No Tanah Abang renovation: Witness

JAKARTA: The former chairman of city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya, Syahril Tanjung, told the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday that vendors at Tanah Abang textile market had rejected a renovation plan a few months before the market was razed by a fire in February.

"Due to the concerted rejection, PD Pasar Jaya called off the plan and instead started minor work to restore some outdated facilities in the market," he said.

The fire, which police said was caused by a short circuit, burned down the market before the restoration work had begun. The project was worth about Rp 260 billion (US$30 million), he said.

Businessman Tomy Winata has filed a defamation suit against journalists of Tempo weekly for an article in its 3-9 March edition entitled "Ada Tomy di Tenabang?" (Was Tomy at Tanah Abang?). The article apparently implies that Tomy had set the market ablaze to win the bid for the renovation project. -- JP