Angry fire victims mob man to death

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The fire in Pulo Ngandang area in a West Kelapa Gading sub- district of North Jakarta, finally claimed a fatality when angry residents lynched a man who lived in the house where the fire was believed to have started.

The people suspected that the fire which started at about 1:20 a.m. on Wednesday came from a house rented by a man identified as Edo. Edo and two other people living in the house were not around when people in the community were struggling to put out the fire.

The fire razed 537 houses inhabited by 1,988 residents in the slum consisting of three neighborhood units.

"Edo and the other two men returned later in the afternoon. Angry residents questioned them on what really happened, deputy head of RW (community unit) 13, Santoso, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"But their answers were confusing. First they said it was because of a candle but then blamed it on mosquito repellent."

The people then attacked them. RW officials contacted the North Jakarta Police sub-precinct, but they were unable to save one of the three men, identified as Christian.

Edo was taken into police custody while the third tenant who was injured was taken to the hospital.

"There were indeed rumors circulating that the fire was intentionally lit to force us out of here. But we do not have any proof," said Santoso.

The rumors of a planned arson attack started last month when the North Jakarta Public Order Office evicted residents in six RTs near their area for illegally occupying someone else's land.

Santoso said he heard rumors that residents from the three RTs would also be evicted but he had not received formal notification from the Public Order Office or North Jakarta Municipal office.

It is not the first time that someone has been killed because of such rumors.

The latest incident happened in late September, a few days after a huge fire razed hundreds of houses in a slum in Muara Baru, North Jakarta. An unidentified woman, accused of starting the fire, was killed by those who lost their homes in the fire. A stranger was lynched for the same reason earlier in the month, when the same area was hit by another fire.

Even though there is no evidence to prove such an allegation, rumors have it that the fire was deliberately lit to force the squatters out of the area to make way for the development of modern buildings.

But other such cases have aroused suspicion, such as what happened to the slums in Tanah Tinggi, Kebon Kacang and Karet Tengsin. Low-cost apartment buildings were built in the area after big fires razed hundreds of houses there.

A resident, Sunardi, told the Post that his family were already aware of the plan to evict them.

"It is old news. We were told that we would be evicted last year. But the municipality did nothing.

"Then we heard that the eviction would be carried out after Idul Fitri or early next year," he added.

Many residents, who are now staying in temporary shelters, said that they planned to rebuild their houses in the area, where they had lived for many years, even though they admitted to not owning the land.

Meanwhile Governor Sutiyoso asked the residents not to rebuild their houses because the land was owned by a private company.

But he told reporters he did not know anything about the fire.

"I just read it in the newspapers this morning. I have not received any report from the mayor," he told reporters at City Hall.