Houses of wayward villager burned

DENPASAR, Bali: Hundreds of residents of Penarungan village, some 15 kilometers north of Denpasar, ran amok and burned down three houses belonging to a fellow resident on Monday.

The houses belonged to I Wayan Netra, 55, who has been rejected by his neighbors as he has never joined any traditional activities in the neighborhood.

Denpasar Police Chief Senior Supt. D.B.M. Suharya said on Tuesday that the police managed to save Netra and 12 of his relatives just in time.

A resident said the villagers have long been angry with Netra. On Nov. 23, the elders of the village held a meeting to discuss Netra's disobedient attitude.

They then decided to expel Netra and gave him 35 days to leave the village, but he refused to do so.

On Monday, three days after the deadline, some 500 residents attacked Netra's house, right after they heard that Netra was going to kill any trespasser. (zen/hdn)