Fire guts market in Surabaya

Fire guts market in Surabaya

SURABAYA: A fire destroyed at least 114 shops in the Pabean
traditional market in Surabaya, East Java, on Wednesday evening,
causing billions of rupiah in damage.

Police have not established the cause of the fire.

The fire, which started at 6 p.m after the market had closed,
took crews from 12 fire engines three hours to extinguish. There
were no injuries.

Locals speculated arson was involved as state-owned operator
PD Pasar Surya had been planning to hand over management of the
market to private investors.

PD Pasar Surya director Achmad Ganis said he hoped the fire
had nothing to do with the plans. "We will wait for the outcome
of the investigation," he said.

He said the fire was believed to have started about 100 meters
south of the market. --JP

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Across-PDIP-councillor
PDI-P to fire convicted councillor
JP/5/PDIP

PDI-P to fire convicted councillor

PURWOKERTO, Central Java: The Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) will likely recall the speaker of the
Banyumas legislative council, Tri Waluyo Basuki, from the regency
legislature for disciplinary offenses.

He was sentenced to 2.5 years in jail for attempting to
intervene in a court order relating to a plot of land in 2001.

Local election commission chairman Indra Purnomo said on
Thursday that his office had received a copy of a letter from PDI
Perjuangan regarding the party's plan to replace Tri.

"The letter says that it has been proposed that Tri Waluyo be
recalled and replaced by another PDI Perjuangan cadre," Indra
said.

Banyumas' PDI Perjuangan chairman Suherman confirmed the plan
to dismiss Tri for breaching party rules.

Tri has asked President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who chairs
PDI-P, for clemency over his conviction, which has been upheld by
the Supreme Court.
--JP