Singaporean faces life term for Batam fire

[Anonymouse]

Singaporean faces life term for Batam fire

The Jakarta Post | National | Thu, August 23 2012, 8:08 AM

Gerri Kasan, the Singaporean citizen who allegedly started a fire in a housing complex in Batam, Riau Islands, may be sentenced to life imprisonment, the police have said.

Batam Police violent crimes unit chief First Insp. Chrismant Panjaitan said on Wednesday that Gerri, who surrendered at the Batu Ampar precinct after the fire, was charged with reckless arson under Article 187 of the Criminal Code.

“Considering the fatality and the material losses, he may face a life sentence,” Chrismant said.

The Tuesday morning fire destroyed 50 semi-permanent houses in Kampung Seraya and killed a 9-year-old girl.

The 45-year-old man admitted that he deliberately set fire to a pair of shoes owned by his brother-in-law Alex following a fight with his wife.

“I was quarreling with my wife because she did not return home for two days,” Gerri, a construction worker, said. “I only burned a pair of shoes. I didn’t realize it could cause a big fire.”

The fire has left 200 victims homeless who are currently staying in a nearby temporary shelter. The Batam city administration has promised to provide meals for the victims for the next three days.

 

[Anonymouse]

A Singaporean man’s rage leaves 1 dead, 200 homeless

23 August 2012 3:47 PM | Updated 7:34 PM

<cite style="display: block; font-style: normal; font-size: 10px; margin: 4px 0px; ">Picture for illustration purposes only. (Photo / Wikimedia)</cite>
He set fire to a pair of shoes after a quarrel with his “wife”.

Before he knew it, the fire had engulfed some 50 semi-permanent houses in the kampung, killed a girl, and left 200 residents without homes.

Now, Gerri Kasan, 45, a Singaporean, may face life imprisonment for reckless arson, The Jakarta Post reported.

The paper reported that the Tuesday morning fire at Kampung Seraya in Batam, Riau Islands, killed a 9-year-old girl who was trapped in her room. When the fire started at around 7am, most of the residents were reportedly asleep.

Now, the victims are staying in a temporary shelter nearby and the Batam city administration has promised to provide meals for them until Friday or Saturday.

First Inspector Chrismant Panjaitan, chief of Batam police’s violent crimes unit, said on Wednesday: “Considering the fatality and the material losses, he (Gerri) may face a life sentence.”

The fire spread easily as the houses were close to each other. Many motorcycles were also reportedly burnt in the blaze.

After surrendering himself, Gerri, who is a construction worker, was quoted as saying: “I was quarrelling with my wife because she did not return home for two days. I only burned a pair of shoes. I didn’t realise it could cause a big fire.” He had set fire to a pair of shoes belonging to his brother-in-law, Iril alias Alex.

The Jakarta Post quoted Iril, 40, saying that Gerri married his sister Surti even though Gerri had a family in Singapore. He added that Gerri often visited his sister in Batam and stayed in his (Iril's) house in the kampung, or in a budget hotel.

Iril said of what caused Gerri’s anger: “My sister went out without Gerri’s knowledge, so he became enraged. He was very angry and probably set fire to the house as I was sleeping, despite the fact that we had a drink last night. He often causes trouble whenever he drinks.”

 

[hokkien]

Sunday, Aug 26, 2012
Hari Raya is supposed to be a happy occasion.

But this year, it was a time of sadness for the 364 people made homeless by the fire that destroyed part of Kampung Seraya in Batam on Tuesday.

Where their houses once stood, only charred concrete walls now remain.

Despite this, many of the villagers still managed to crack a smile when The New Paper visited them on Thursday.

But they cringed at the mere mention of Kerri Kassam, the Singaporean man who had allegedly started the blaze.

And when this reporter told them that he seeks their forgiveness, they voiced in unison: "Forgive him? We lost everything because of him!"

Another villager, Mr Rasid, 30, told TNP: "I have two daughters, one who is four and another who is six.

"They don't deserve this. They are now homeless. And it's all because of one man's marital problems."

Mr Rasid, a security guard, said that he too finds it difficult to forgive Kerri.

"The wound is still fresh. I don't know what I will do to him if I see him. We now have nowhere to go. Maybe one day, I will forgive him. But not now."

The village is located in a hilly area comprising flimsy shacks made out of wood and concrete.

Some of the houses were no bigger than the bedroom of an HDB flat.

With houses built so close together, it was easy to see how the fire managed to spread.

The affected area - which is about the size of half a football field - now looks like a warzone.

And even though the fire was extinguished on Tuesday, an acrid smell still lingered.

Some of the more enterprising villagers were seen digging through the rubble with their bare hands, looking for bits of metal they could salvage and sell.

Looking lost

But many more simply poked around where their houses once stood, forlornly looking for their once-treasured possessions.

Madam Fammy, whose house was burnt to the ground, said that the girl who died in the blaze, Stella Hitipeaw, 9, was her next-door neighbour.

"I cried when I saw Stella's body being taken away. She was such a lovely young girl. Why does she have to die in such a terrible way?"

Madam Fammy, 46, used to live a house with her husband and two children, Yudiyono, 11 and Fanny, 14.

Now, they and the others affected by the blaze are seeking shelter at an emergency centre located a five-minutes walk from the charred rubble that was once their village.

The shelter is made up of a bungalow and many villagers were spotted rummaging through a pile of clothes that well-wishers had donated.

