POLICE URGED TO INVESTIGATE SITU GINTUNG TRAGEDY

Jakarta, March 30 (ANTARA) - Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) Presidium chairman Neta S Pane called on police to investigate the Situ Gintung dam collapse which killed at least 98 people and caused over 100 others to go missing on Friday.

"The tragedy occurred three days ago but the Jakarta Police and Police Headquarters have remained silent. They make no efforts to investigate it," Neta S Pane said here on Monday.
She said the police must be proactive and question those responsible for the bursting of the dam. "Police have to investigate the disaster because there was suspicion that negligence has been involved in the tragedy," Neta said.
The IPW presidium chairman said that reports on apparent cracks on the embankment of the dam had been filed to Tangerang's Public Works Service two years ago.
She said that the tragedy could be taken to court because it had caused the loss of 98 lives and the missing of over 100 others besides damage to residential houses and environment.
Neta said that local residents had reported to the public work service two years ago that cracks had appeared on the embankment of the dam but no repair had been made until a section of its crumbled on Friday.
"Residents have reported to the government but the government has made no repair. This is a form of negligence," she said.
About 4 a.m on Friday, the Situ Gintung reservoir in Cireundeu vilalge, Ciputat subditrict, Tangerang district, Banten, collapsed, killing at least 98 people and causing over 100 others gone missing.
Heavy rains last Thursday night had caused the 255-meter long section of the dam to burst, releasing the huge body of water from its 21-hectare lake into the lower lying residential areas inundating hundreds of houses in its path as far as about one kilometers to the north.