Fri, 21 Jan 2000

Three foreigners buried here

JAKARTA (JP): Three of the five black Africans, who were shot dead during a drug raid in South Jakarta last week, were buried on Thursday at Pondok Rangon cemetery in East Jakarta.

Chief of city police detectives, Col. Alex Bambang Riatmodjo, said they decided to bury the three men -- Moussa Sulaiman Damola, Ibrahim Muhammed and Mvemeui Jhola Oladi -- here because of their ambiguous identity.

"Many foreigners commit crimes here with fake passports which contain a phony identity. That's why we could not trace their nationalities or families," Alex, who led the funeral, told reporters.

Alex said the other two suspects -- Mueden Bocarinwa and Freeman Charles -- were identified as Nigerian citizens by officials at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"They will be sent back to their family in Nigeria soon." (06)