Villagers punish fish bombers JP/ /Across

Villagers punish fishermen

SENGGIGI, West Lombok: Subandi (25) and Sangeni (40) face being ostracized by the people of their own village in a traditional form of punishment after they used explosives to catch fish in the waters of Gili Indah, West Lombok, a villager said on Monday.

Villagers caught the two fishermen last week, said the village head Zakaria.

Under the tradition of awig-awig, he said, the two would be isolated from their own village. However he did not say for how long the punishment would last.

According to him, this tradition has helped reduce the number of fishermen using explosives in Gili Indah.

"Aside from imposing the awig-awig, their case has also been forwarded to the police," Zakaria said, adding that police arrested the two on Thursday last week. Police found 11 handmade explosives among the suspects' possession.

West Lombok Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dani Wiswa Wardana said the two fishermen had been arrested three times for the same offense. It was not clear what penalty they face this time around.

Dynamite fishermen use dynamite to kill or stun the fish with the shock waves caused by the explosion under the water. This method is destructive to the coral reefs for which Gili Indah is internationally renowned. The village now relies much on income from tourists who come to dive in their waters. -- Antara

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Councillor dies in hotel JP/ /Across

Councillor dies in hotel

PALU, Central Sulawesi: A councillor of the Parigi Moutong regency in Central Sulawesi was found dead on Monday in a hotel room in Palu, and police are now conducting an autopsy to determine whether he died of natural causes.

The body of 57-year old councillor Dewana Lagandja from the Golkar faction was discovered in the hotel bathroom on Monday morning.

"A preliminary investigation found no indication of violence," said Palu detective First Insp. Sabil Umar.

He said police were questioning two other councillors who had earlier been with Dewana at the hotel.

Undata Palu General Hospital was conducting an autopsy, he added.

A senior doctor at the Undata hospital said the victim might have died because of hypertension, and there were also signs that he suffered from heart problems. -- Antara