Remain of burn victims laid to rest in mass burial

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)