Child protection commission cleaning up razed office

Agnes Winarti , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 04/02/2008 1:56 AM

Staff members of the National Commission for Children Protection started cleaning up their office Tuesday, salvaging what was left after the fire last weekend.

About 10 commission employees were seen Tuesday morning mopping parts of the building untouched by fire.

"We have decided to set up our advocacy activities, especially counseling and the hot line service, in the parts of the office saved from the fire," the commission's operational manager Lisda Sundari told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

On Monday, the commission operated from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. out of a makeshift tent set up in front of their building on Jl. TB Simatupang in East Jakarta. But they decided to return to the building on Tuesday, dismantling the tent.

"The tent was unfit for our meeting with clients because it was too noisy and uncomfortable," said Lisda amid the buzzing sound of motorcycles and cars from the busy highway.

The fire destroyed three out of the 10 rooms available in the 800-square-meter building. The three damaged rooms were used for the hot line service, counseling, data storage and a pantry.

Lisda said the commission had received three new cases since the fire and 10 clients had resubmitted their files, which were destroyed in the fire.

"Most cases are about child custody and violence issues," said Lisda.

Since its establishment in 1998, the commission has handled 3,260 advocacy documents in child protection cases.

According to head of directorate general for social service and rehabilitation, at the Social Affairs Ministry, Makmur Sunusi, about 90 percent of those cases were handled by both the commission and the ministry.

"The commission is the ministry's closest partner. Therefore, we have been facilitating their operation in this building, which is the property of the ministry's education and training center," Makmur said.

The commission's chairman Seto Mulyadi hoped the ministry would continue its strong support.

"We are willing to work anywhere," Seto said when asked whether he preferred moving to a new building. "In the meantime, we will continue to work in the building, unless the ministry offers us a new building or a temporary shelter."

Makmur said the building would need to be renovated because of the fire. "Personally, I think it is best for them to stay in that building, but it is not my authority to decide."

He said the ministry was still waiting for the final result from the police investigation into the cause of the fire to determine what to do next.

On Monday, the forensic laboratory team from the National Police Headquarters had taken samples from the debris to investigate the cause of the blaze.

"The team has not reached a conclusion," National Police's public relations officer Insp. Gen. Abubakar told the Post on Tuesday. "It might take days because investigating fire ruins is more difficult than investigating bomb debris."

"We cannot say when the result will come out," said Abubakar, declining to comment on the possibility of arson.

"If it is proven to be short circuit, the case is closed. But if it is caused by something else, like sabotage, the police will investigate it further," he said.

The commission was suspicious the fire was caused by arson, not an accident.

Arist Merdeka Sirait, the commission's secretary general, told the media there were indications suggesting the fire was deliberate. He ruled out a short-circuit, the most common cause of fire in the city. Witnesses had testified that the lights were still on when the fire started, he said.

"Locked doors connecting to the room were also found broken," Arist said. (trw)

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