Arson suspected cause of slum fires over last 2 years

JAKARTA (JP): Arson is suspected to be the cause of a spate of fires in slum areas over the past two years, a Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) lawyer said yesterday.

Waskito Adiribowo, the LBH agrarian division head, said the city administration quickly announced people were not allowed to rebuild their houses destroyed in the fires.

"This serves only to strengthen the theory that arson is behind those fires because the city is intending to build apartments for middle-income people or city parks," he said.

Waskito made his remarks as the institute's lawyers reported on 1996's legal affairs.

In 1996 at least three similar fire cases were reported to the institute: Penjaringan district, North Jakarta, Kenari Market and Karet Tengsin, both in Central Jakarta.

During 1995 there were two cases reported: residential areas in Tebet, South Jakarta and in Kampung Bunga, North Jakarta.

The institute recorded two other similar cases in residential areas of Tanah Tinggi, North Jakarta and Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, both areas have become parks.

Waskito said most of the areas were previously very densely populated.

He said after a fire police usually cordoned off the site so people could never determine the cause of the fire.

"We do not have any evidence that they were deliberately set on fire," he said.

Most slum resident did not have insurance, he said.

Waskito said usually there had been compensation discussions between authorities and residents before the fires.

"But before the dialogue between them reaches a consensus favoring both sides, the fires come," Waskito said.

This is why speculations are rife the fires were deliberately lit.

He said people who lived in areas which became parks never got compensation.

Waskito said most residents were left homeless after a fire.

"They usually resort to living temporarily at their relatives' houses. They would not go back to their hometowns for shame of being branded as failures in Jakarta," he said.

Waskito said he regretted it if it was true the administration used arson to seize the land and evict people.

"If the citybadministration wants to appropriate an area for a more important purpose, like a public facility, why don't the officers conduct themselves in a decent way?" he asked.

He believed residents would be willing to leave their properties only if they got adequate compensation. (07)