Arson suspected at Bali NGO offices<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post\/Denpasar<\/p>\n
Arson was suspected on Tuesday after fire damaged the fence of a
\ntwo-story building in Denpasar, Bali, which accommodates the
\noffices of nine non-governmental organizations.<\/p>\n
The fire occurred on Monday night, hours after NGO activists
\nand students held a meeting in the building to discuss a plan for
\na demonstration at Udayana University against the controversial
\nbill on the Indonesian Military (TNI).<\/p>\n
The owner, Ngurah Karyadi, said the fire was apparently a
\ndeliberate attempt to burn the building down following the
\nmeeting, which ended at 9 p.m.<\/p>\n
The building, located on Jl. Tjok Agung Tresna, houses the
\noffices of the Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI-HAM),
\nthe Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the Alliance of
\nIndependent Journalists (AJI) and the Independent Election
\nMonitoring Committee (KIPP).<\/p>\n
The Public Information and Social Advocacy Institute (LIMAS),
\nthe Forum for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (Forda UKM) and
\nthe Alternative Work Information Network (JIKA) also rent space
\nin the same building for their offices.<\/p>\n
Denpasar Police chief of detectives Comr. Wawan Ridwan said on
\nTuesday that his office had yet to receive a report on the fire.<\/p>\n
Karyadi said that no one was inside the building when the fire
\ngutted its two-meter-high bamboo fence. \"Previously, there was a
\nguard at the building, but during the incident, it was vacant,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the fire did not spread to a nearby straw-roofed
\nkiosk, which is only one meter away from the fence.<\/p>\n
If the kiosk had caught alight too, the fire would quickly
\nhave spread to the two-story building as it was partly made of
\nwood, Karyadi said.<\/p>\n
It was unclear at what time the fire started but an
\neyewitness, Ayu Komang Riyani, said she still saw smoke rising
\nfrom the fence at 7 a.m. on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Initially, the cause of the fire was suspected to have been an
\nelectrical cable for a garden lamp, which was suspended on the
\nfence. However, Komang said she found matchsticks tied together
\nwith a five-centimeter length of solid mosquito repellent inside
\nthe fence.<\/p>\n
Karyadi said the discovery of the matches showed that an
\nattempt had been made at arson, which, he added, was related to a
\nmeeting that discussed plans for a protest against the TNI bill.<\/p>\n
\"It's just like the old methods used by the New Order regime,\"
\nhe added.<\/p>\n
Karyadi said he would report the fire urgently to the local
\npolice for investigation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/arson-suspected-at-bali-ngo-offices-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}