Kalideres Funeral Home Worker Claims New Building Is Not For A Crematorium

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - An employee of Rumah Abu Purwah Wan Lin Chie in Tegal Alur, Kalideres, West Jakarta, has dismissed residents’ statements regarding the new building project in the area. The building, which is still under construction, is claimed to be purely an expansion of the funeral home facilities, not a crematorium or place of cremation. The clarification comes after the development, located at Jalan Kamal Raya No. 49, was mentioned by residents and members of the Jakarta DKI Provincial People’s Representative Council in the context of opposition to the Swarga Abadi crematorium in Kalideres. “Yes, it’s being built behind as an expansion to increase capacity. But this is just a funeral home, a place for ashes, not for cremation; there is no cremation facility here,” said Anwar, one of the staff, when contacted by Kompas.com at the site on Thursday, 5 March 2026. Anwar explained that since its operation in the 1980s, the foundation has had separate operational flows for the cremation process and for ash storage. Because it is located in the middle of a residential area, all cremation processes are carried out in Dadap, Kosambi, Tangerang Regency. “So if someone dies, they’re brought here, prepared, dressed. If it’s cremation, it’s all done in Dadap,” Anwar clarified. This funeral home in Tegal Alur is used specifically to prepare the deceased according to family wishes before being sent to the cremation site. “So if someone dies, they’re brought here, dressed, perhaps in a suit, wearing gold, depending on what they prefer. After that, it’s sent to Dadap, usually for burning,” he said. “If it’s burned, the ashes are kept here, or thrown to the sea, up to them. If kept, it can be here, it’s like during Lunar New Year people usually do some kind of pilgrimage to here, to the ash storage,” Anwar added. Nevertheless, Anwar acknowledged that the construction project for the new building has not gone smoothly. In 2025, the project, located on private land owned by the foundation, faced strong opposition from local residents who suspected it would be built as a crematorium. “That new building has been under construction for about a year, since 2024. But there were protests before, indeed, in 2025 it was opposed. But it’s a funeral home, not a cremation house, so it’s allowed,” he said.