Arson suspected cause of slum fires over last 2 years
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)