Houses of wayward villager burned

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)