Residents burn billiard house

TANGERANG (JP): Tired of waiting for the authorities to act, about 400 local residents set ablaze a billiard house belonging to a 43-year-old woman in Serpong on Monday evening.

According to witnesses, the angry mob came to Nunung's house at 7:30 p.m. and burnt three billiard tables and the house using liters of gasoline they brought in cans.

Suradita, a local resident, said that people had urged the Serpong subdistrict head, Dayat, many times to close the billiard house which was seen as attracting locals to gamble.

"But there had been no single action from him," the resident explained.

Speaking with reporters at the site yesterday, Dayat expressed his regret about the accident.

"The residents should not solve problems in such a way which create financial loss for other people. It actually could have been solved through discussion," he said. (41/bsr)