'Bird flu' scare prompts govt to ban fowl imports

'Bird flu' scare prompts govt to ban fowl imports

JAKARTA (JP): The government has banned imports of poultry,
particularly from Hong Kong, to prevent the spread of the deadly
"bird flu" virus, which has killed four Hong Kongers and
triggered fears of a worldwide epidemic.

Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah made the
announcement yesterday, five days after Hong Kong banned all
imports from mainland China -- which exports 75,000 chickens a
day to Hong Kong -- fearing the virus was coming from farms
across the border.

"Banning poultry imports, especially from Hong Kong, is the
best action we can take as we know that the epidemic has already
claimed four lives."

The minister expressed hope that related institutions, such as
the Ministry of Health, would also take preventive measures to
stop the H5N1 virus from infiltrating Indonesia.

Sjarifudin provided no details about the value of poultry
imports.

He also did not disclose whether the government would order
blood tests for domestic birds, especially chickens, which may
have been infected by the deadly virus via travelers or poultry
smuggled into the country.

According to reports from foreign agencies, health workers in
Hong Kong entered yesterday the second day of a massive
slaughter. They have killed 1.3 million chickens and an unknown
number of ducks, geese, quails and pigeons, which are believed to
have infected humans with the disease previously thought to
affect only birds.

When contacted by The Jakarta Post yesterday, restaurants in
Jakarta which serve meals using imported and local ducks admitted
yesterday that their business had not been badly affected by news
of the "bird flu" virus.

Vivie of Quan Jude restaurant, which specializes in Peking
duck cuisine, said all ducks served at her restaurant on Jl.
Mangga Dua in Central Jakarta were imported from China.

"The chef is also from Beijing," she said proudly.

Vivie claimed that imported ducks are superior to the local
ones.

The restaurant orders at least 3,000 frozen ducks directly
from Beijing and the supply lasts for between one and two weeks,
she said.

"Yes, we heard about the epidemic but I think it only happens
in Hong Kong, not in China."

She doubted that her restaurant would be affected by the news.

"People are still telephoning us asking if we'll be open on
New Year's Eve?".

Vivie said staff from the City Veterinary Agency regularly
monitored the frozen duck deliveries to her restaurant.

Other restaurant workers were oblivious to news about the
virus. For them, the most important thing was a steady flow of
customers coming to their restaurants.

Yuli of Lim Thiam Kie restaurant on Jl. KH. Agus Salim in
Central Jakarta said that the restaurant served boiled and fried
duck.

"So far, there has been no big change in terms of customers
here because many still ask for duck and they don't really care
if we give them local ducks or imported ones," she said.

The owner of Restaurant Eka Ria on Jl. K.H. Zainul Arifin in
Central Jakarta gave a similar response, saying that demand was
still high for poultry.

"We serve local ducks and we think that they are safe from the
disease," she said.

The owner of Hong Bin Lou restaurant, A.D. Hamiprodjo, said
that his restaurant served Chinese food which was completely
different to Hong Kong-style cuisine.

"I don't think Jakarta customers are thinking about the spread
of the virus, how dangerous or how deadly it is. It's totally
different from AIDS which everybody knows is a deadly illness,"
he said. (04)