fate of the passengers
or the driver until he read about the accident in the newspapers.

Yudi Karya, another of the 13 survivors who was called to give
evidence by prosecutor H.P.W. Soekewi, told the judge that the
passengers had asked Ramses not to drive the bus recklessly.

Polluted river

Yudi, 22, who said he had been sitting to the left of the
driver's seat, said that as the bus plunged to the muddy and
polluted river he had been able to get out through the driver's
door.

Abdul Rohim, 24, another survivor, told The Jakarta Post prior
to taking the witness stand that he had been lucky to have been
standing near the back door of the bus at the time of the
accident, enabling him to escape in time.

He said many of the passengers panicked, being unable to see a
way out because the river was extremely polluted.

"The water was black, muddy and oily. I could hardly open my
eyes and I was having trouble breathing," Abdul said.

Retno Astuti, 22, who also survived, told the Post that she
could only recall that the bus had been speeding uncontrollably
and that when she realized that it had gone into the river she
took off her shoes and used them to smash the bus' windows.

"I don't know where I got such strength from," said the woman.
Her fiancee, Agus Yuswohadi, 22, was killed in the accident.

It is alleged that on March 6 last year, Ramses drove a
Metromini (smaller-sized) bus along Jl. Yos Sudarso in North
Jakarta at a speed of between 70 and 90 kilometers per hour.

Twenty people died at the scene of the accident, another 13
died later in hospital and a further 13 were injured.

Ramses, 33, initially evaded the police and went into hiding
in North Sumatra, his home province. Police finally managed to
arrest him in August, despite Ramses' efforts to change his
identity.

Police said Ramses had been living in the village of Tanjung
Mulia in the Kampung Rakyat district, Labuhan Batu regency. He
had been working for PT Pemudjur, a timber mill, under the name
of Ucok Sitompul.

Judge Soemarjono adjourned the trial until Jan. 30.(mas)