No Tanah Abang renovation: Witness

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plan and instead started minor work to restore some outdated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