Tanjung Priok project claims two children's lives
Tanjung Priok project claims two children's lives
JAKARTA (JP): The bodies of two young boys were discovered at
a project site in Tanjung Priok port, East Jakarta, on Friday.
The operator of an excavator, which was operating near where the
boys were playing, has been detained for questioning.
City Police denied yesterday rumors that there were more
children buried at the site.
"We have combed the site and found no other bodies, except the
two children," Maj. Oegro Seno, deputy chief of the Tanjung Priok
seaport police, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
The two boys, identified as Muhamad, alias Gepeng, 9, and
Muhamad Wahyudi, 8, were found dead on Friday evening under a
heap of soil move by an excavator.
Two other children have since been reported missing.
"We strongly believed that there were no other bodies buried
in the soil," officer Oegro stressed.
Based on preliminary police investigation, the bodies of
Gepeng and Wahyudi were found at around 5 p.m. by Madrasim, 47, a
local resident, who then reported it to the Tanjung Priok police.
A police report quoted several witnesses as saying that the
operator of the excavator had been warned several times by Siti
Munawaroh, a friend of the boys, that there were children playing
in the vicinity.
"But the operator said that he didn't hear her scream due to
the heavy sound of the vehicle's machine," Oegro said.
According to Oegro, the vehicle's operator, identified as Uan
bin Aman, is currently being detained at the Tanjung Priok police
station.
"We're still investigating the case," he said. "In the
meantime, he might be accused of negligence, which ended up with
the death of the two children," Oegro added.
The Bulldoze Caterpillar D6DO7 excavator, owned by PT Almazs
Putra Utama, was hired by state-owned PT Pembangunan Perumahan
which has been appointed by the seaport authority, PT Pelabuhan
Indonesia II, to handle the expansion project.
Friday's incident has further worsened the atmosphere at the
nearby Koja Utara subdistrict, whose residents strongly protested
the project as it forced them to move away.
The residents' objections are due mainly to the low
compensation to be paid by the company for their properties.
Yesterday when asked to comment on the incident, North Jakarta
Mayor Suprawito stated: "None of the project activities are our
responsibility."
Moreover, children have been warned not to enter the area, he
said.
Sympathy
PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II has conveyed condolences to the
relatives of Gepeng and Wahyudi.
"We apologize for the incident and we're planning to provide
funds to express our deep sympathy for the family of the two
boys," Suprihat, the firm's director for technical affairs,
announced yesterday.
According to Suprihat, the construction of the container
terminal project, which started two years ago, is expected to be
completed over the next few weeks.
The project site is closed to unauthorized persons and the
company has surrounded the area with a two-meter high concrete
wall, he said. Unfortunately, he added, the wall has been badly
damaged by people wanting to enter the site, such as food
vendors.
"We are tired after fixing the gate so many times," he said.
Suprihat said that the company has learned from this incident
and will improve safety measures around the area.
PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II has suspended all work at the site
since Friday's incident.
"It's not a good idea to continue the project construction in
such an atmosphere," stated Suprihat.
Gepeng and Wahyudi were buried over the weekend. Gepeng was
buried at the Budidharma public cemetery in Cilincing, North
Jakarta, and Wahyudi in Bogor, West Java. (31/bsr)