Two discotheques in West Jakarta have been shuttered for not meeting the government’s fire safety standards following Friday night’s deadly blaze in Medan. “We have been inspecting entertainment venues since Saturday and so far we have sealed two places in Hayam Wuruk and Pangeran Jayakarta,” Arie Budhiman, the head of the city’s culture and tourism agency, said on Sunday. “Those venues did not have standard fire safety systems such as hydrants, smoke detectors and proper access for emergency exits.”
After a blaze in a karaoke bar in Medan on Friday night killed 20 people, Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo on Saturday instructed city officials to conduct more intensive and regular evaluations of buildings used as entertainment venues. In a statement released on Sunday, Fauzi said business operators who violated building regulations by failing to have standard fire and safety systems in their buildings should be punished. He added that he had instructed mayors in the capital’s five municipalities and related agencies such as the city tourism authority, the Public Order Office, the City Building Monitoring and Control Agency (P2B) and the Fire Department to inspect the buildings to ascertain the state of their safety systems.
The related agencies will cooperate with the Jakarta Police in conducting inspections, Fauzi said. Officials will be checking the emergency exits of the buildings as part of the safety reviews, he added. Budhiman said his office had started distributing letters to all businessmen involved in the entertainment sector on Saturday regarding safety issues. He said the warnings would be distributed for at least three more days. The letters ordered business owners to ensure the safety of their customers by re-checking their fire alarms and emergency exits, he said. “We are doing this to raise the awareness of safety and security systems as there may possibly be a fire,” he said. “We are going to seal up their businesses until they can fulfill the safety standard.” He also said the tourism agency would be conducting regular investigations into safety and security systems in the entertainment industry.
Adrian Maelite, the chairman of Jakarta’s Association of Indonesian Entertainment Businesspeople, said there were 1,300 entertainment venues such as discotheques, karaoke bars, and hotels in the capital and that 30 percent of these failed to meet safety requirements. “Thus we are supporting the Jakarta administration’s efforts in order to make all entertainment places in the city safe for citizens,” Adrian said. Budi Sukada, the chair of the Indonesian Architects Institute, said city officials should also check the city’s ruko, or shop houses. “The building inspection idea is good, but they also have to pay attention to the fact that some businessmen are using ruko to run entertainment businesses, thus ruko inspection is also needed,” Sukada said.
published @ Jakarta Globe
