Banjarmasin tourism mourns the death of "Kai Api"

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, world of tourism mourns the death of Muhammad Arsyad bin Asri or better knownas "Kai Api" (81) on Thursday morning.

The name of Kai Api (Grandfather of Fire) is very well known by the citizens of Banjarmasin City as he often provided attraction with fire at the Martapura River's Siring attraction on Jalan Piere Tendean.

He showed his skill in playing fire, in mouth, in knees, in the armpits, even putting the fire into his pants.

Often visitors were made hysterical when the blazing fire on torch he played put into the pants, but was not put out when the torch taken out of the pants.

Several times  he was invited by the city government to make attraction in Jakarta, even he was shown on the national tv Trans7 program of "Hitam Putih" (Black White)

Head of Banjarmasin Culture and Tourism Office Ikhsan Al-Haq here on Thursday said, Kai Api was the tourism icon of Banjarmasin city. He was a former athlete with meritious service and later become a leading street performance artist.

"He was a professional in his field, and has an attractive, humble, helpful, and humorous personality," Ikhsan recalled.

He on behalf of the rank of his agency and tourism stakeholders in the City of Banjarmasin expressed his condolences and felt the loss of the death of H Muhamad Arsyad (Kai Api).

"Banjarmasin tourism also mourned," he said.

Before he died, Kai Api was treated for several days at the Anshari Saleh Hospital because of pneumonia and acute diabetes he suffered.
Because of the time of COVID-19 pandemic, the Kai Api's body was prayed according to health protocol.