Buses for tsunami-hit areas stripped for parts

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Thirty-seven buses donated by Islamic Relief London for tsunami- hit areas in Aceh were stripped for their parts while waiting to be released by the customs office at Belawan Port in Medan.

The stolen parts included batteries, seats, loudspeakers, hydraulic systems and mirrors, which can all be resold for relatively high prices. A battery, for instance, might fetch Rp 2 million (US$215).

The secretary of North Sumatra's disaster and tsunami management coordination unit, Nurlisa Ginting, said on Saturday her office had taken possession of the eight buses from the customs office on Friday and moved them to a transportation office building in Medan to prevent any more damage being done to the vehicles.

She said the incident was embarrassing for the country since the buses were donated by a foreign group for disaster victims.

She said the Belawan customs office should have done more to protect the buses, adding that the customs office should be held responsible for the stolen parts.

"All of the buses were being held by the customs office, which means it should be held responsible for the theft," Nurlisa told The Jakarta Post.

The head of investigations and crime prevention at Belawan's custom office, Cerah Bangun, confirmed the incident, saying there were no suspects and it was the first case of its kind to occur at the port.

He said that last month, Islamic Relief London sent 37 buses for the Indonesian government to help tsunami victims. "All of the buses reached the port a month ago. We kept the buses because they did not have a permit from the minister of trade," Cerah said.

When asked whether the customs office would take responsibility for the theft, Cerah said port security was the authority of several offices, including port police and administrators.

"This is a sensitive case and we do not want to blame anyone. But this incident should serve as a lesson to improve security at the port," Cerah said.

He said the buses were not the only assistance waiting to be distributed to tsunami-affected areas. Many other donated items had been left stranded at the port over the last six months because no one took responsibility for their distribution to Aceh.

"There are some 843 containers of assistance for tsunami victims piled up at the port, most of them containing rice.

"Of hundreds of vehicles sent from abroad for tsunami-hit areas that were being held here due to a lack of permits, only 18 of the vehicles are still at the port and the rest have been sent to Aceh," Cerah said.

He added that these remaining 18 vehicles were in perfect condition and had not been touched by thieves.