Dead fish no crime: police
JAKARTA: A police laboratory test has revealed that the cause of death of thousands of fish in Jakarta Bay last month was a natural phenomenon.
"It was caused by the extensive proliferation of phytoplankton, which is natural," Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said on Friday.
The police findings support the conclusion of the Jakarta Environmental Impact Management Agency.
"As there is no criminal factor in the case, we won't start a criminal investigation," Makbul added.
The test was conducted at the forensic laboratory of the National Police Headquarters.
People had initially accused factories near Jakarta Bay of discharging untreated waste into the sea. --JP
;JP;MLT;CD; ANPAj..r.. Greater-erosion Coastline erosion still a problem JP/8/G-EROSI
Coastline erosion a problem, says regent
TANGERANG: Regent Ismet Iskandar acknowledged on Friday his office had yet to take any measures to stop continued erosion along the north coast of Tangerang.
"We cannot stop the offshore sand mining; we have tried but to no avail. We need the central government to step in on this matter," he said.
He said his office had been able to stop companies based in Jakarta from mining sand on and near the shore. "But since they moved offshore we have been unable to stop their activities because our jurisdiction only extends 200 meters from the coastline."
Ismet added that a huge amount of money would be needed to curb the erosion, but most of the regency's annual budget had been allotted for roadwork. -- JP
;JP;MLT; ANPAj..r.. Greater-village-mismanaged Two controls one village JP/8/
Village has 2 chiefs, lots of confusion
TANGERANG: Residents of Bakti Jaya village in Cisauk district may be excused for their confusion, for they find themselves led by two village heads.
"When we want our documents legalized, we aren't sure which of the two to go to," Nurdin, a resident, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Residents elected Ali Warta as village head on June 14 last year. But due to allegations that he used a fake diploma, the regency administration postponed his inauguration and appointed Soleh Marzuki as the interim village chief.
Ali Warta is standing trial at the Tangerang District Court for his alleged use of the fake diploma, but in the meantime has set up a large tent near the Pamulang Permai housing complex to serve as his office.
Rukmana, an official at the regency administration office and in charge of supervising the village, said the administration would only replace Ali Warta if the district court found him guilty. --JP
;JP;MLT; ANPAj..r.. Greater-Garuda-delays Computer down delays flight JP/8/
Computer problems delay six flights
TANGERANG: Problems with the online reservation system of flag carrier Garuda Indonesia at Soekarno-Hatta airport in Tangerang forced the delay of six flights as of Friday afternoon.
A spokesman for airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, Syahrial, told The Jakarta Post that technicians were still working on the problem.
"No flights were canceled ... Garuda has to check the reservations manually and that means more time," he said. --JP