National Museum Fire: Police to Proceed with Legal Action If Crime is Involved
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Editor
18 September 2023 09:08 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Chief of Central Jakarta Resort Police Chief Commissioner of Police Komarudin stated that the police are likely to take legal action if they find criminal aspects in the National Museum fire case.
"We will ensure that the legal process is enforced in case of potential criminal involvement," he said at the ravaged National Museum on Sunday, September 17, 2023.
The fire engulfed six rooms in Building A and impacted replicas. However, he said, the exact number of damages has not been calculated. The museum organizers are still waiting for permission from the Forensic Laboratory Center (Puslabfor) to conduct an inventory of the museum collection since Puslabfor is still investigating the scene.
"The team is working to find [the cause of fire], it's still uncertain if the first flame was caused by a short circuit or other factors," said Komaruddin.
There are fourteen witnesses accounted for by the police at the present time, consisting of security officers and other museum employees working on a renovation. Additionally, the police have bagged several CCTV recordings.
According to Tempo's observation at the scene, media are not allowed to enter the National Museum. The fire was located at the back of the museum. Thus, back-entry access to the National Museum is closed, leaving the front-entry access. Currently, the debris has been left as it was.
Acting Head of the Public Service Agency for the Museums and Cultural Heritage Ahmad Mahendra stated that the National Museum will be closed to the public. "We cannot speculate [when to open museum access]. If [Puslabfor's investigation] is still ongoing, we don't dare to open the museum back up," he said.
Previously, the National Museum caught fire last Saturday, September 16, 2023, at around 08:00 p.m. Initial suspicion mentioned a short circuit as the cause of the fire.
M. FAIZ ZAKI
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