Police doubt arson killed six house occupants<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Police brushed aside the possibility of arson in a fire that
\nkilled a senior prosecutor and her relatives on Nov. 8, making it
\nclear that the source of information on what had happened before
\nthe fire started was not reliable.<\/p>\n
Cilandak Police chief Comr. Yanti Suyamtilah said on Saturday
\nthere was only a small possibility that the fire that razed the
\nhouse of Evi Kawet, 50, at a housing complex for prosecutors on
\nJl. Adhyaksa, Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, had been started
\ndeliberately.<\/p>\n
"On the basis of evidence taken from the scene and statements
\nfrom witnesses, we find it hard to conclude the fire was arson.
\nThe possibility is very small. There is very little corroborating
\nevidence," she told The Jakarta Post over the phone.<\/p>\n
The suspicion of arson arose after statements made by the only
\nsurvivor of the fire, Evi Kawet's granddaughter, Tabitha, 5, who
\nclaimed she saw two unidentified men jump over a boundary fence
\nminutes before the fire started at dawn.<\/p>\n
But Yanti said the police could not rely on statements made by
\nan underage person. "She (Tabitha) is still a child," she said.<\/p>\n
Tabitha, who is recovering from burns, told her mother,
\nClaudia Jacqueline Esther Juliet Williams, about the two men and
\nalso about a dog that mysteriously disappeared, and was said to
\nhave barked continuously before the family woke up, as well as
\nabout the key to the front door, which was the only exit.<\/p>\n
Evi Kawet, Jacqueline's mother, was a prosecutor with the
\nSouth Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, who was usually entrusted with
\ndrug-related and theft cases.<\/p>\n
Citing Tabitha's statement, Jacqueline said all seven people
\nin the house found themselves trapped and so they went up to the
\nsecond floor. Evi Kawet and her friend, Alfrida Wisye Sumeysey,
\n48, who was staying overnight, poured water on Tabitha's burning
\nbody and tossed her up onto the roof, where neighbors were at
\nhand to offer help.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the fire engulfed the ceiling, which soon
\ncollapsed, preventing the escape of all six remaining people.<\/p>\n
Besides Evi Kawet and Wisye, the other victims were Tabitha's
\nolder brothers Waspada Andhika Taruna Dirgantara Panji
\nBhayangkara, or Andhika, 12; Alvaro Immanuel Christoval Gabriel,
\nor Nuel, 8; Wisye's daughters Margaretha Gozal, 27, and Christien
\nJulinda, 25.<\/p>\n
Jacqueline and husband Royce Keith Williams, who live in the
\nUnited States, had left their three children with Evi Kawet as
\nthey were still seeking U.S. citizenship for the children.<\/p>\n
Jacqueline claimed that she had won support from Californian
\ncongressman Jerry Lewis and Californian senator Diane Feinstein
\nfor faster processing of Tabitha's citizenship application.<\/p>\n
"Mr. Lewis promised the process would be accomplished before
\nChristmas, stating it would become a Christmas gift for Tabitha,"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Tabitha's state of health was much improved on
\nSaturday, although she was still in an insolation room where
\ncommunication with the Post could only be made via an intercom.<\/p>\n
"I can walk now. The dressings around my legs have been
\nremoved. Just wait a second -- see for yourself," she said,
\nhanging up the handset to show the Post her healing legs through
\nthe window. She picked it up again adding, "But my arms still
\nfeel sore."<\/p>\n
With both arms still in bandages, Tabitha seemed preoccupied
\nwith her Barbie dolls.<\/p>\n
"You can bring me chocolate when you come to visit again," she
\nquipped.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-doubt-arson-killed-six-house-occupants-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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