Remain of burn victims laid to rest in mass burial

JAKARTA (JP): A sweltering sun at Pondok Ranggon cemetery in East Jakarta did nothing to dry the tears streaming down people's faces as remains of 113 of their relatives, burned to death in the recent riots, were buried yesterday.

A similar gloomy scene was evident at the Selapajang cemetery in Batu Ceper, Tangerang, where 131 corpses plus 30 bags of human remains were buried.

For many, the worst part of all was that they could not identify their relatives, burned beyond recognition.

"I'm here because I'm pretty sure that the remains of my wife were among these unidentified bodies," said A. Siregar, who believed his wife was trapped when flames engulfed Plaza Klender shopping center on Thursday.

Deden Supriadi, 40, of Ciledug, shared the grief.

"I come to this burial because I couldn't find the remains of my wife and daughter," he said.

Manurung of Tangerang, who was still in confusion on the whereabouts of his wife and two children, wondered whether their remains were to be found among the white shrouds that wrapped the charred bodies.

"But I accept their passing with all my heart and soul," he said grimly.

Siti Khotijah and husband Bahrul of Kampung Melayu Kecil in East Jakarta tried searching for the body of their 23-year-old son, Irman Salim, at hospitals and police precincts in the city.

They were finally advised to inspect bodies at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta. They found a body attired in torn blue pants similar to those of their son.

However, the morgue attendant refused to allow the couple to take the body, saying they had no adequate evidence.

Frustrated, they concluded their son was among the bodies at the hospital's morgue.

"We leave it up to the God," Khotijah said. Her husband remained silent.

The bodies were collected from several sites, including Plaza Klender and Plaza Jatinegara in East Jakarta, Slipi Jaya Plaza in West Jakarta, Ramayana Palmerah in Central Jakarta, Ramayana Koja in North Jakarta, and Ciledug Plaza, Ramayana Cimone and Matahari and Lippo Supermal in Tangerang.

At Pondok Ranggon, the relatives of the victims appeared tired and depressed when the ceremony started about three and a half hours later than scheduled.

Their sweat turned into tears when the bodies -- kept in light wood coffins -- were taken out one by one from the ambulances and placed in the separate burial plots.

The putrid odor from the decomposing remains forced the people to cover their noses with hands and handkerchiefs.

"We first prayed before the bodies in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital morgue and brought it here (Pondok Ranggon). Until 10 a.m. there were still people coming, trying to identify the bodies. That is why we were late," Syafei, a morgue attendant, explained.

The burial started after a brief prayer led by a representative of the relatives. Tears broke out again as officers covered the plots with dirt.

The tag "looters" put on the coffins stunned the victims' relatives. Some of them even asked the morgue officers to remove the tags.

"My son is not a looter. He's a very good and diligent boy. He was trapped when he tried to look for his sister in Plaza Klender. He is not a criminal. He died to support the fight of our Heroes of Revolution, oops ... I mean Reforms," his 52-year- old father Ngadiyono Mundi said.

Choking back tears, Siregar said: "I object if people called these bodies 'looters'. My wife was not a thief."

Despite their grief, most relatives showed their gratitude that the bodies were buried in an orderly manner.

"I thank the officers for arranging this funeral. I never thought that my son would be buried in a single burial site. At first, I thought he would be buried at a mass graveyard excavation like a dirt pool," Ashiyadi, who lost his wife and a son in the Slipi Jaya fire, said.

According to head of the 60-hectare Pondok Ranggon cemetery, Achmad Latief, the public burial was in line with the city bylaw No. 2/1992.

"We have to bury each body in one hole to avoid further claim from relatives. After three years, the site will be used for other bodies," he said.

Achmad said his staff began preparing the burial since Saturday by digging 120 holes on Sunday.

"Twelve unidentified bodies have previously been buried here Sunday," he said.

More dead were discovered in the burned buildings yesterday, and the toll is expected to continue to rise in the next few days.

Twenty-three remains were found at Mega M and WalMart shopping centers in Lippo Supermal, Karawaci.

Jakarta authorities announced Sunday the total loss of property alone in the capital reached Rp 2.5 trillion.

In Tangerang, mayor Djakaria Machmud said yesterday the material losses, covering property and vehicles, totaled Rp 225 billion. (edt/41)