Fire victims get compensation

JAKARTA (JP): The board of directors of Bank Indonesia, the central bank, has decided to compensate the relatives of the victims killed in the Dec. 8 fire, which engulfed one of its new towers, an official said yesterday.

Haryono, one of the directors, said that the compensation was given to the victims regardless of their status.

The fire, which gutted the top three floors of the 25-story building, killed 15 people, including three employees of the bank, police said.

The compensation for the BI employees was handed over to the victims' relatives yesterday in line with the company's existing regulations, he said. Two of the three victims were posthumously proposed for promotion.

The compensation for the other victims, amounting to Rp 10 million (US$2,000) each, was also given yesterday through representatives of the companies where they used to work, he said.

Bank Indonesia conveyed its condolences to the victims' relatives, Haryono said. (hhr)