Businessman imprisoned for importing waste<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The North Jakarta district court sentenced a
\nbusinessman to 15 months in jail yesterday for illegally
\nimporting waste into Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The court also fined Herdy Wetan, Director of PT Duta Dynasty,
\nRp 5 million (US$2,300), or six months in jail in default, for
\nsmuggling 24.38 kilograms of plastic waste from Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
Herdy said he would appeal.<\/p>\n
The team of judges said Herdy was guilty of importing a
\ncertain type of plastic waste which is forbidden under a 1992
\ndecree issued by the ministry of trade.<\/p>\n
Herdy, 40, was also found guilty of falsifying documents. He
\nclaimed to have imported 750 bags of reground vinyl pallet -- a
\nraw material used in plastics -- weighing 17,250 kilograms, when
\nthe containers were actually carrying plastic scraps packed into
\n1,060 bags weighing a total of 24.38 kilograms.<\/p>\n
The accusations were dismissed by Herdy, who said in his
\ndefense statement that he was unaware of the actual contents of
\nthe containers and merely believed what was written on the import
\ndocuments. He also said that he had all the necessary legal
\nrequirements.<\/p>\n
Government prosecutor I Made Sudama initially pressed for an
\n18-month sentence and fines.<\/p>\n
Sudama told reporters that the verdict was favorable to
\nscavengers who tend to suffer at the hands of imported waste.<\/p>\n
\"Presently the case is for the benefit of social concerns. No
\nenvironmental factors have been considered because expert
\nwitnesses from the Environmental Impact Management Agency
\n(Bapedal) and the ministries of industry and of trade have
\nasserted said that there were no toxins in the plastic waste,\" he
\ntold reporters.<\/p>\n
The reading of the verdict was attended yesterday by
\nenvironmental activists, some 30 scavengers from the Society of
\nScavengers, a number of people from the Legal Aid Foundation and
\nfrom the Jakarta Social Institute.<\/p>\n
According to the scavenger's leader Gondo, imported waste,
\nwhich is cheaper because it goes directly from the port to
\nindustries which reuse it, greatly reduces the daily earnings of
\nscavengers.<\/p>\n
\"Industries are reluctant to buy from us with the presence of
\nimports, so we have to cut down our price from about Rp 250 per
\nkilogram of garbage to around Rp 50,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
On average a scavenger can collect 25 to 30 kg of garbage
\ndaily.<\/p>\n
The container belonging to PT Duta is only one of the 14
\nothers containing waste, whose presence at the Tanjung Priok port
\nand caused protests from environmental activists early last year.<\/p>\n
Azas Tigor from the Jakarta Social Institute said the other
\ncontainers have mysteriously disappeared and that no one knows of
\ntheir whereabouts. (pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/businessman-imprisoned-for-importing-waste-1447893297",
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