Team exhumes remains of two Tanjung Priok victims

JAKARTA (JP): A joint team of forensic experts, police and members of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Wednesday exhumed the remains of two bodies which are believed to be the victims of the 1984 Tanjung Priok incident and concluded provisionally that the men had been buried improperly.

Leading the team at the Mengkok cemetery in Semper, North Jakarta, Maj. Gen. (ret) Koesparmono Irsan of Komnas HAM said that judging from the positions of their skeletons, the two -- believed to be Muslims -- were buried in a manner not according with Islamic strictures.

"It seems that they were buried improperly, but we have to make sure by conducting a series of examinations so as to determine their identities and the cause of death," he told journalists at the burial site.

The six-hour excavation started at 10 a.m. under the watchful eyes of relatives of the victims in the 1984 tragedy and local residents. The two graves were said to be those of Romli and Tukimin.

Romli's mother, Hamidah, who was at the site, identified the remains of her son after being informed of the dental structure, the estimated length of the body and the color of the hair, by the forensic team.

Romli, who died at the age of 19, was buried with his face facing upward, while a deceased Muslim should be buried facing towards the Islamic holy city of Mecca. In Indonesia, the remains should face to the west.

The forensic experts also found a plastic bag under Romli's skull.

"It's likely that his head was covered by that plastic bag, but we have to make sure whether it was put on after his death or whether it was actually the cause of death," Koesparmono said.

The remains of Tukimin, who is believed to have died as a result of the incident at the age of 34, were lying facing the west but his left leg was bent.

A forensic expert, who requested anonymity, said that this was probably because the grave was not long enough for the body so that the legs might have been forcibly bent so that the body would fit.

Head of Cipto's forensic team, Budi Sampurna, said that judging from the bones, which have been decaying for over 16 years in the ground, and a lack of accurate data, it will be impossible to positively identify all unknown remains.

According to their schedule, the team is to exhume six more alleged victims by Tuesday.

The Sept. 12, 1984 incident involved clashes between civilians and military personnel which allegedly erupted following emotionally-charged sermons by local preachers, who were reportedly criticizing the government.

The military claimed 23 people were killed and 60 were injured; but eyewitnesses said they saw a truck loaded with charred bodies leaving the scene. (bby)