http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=...7416&sec=nation

PD council imposes new rule on scattering of ashes
By SARBAN SINGH
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PORT DICKSON: Families who cremate their deceased loved ones are only allowed to scatter 100g of the ashes at a section of an isolated beach here, states a recent Port Dickson Municipal Council directive.

The council said the ceremony could only be carried out at a Hindu temple located at KM1.6 Jalan Pantai near here.

The new ruling was to reduce sea pollution and to maintain cleanliness.

It is common for some families from as far as Selangor and Malacca to perform the scattering of ashes in Port Dickson.

The council said the temple management was also required to have a weighing scale at all times to ensure only 100g of ashes were scattered into the sea.

The council did not say how or where the relatives could dispose of the remaining ashes.

This decision was announced after StarMetro recently highlighted the plight of the local residents who had asked the council and the state authorities to help them build a crematorium.

Those caught performing the ceremony anywhere else in PD besides the temple will be slapped with a RM250 compound.

Port Dickson assemblyman M. Ravi said the council could not make unilateral decisions when it concerned religious matters, and should have discussed this with the relevant communities first.

Ravi said the three markets in PD — in town, KM6.4 Jalan Pantai and at Teluk Kemang — did not have proper filtering systems and all waste, including blood from slaughtered animals, was channelled straight out to sea.

“What has the council to say about this? Perhaps, the state Department of Environment should check this out,” he said, adding that waste from many residential areas was also drained directly out to sea.

Malaysia Hindu Sangam adviser Datuk A. Vaithilingam said he ob­jected to the decision.

Gurdwara Sahib Port Dickson president Baldev Singh said Sikhs used to scatter the ashes of their dead from a bridge in Jalan Tanah Merah.

“We haven’t been told that we can’t do that anymore ... if it is true, then how are we supposed to perform the last rites?” he asked.

A funeral undertaker said, depending on the size of the body and coffin, the amount of ash after cremation weighed an average of 2kg.

“If only 100g of ashes is allowed to be scattered, families could charter boats to scatter the remaining ashes out at sea,” he said.

i think its good to scatter ash to the sea.

Furthermore, pollution is not due to this ash scatter. Its because of the ship plying through
Malacca strait also also Shell refinery there.

They are targetting wrong people. They are just racist.....

I think we should ban pengebumian because pengebumian waste land. Already die. Why waste a space for dead people.

takdenye laut tu jadi kotor pasal benda ni

bodoh betul la manusia

bodoh dan racist.

yea especially the chinis graveyard, do so big for what ? u died edi wat.

Malaysia do like that. Hong Kong and Singapore all cremate.

yeah....agree 100%.... they should get rid of all graveyard in malaysia....

do you agree?

partly agreed, coz muslim need to buried the dead body.

but u have an options actually, layered graveyard, just like what brunei and japan do right now. can save space.

Not agree...just make smaller, just a little bigger than the corpse to be buried...if take so much space, then need to find more land space sooner rather than later...

i agree with the layered graveyard idea. no need to hv big ass space for just one person that died.

I wonder if this is the same for Christian?