Remains of tsunami victims being relocated for proper burial
Remains of tsunami victims being relocated for proper burial
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh
As Ramadhan draws near, local leaders are excavating hundreds of
graves scattered in Leupung district, Aceh Besar regency here and
relocating their remains in a big cemetery in the district.
"Besides making it easier for the families to pay their
respects to the dead on particular occasions as is done a few
days before Ramadhan starts, the relocation is also aimed at
providing a proper burial," said Usman Banta, a respected figure
in Leupung district. Usman said that animals had dug up a good
number of graves.
Usman believes that there are thousands of graves containing
the remains of tsunami victims in various places in the district.
Before the tsunami disaster swept the district in December last
year, the district was inhabited by 8,700 people, but now there
are only some 2,000 people left.
A total of 226 remains have been relocated since early
September and the relocation is being carried out by a team of 15
Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) volunteers from East Aceh regency,
supported by local residents. They are unpaid and work with
minimal equipment, namely gloves.
Each day, the volunteers are able to dig up and relocate
dozens of bodies, which earlier were buried on vacant land near
beaches or paddy fields. The volunteers normally search for small
poles, that mark the graves of tsunami victims. "It is a bit
difficult to find the graves as the empty land is often inundated
with water," said Jefri, a volunteer.
Some remains had been dug up by animals. The human remains
have been destroyed by the animals so that the bones are
scattered, making it difficult for volunteers to collect the
bones, said Jefri. It will take a long time before all the
remains could be pooled into the big cemetery. The PMI volunteers
estimated that the remains of some 500 tsunami victims are buried
in beach and hill areas, while another 2,000 are buried in empty
land near paddy fields.
"Despite the challenges, we have to relocate them for proper
burial. When all said and done, they are our brothers, sisters,"
said Usman.
The Ramadhan month will start in early October and according
to tradition, Muslims visit the graves of relatives and pray a
few days before Ramadhan begins.