Thais seize RI ship smuggling oil<\/p>\n
Thai customs authorities seized an Indonesian freighter and
\narrested its captain on charges of oil smuggling, officials said
\non Monday in Bangkok.<\/p>\n
Indonesian citizen Totok Suprapto, 40, was arrested late on
\nSunday night as his ship, the MV Pelangi Frontier, was off-
\nloading diesel oil at a pier in Songkhla province, 680 kilometers
\nsouth of Bangkok, Thai officials said.<\/p>\n
Sunthorn Sisangfah, the director of Songkhla's Customs
\nDepartment, said the ship had apparently been modified to smuggle
\noil.<\/p>\n
He said the captain had confessed to smuggling 65,000 liters
\nof diesel from Singapore.<\/p>\n
\"We have been watching this ship closely,\" he said. \"We caught
\nthem while they were unloading their cargo.\"<\/p>\n
Sunthorn said the ship had previously been used to ship oil
\nand gas drilling equipment but appeared to have been specially
\nmodified for oil smuggling.<\/p>\n
\"If it's confirmed that the ship was illegally modified to
\nsmuggle oil, it will be confiscated,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to reports, many Indonesians smuggle fuel out of the
\ncountry for profit. Fuel is cheaper in Indonesia than in
\nneighboring countries because it is subsidized by the government.<\/p>\n
However, the Indonesian government cut its fuel subsidies in
\nJanuary, leading to an increase in prices, which is hoped will
\nstop fuel smuggling. -- DPA<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thais-seize-ri-ship-smuggling-oil-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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