Kapuk residents target wrong plant

JAKARTA (JP): Residents in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, have found out that a briefcase factory which was subjected to a riot on Thursday was not the source of a smell which they identified with fumes that allegedly caused the death of a woman last month.

On Friday night they found out the smell had come from a nearby plastic factory.

In the riot some 300 people threw stones at the plant of PT Continental Panji Pratama in the Kapuk subdistrict, breaking a few windows and the windshield of a company vehicle.

Yesterday the Kapuk subdistrict head, Eman Supratman, received assurances from the plastic factory owner that it would shut down operations.

"We are closing down soon," said the owner who requested anonymity. "We have been suffering losses anyway."

The owner said the smell may have been caused by a supervisor who instructed the processing of leftover plastic.

However, he denied allegations that a large fan or blower had been switched on. A blower was thought to have caused the smell to reach nearby residents.

Eman told The Jakarta Post he will first check whether the two-year-old factory has the necessary permits to run a business.

He also said the 300 people involved in the riot could not have all been residents angered by the smell because there are only 73 families living behind the briefcase factory.

Suparlan, an elderly resident, said he and his neighbors had already extended apologies to the management of PT Continental in a meeting with Eman on Friday night.

Eman had told residents they should not take the law into their own hands.

Suparlan said residents were traumatized by the death of a woman and the hospitalization of seven others, who had inhaled fumes thought to come from the briefcase factory last month.

Residents also complained of strong smells before the fatal incident.

The results of laboratory tests from the police and the city environmental office have yet to be revealed.

Johan Iskandar, the director of PT Continental, said the plant has taken necessary steps to prevent a similar incident.

After the riot, Suparlan and a few other residents were allowed to enter the plant to see for themselves that no activities in PT Continental could have caused the smell.

They found the factory was closed at 3 p.m. on Thursday, the Ascension day of Jesus Christ, while the smell occurred at about 8 p.m.

After the Friday meeting with Eman, a strong smell filled the air again and residents tracked the source to the plastic factory. Security officials warned the subdistrict head of the possibility of a new riot, and Eman ordered the workers to stop activities. (anr)