Police delay arson probe

PAMEKASAN, East Java: Police have delayed the investigation of a torched fishing boat off the island of Madura, allegedly carried out by a group of fishermen angry at the owner's decision to use a kind of net that threatened their livelihood.

Madura Police Chief Col. Adna Isa said the investigation had been delayed because tension remained high among the villagers implicated in the fire, Antara reported.

"Let the situation cool off first," Col. Adna said."Each time we called a villager for questioning, hundreds turn up to show their solidarity," he added.

The presence of the boat, owned by Fadili of Branta village, in the waters off the Camplong beach, angered local fishermen, because of the use of a net similar to one known in the industry as WCW, which has been outlawed by the government.

Police said that on the day of the incident, the boat and its five-man crew was surrounded by seven wooden rafts, each one carrying 10 people. They ordered the boat to the shore and then set fire to it and the net. (emb)