Kuta beach burned in arson attack

JAKARTA (JP): At least 175 makeshift kiosks on Bali's famed Kuta beach were burned in the early hours of Thursday in what local police are calling a purely criminal act.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident but no arrests have been made, Kuta Police chief Capt. Sapake Bayu said.

"The situation is normal," he told The Jakarta Post from Kuta by phone.

Bayu said the police suspected "individuals" from the local security force, known as pecalang, instigated the crime.

He said there were some 2,500 makeshift kiosks on the beach, mostly owned by small traders from Medan, North Sumatra and Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

Over the past few weeks, the police, community leaders and the Badung regency administration has been attempting to impose restrictions on the traders.

"We persuaded them to agree to do business during certain hours. We asked souvenir traders to close at 8 p.m. and food vendors to close at 11," Bayu said.

He said most traders agreed on Monday to follow the regulations.

Over the past few days, groups of pecalang have helped the police patrol the area at night, he said.

But on Thursday morning, Bayu said a number of individuals allegedly took chairs belonging to the owners of the kiosks and set them on fire on the beach, some 75 meters from the kiosks.

"After this, some 200 other people joined in the arson," he said.

At least 175 kiosks were burned, but the fire did not spread to nearby buildings, Bayu said.

Bayu said it was too early to declare political motives were behind the crime, or that the arson was linked to recent unrest which had broken out across the country.

Bali -- one of the country's main foreign exchange earners thanks to its world-class tourist attractions -- is one of the country's safest havens, he said.

Meanwhile, Badung regent I Gusti Bagus Alit Putra pledged on Friday his administration would compensate the traders who had suffered losses in the incident. He also said the authorities would help relocate those traders whose kiosks were burned.

"I beg your patience. I hope we can get a new plot of land for you in a short time," he said, as quoted by Antara. He also called for the traders not to retaliate. (aan)