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

;JP;NFK; ANPAa..r.. 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