Crash victims buried with honors

Crash victims buried with honors

JAKARTA (JP): All 12 victims of Thursday's helicopter crash in
the mountainous Viqueque regency in East Timor were given
military funerals in separate ceremonies yesterday.

Chief of Udayana Regional Military Command Maj. Gen. Yudomo
Sastro Suhardjo and three other victims were buried at Kalibata
Heroes Cemetery in South Jakarta, in a ceremony chaired by Army
Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo.

The other three were chief of the Wira Dharma Military Command
in East Timor Col. Salamat Sidabutar, assistant for intelligence
affairs to the Udayana Regional Military Command Chief of Staff
Col. Pangandaran Napitupulu, and Lt. Col. Simson G. Sigar, a
member of the East Timor Military Command.

Another victim, co-pilot Capt. Mawi Asmawi, was buried at
Bekasi Heroes Cemetery, 35 kilometers east of Jakarta. Assistant
for operations to the Udayana Military Command Chief of Staff
Col. Satria Buana was buried at Cikutra Heroes Cemetery in
Bandung, West Java.

The pilot of the helicopter, Capt. Kusmayadi, and flight
technician Chief Sgt. Supardi were buried at Giri Tunggal Heroes
Cemetery in Semarang, Central Java, while flight technician First
Sgt. Sutarjo was buried at Klaten Heroes Cemetery, Klaten
regency, also in Central Java. The three were buried immediately
after Friday prayers.

The spokesman for the East Timor Military Command, Capt.
Muhammad, was buried at Bima Heroes Cemetery, Bima regency, West
Nusa Tenggara

"Capt. Muhammad was buried at Bima Heroes Cemetery after
Friday prayers," deputy chief of the Bima Military District, Maj.
John Arifin, said as quoted by Antara.

John said Muhammad's body arrived at Salahuddin Airport from
Dili, East Timor, at 10:30 a.m. local time and was taken
immediately to Bima Military District headquarters where his
colleagues paid their last respects.

Later yesterday, the body of chief of the East Timor Rajawali
Special Task Force Col. Djody Kusuma Priyambodo, was buried at
Maj. Gen. Sungkono Heroes Cemetery in Surabaya. The military
ceremony was led by Chief of Staff of the East Java Brawijaya
Military Command Brig. Gen. Syamsul Maarif.

Present at the ceremony were former superiors and friends of
Djody, including Chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command
(Kostrad) Second Division Maj. Gen. Ryamizard and Chief of Staff
Brig. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon.

The last victim, Second Lt. Arifin, who was Yudomo's adjutant,
was brought to Bandung yesterday. There was no information about
his funeral while the Armed Forces could not be reached for
comment yesterday.

President

The bodies of Yudomo, Sidabutar, Napitupulu, Sigar and Asmawi
arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta yesterday
afternoon. President B.J. Habibie was on hand to receive the
bodies and offered comfort to the bereaved families.

Also present were chief of the Armed Forces Staff and Command
School Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto and chief of the Jakarta
Military Command Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

The helicopter crash occurred at 10:21 a.m. local time in the
mountainous Viqueque regency, 197 kilometers east of Dili,
immediately after the aircraft took off from Liaruca.

Yudomo and his 11-man entourage were on a three-day working
visit to several East Timor towns and villages following his
appointment as head of the Udayana Regional Military Command on
May 27.

In a related development, Bambang Soeriawan, head of the
Helicopter Production Department at state-owned aircraft maker
IPTN, denied reports that the Bandung-based company manufactured
the ill-fated chopper.

"We do not produce Bell-205s, only Bell-412 helicopters," he
told reporters covering the visit of Papua New Guinea Prime
Minister Bill Skate to the company. (imn/nur/43)