'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)