Arrests of fuel distributor bosses leave employees in limbo

Arrests of fuel distributor bosses leave employees in limbo

Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam

The arrests of executives for fuel smuggling at Pertamina-partner
companies in Batam have left the firms' workers fearing for their
future.

An employee at PT Era Pradipta Cipta Mandiri, a company that
distributed fuel for Pertamina in the Batam area, said he feared
around 80 workers at the firm's fuel depot would lose their jobs
after the arrest of company owner Terek Adenan.

Terek, who was taken into custody by police on Aug. 30, is
charged with smuggling subsidized fuel to Singapore.

"After the arrest, our company's situation became uncertain,"
Kusman, 27, a security guard at the company, said.

Police have also arrested PT Russel owner Franky and Ati, an
executive at a PT Russel subsidiary, on similar charges.

Terek and other employees still have their jobs at the depot,
which is now being used by a PT Pertamina subsidiary that also
distributes fuel in Batam.

The arrests of the two company executives came after the
government was criticized on Friday for doing little to catch the
"big-fish" fuel smugglers, who are believed to be making millions
from sending subsidized gasoline overseas.

Others fear the arrests of the executives will have little
effect on the incomes of other crooked fuel distributors, who are
believed to be cooperating with Pertamina officials and to have
many diversified businesses.

Pertamina Batam operations chief Nono Asmanu confirmed that
Pertamina had ended its business with Franky and Terek's
companies shortly after their arrests.

Nono denied executives in his company had cooperated with the
fuel distributors to smuggle fuel to Singapore.

"We are not responsible for what they have done. We cannot
monitor them around the clock," he said.