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)