Arson suspected in Bojong fire

BOGOR: The Wednesday fires in two houses near the controversial Bojong waste dump site in Klapa Nunggal were probably the work of local thugs hired to terrorize villagers opposed to the dump, residents say.

"We suspect that thugs set the fires to intimidate residents so that they would no longer oppose the project," Ajo Setiawan, a resident and witness to the fires, said.

The Jakarta administration's plan to build a waste management plant in Bojong, West Java has met strong resistance from residents who are concerned about its impact on the environment and people's health in the area.

Ajo said a group of thugs had been harassing the residents for the past few weeks.

Earlier, a group of people took away residents' banners objecting to the planned dump site and replaced them with banners supporting the development, he said. --JP