A tent had been erected in the courtyard and this is where many more whose homes were razed will spend the night.

 

[Givanildo]

Man who started fire asks for forgiveness

By Shaffiq Idris Alkhatib
The New Paper
Sunday, Aug 26, 2012

Dressed in an orange prison outfit, he sat quietly in the office in the police station at Barelang, Batam.

Sitting across him was his lawyer, who handed him a pack of kretek, or clove cigarettes.

Kerri Kassam slowly drew out a stick and slumped back in his chair as he took a drag.

The 54-year-old Singaporean is fully aware that he is now one of the most hated - if not the most hated - man on the Indonesian island just south of Singapore.

Speaking to The New Paper from the office in the police station on Thursday, the tan, wiry man mumbled in a voice just slightly louder than a whisper: "I'm sincerely sorry for what I have done. "I did it because I was heartbroken and angry with my wife.

"I hope everyone in the village who suffered because of my actions will forgive me."

Sixty-two houses were razed and 364 villagers made homeless in a fiery blaze that consumed part of Kampung Seraya in Batu Ampar on Tuesday.

The early-morning fire which started at about 7am caught many off-guard as they were sleeping.

A nine-year-old girl, Stella Hitipeaw, was killed in the blaze.

She was reportedly found dead in her room.

Four others were reportedly injured.

The fire in the hilly area is said to have started after Kerri set fire to two pairs of shoes belonging to his Indonesian wife, Madam Saliati, 33, whom he married in Singapore in "either 2007 or 2008".

The construction worker, who shuttles between Singapore and Batam, told TNP that he was angry with his wife as she had failed to return home on Monday night.

Said Kerri in Malay: "I couldn't sleep all night.

"Then I remembered that my wife had bought five pairs of shoes from Singapore and that she had planned to wear them for Hari Raya.

"I spotted two pairs - a black one and a white one - in the bedroom. I was upset, so I decided to cut up both pairs with a knife and set fire to them."

But the fire quickly went out of control.

Kerri said one of the shoes somehow fell onto a door, which then caught fire.

He added: "At the same time, my brother-in-law, who was also in the house, came forward. He pushed the door and the fire got bigger."

Panicked

Kerri said he panicked and tried to get help.

He left the burning house and went to a police post.

He said: "I told an officer that I had set fire to some shoes. I asked him to come with me to take a look."

The policeman instructed him to wait there.

"He said that if I were to return to the village, the other villagers would harm me," said Kerri.

"So I waited. And when night fell, I was brought to this police station."

Throughout the interview, Kerri kept repeating that it had not been his intention to burn down the houses.

"I was just very angry. I burnt the shoes so that my wife would not be able to wear them to meet other people," he tried desperately to explain.

Madam Saliati, a housewife who came from Palembang, is Kerri's second wife.

The pair had met in Singapore, where she was dealing with second-hand goods.

Kerri said his first wife is a Singaporean.

The marriage did not last and their divorce was finalised in 1985, he added.

Together, they have a 27-year-old son.

He said he had hoped that his second marriage would bring him happiness.

But it was not to be.

Cracks appeared soon after he tied the knot with Madam Saliati, he said.

Sighing, he said: "She told me she was a virgin before we got married. But it later turned out that she already has two children, a 14-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy.

Was she once married?

I don't know.

"Two months into the marriage, she admitted to me that she had been unfaithful to me at a Batam hotel, and I forgave her."

But Kerri claimed that Madam Saliati still continued with her unfaithful ways several times after this - which was why he was upset when she failed to return home on Monday night.

Now, she is nowhere to be found and he is still waiting for her to visit him.

He said sadly: "I don't know where she is. Maybe she went to her hometown in Palembang. I don't know."

While this reporter was talking to Kerri, a group of people turned up at the office, identifying themselves as his relatives.

One of them, Madam Rosmini Kartodiharjo, 53, said she is Kerri's cousin and that she had come with her husband, Mr Agustinos Warhono, 56, to pass Kerri items such as a toothbrush and a change of clothes.

Said Madam Rosmini: "Kerri is a very nice man. I was shocked to read in the papers that he is now in police custody."

Her husband added: "We're family. We're here to give him moral support. It's the least we can do."

Kerri is accused of causing the fire which resulted in a fatality.

If convicted, he could face a life sentence, reported the Jakarta Post.

Kerri's lawyer, Mr Bernat Nabagan, said the case is still under investigation.

 

[Athena]

Singaporean charged with intentional arson for causing fatal fire in Batam

Published on Jan 15, 2013

Singaporean Kerri Kassan is currently in the custody of the Batam police after he allegedly started a blazing fire in Kampung Seraya in Batam, Indonesia, on Aug 21, 2012. -- BH PHOTO: JOHARI RAHMAT

By Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Indonesia Correspondent

JAKARTA: Prosecutors have charged Singaporean Kerri Kassan, 54, with intentional arson endangering lives after he started a fire in a Batam neighbourhood last August.

If convicted, he could face a maximum of 15 years in jail for the offence, which saw a nine-year-old die, four injured and 60 homes razed.

Kerri had set fire to two pairs of rubber footwear belonging to his Indonesian wife over a domestic tiff. The fire then spread across the crowded residential area of Kampung Seraya in Batam.

His lawyer Mr Bernard Nababan said it was a "pure accident". " Kerri would have used petrol had he had the intention to burn houses," he told The Straits Times on Tuesday after the charges were read out.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.