Victims of Kelapa Gading fire return from hometowns

JAKARTA (JP): Residents of the Kelapa Gading district in North Jakarta returned yesterday from their hometowns to the gutted remains of their homes and belongings.

Some knew about Thursday's fire from television but others had believed the reports were about the Feb. 9 fire in the neighboring area along the same road, also in the Pegangsaan Dua subdistrict.

"I thought the security guard (of the nearby housing complex) was joking," said Fatmawati, a young attendant at a garment shop in the ITC Mangga Dua shopping center. She and her husband who had just built a home on Jl. Pegangsaan II, had returned from Magelang, Central Java.

Geno Suwarto had gone to Cilacap where he spent less than six hours there before returning to Jakarta in response to a telephone call. He told his mother the call was about someone he had to meet in Jakarta. Given the traffic, it took four hours more than usual to get back.

Neighbors filled him in on the fire which started on the roof of an empty house at 3:15 a.m., and rapidly destroyed the 450 plywood homes which were home to some 2,000 people. Pardani, 80, a scrap iron scavenger, had rented out 12 rooms in his house.

Geno, an advertising agency driver, was thankful his wife, two boys and sister-in-law were safe. All 15 of his "Medan tea" carts were destroyed. His wife only regretted their new Fuji camera, and pictures of their Idul Fitri picnic at the Ragunan Zoo, were destroyed in the fire.

Employers became as poor as their workers when their capital and assets went up in smoke. Kodir lost all 20 of the carts he used to sell "Medan tea," a refreshing sweet ice drink. One of his cart pullers, Tofik, returned from Kendal, Central Java, with only Rp 1000.

Owners of three-wheel vehicles called toyoko wondered how they would pay their debts to the cooperative where they bought their vehicles.

"In three years I've only paid Rp 3 million of Rp 24 million," said Toha, who owned three vehicles.

Yesterday a district office official said a circular was being prepared telling residents they could not rebuild.

But the reasons for this still varied. Mayor Suprawito would only say rebuilding was "allowed according to procedures," meaning residents should check with local authorities.

A public order official at the subdistrict office said the 14,000-square-meter land belonged to the partially-city-owned property firm PT Pembangunan Jaya, and the residents had illegally taken over the property.

An official at the district's development supervision office said the plot, like the one razed Thursday, was a green area and under high-voltage electricity cables.

Meanwhile residents said they had documents showing individual permits to use the land, signed by the former subdistrict head Soedarsono.

One man said he believed they would be allowed to rebuild because the government had registered more than 2,000 eligible voters for the May general election in the area.

Sepinter Djuwariah, who held a permit for a 300-square-meter plot, said it did not matter if the other parties who claimed authority over the land wanted to use it, as long as they were given compensation.

Others said there had been rumors they would be evacuated after Idul Fitri, for unclear reasons.

Residents said they did not want to charge anybody with arson, but felt it was strange the fire started from the roof of an empty house.

"If someone wants to use this land they should say so. But since 1980 nobody has claimed ownership or said, 'thank you Mister for taking care of my land, now I would like to use it'", said Purwadi, a resident.

Emotions led them to the rapid conclusion that if anyone were to prevent them from erecting tents on the razed plot, it would be that person or group which should be suspected of possible arson.

Meanwhile other residents were still busy searching for valuables in the remains. Hery, a scavenging business owner, said he lost Rp 7 million in the fire which also killed cats and birds.

Many could still joke, but Sariah, 54, burst into tears when she saw her former neighbor from Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta.

"Our homes were evacuated three years ago (in Cempaka Putih) and now our houses are burned," the food stall owner said. (13/anr/ste)