Tainted gasoline creates concern<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The chief of the Jakarta chapter of the National
\nAssociation of Oil and Gas Businessmen, A.S. Siregar, has asked
\npolice to crack down on places selling adulterated gasoline.<\/p>\n
\"We are hoping that the authorities can eliminate the selling
\nof adulterated gasoline to break the link of either the
\nproduction or the distribution of it,\" Siregar said.<\/p>\n
Antara news agency reported on Thursday that the dilution of
\ngasoline with kerosene probably happened shortly after the fuel
\ntruck left the depot of the state-owned oil company Pertamina at
\nPlumpang, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Some people have managed to bribe the fuel truck drivers into
\ndrawing off some of the fuel. Then those people blend it with
\nkerosene,\" Siregar said.<\/p>\n
Regardless of the strict action taken by Pertamina to punish
\nsuch drivers, there are still some drivers who are tempted to
\nadulterate the gasoline in order to make some additional money.<\/p>\n
Siregar swore that none of the members of his association were
\ninvolved in the sale of adulterated gasoline.<\/p>\n
Siregar also said that sharp difference is prices between
\ndiesel fuel and regular gasoline makes illegal blending more
\nrampant.<\/p>\n
In October, the city police arrested a married couple for
\nalleged involvement in the distribution of adulterated diesel
\noil.<\/p>\n
The couple were suspected to have drawn off 2,000 liters of
\ndiesel fuel from a tanker truck carrying 8,000 liters of diesel
\nfuel. They then replaced the diesel fuel with lubricating oil and
\nkerosene.<\/p>\n
Last year, a joint team of Pertamina and some powerful
\nwatchdog government agencies made on-site inspections to monitor
\nthe quality of fuel and lubricating oil sold at local outlets.<\/p>\n
Illegal processing and marketing of used lubricants has
\nseriously affected the legal producers, including Pertamina.<\/p>\n
Lubricant output in Indonesia dropped from 340,785 tons in
\n1987 to 261,281 tons in 1988. After a massive police raid in
\n1989, the state-owned oil company recorded a slight increase to
\n289,630 tons. (mas)<\/p>",
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