Residents disconcerted by nearby mass grave

Thu, 07/02/2009 1:06 PM  |  City

BOGOR: Residents of Parakan Salak village in Bogor regency said they were concerned by the burial of unidentified dead bodies in the nearby Kayu Manis cemetery.

Umang, one of the villagers, said he was sad to see how the dead bodies had been treated.

"They were only covered using banana leaves before they were put inside the grave. I saw six dead bodies buried there three days ago."

Officer from a nearby Pandan Valley housing complex, Deddy, said the complex management could not protest because the burial was legal. The workers are from PMI (Red Cross) Hospital.

"The problem is that the activities were seen by the residents, they were scared and worried about it."

The five-hectare cemetery land belongs to Bogor administration.

The bodies were buried there as the Blender cemetery, usually used for unidentified dead bodies, was converted into a parking area.

PMI spokesman Yudha Waspada said the burial process had been in accordance with procedures. - JP

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