City, police hot on trail of dumped meat

Damar Harsanto and Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration established on Tuesday a special team to track down illegally imported rotten beef that had been thrown out at Bantar Gebang dump in Bekasi, upon fears that the meat had made it to the city's markets.

Bekasi Police previously revealed they had managed to confiscate only a small portion of the six containers of rotten meat that should have been destroyed at the Animal Quarantine Center in Rawa Banteng, also in Bekasi.

The team, manned by officials from city market operator PD Pasar Jaya, the City Animal Husbandry Agency and the City Health Agency, has been assigned to check out local markets.

Assistant to the City Secretary for Economic Affairs Hari Sandjojo, who is also acting head of the City Animal Husbandry Agency, said information had been received that three containers suspected of transporting the rotten meat had been reported heading to Cirebon, West Java.

"My subordinates are also monitoring the possibility that the meat will enter traditional markets, especially in East Jakarta," Hari said.

East Jakarta borders on Bekasi.

Hari also revealed suspicions that the meat was imported from Brazil, one of the countries yet to be declared free of foot and mouth disease (FMD), which had afflicted at least 11 of its citizens.

"The meat should have been destroyed, not merely disposed at the dump. Please be careful when buying beef at markets, especially if they are offered at cheaper prices, as the beef could come from the batch of dumped meat," Hari said.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said Bekasi Police were set to question five people allegedly involved in the disposal of the meat.

"Four of the witnesses are those who signed orders to dispose the meat at Bantar Gebang dump, while the other is the head of a team in charge of destroying the meat, identified as HMP Hutasoit," Tjiptono said, adding that some of the information had been obtained from Tanjung Priok Port officials.

The port's customs and excise head had issued a decree on Sept. 27 to destroy the meat, which was said to have been imported by the Cooperatives of Meatballs Producers, PT Cipta Sapta Pratala and PT Pusaka Cakra Undaksana.

However, the 22-strong team at the port in charge of destroying material and shipment without economic value, consisting of government officials and Tanjung Priok Police officers, decided on Oct. 1 to discard the meat at a dump instead.

The team ordered that the meat be dumped into a pre-prepared pit at Bantar Gebang and covered with diesel fuel or kerosene before it was buried.

"We are investigating what happened that night at Bantar Gebang. Did the team try to proceed with the plan? Or did they fail to follow the procedures? And if that was the case, why?" Tjiptono said.

Media reports revealed that before the six containers arrived at Bantar Gerbang, some scavengers and locals had heard tons of meat would be brought to Bantar Gebang dump.

When the trucks arrived early morning on Saturday, dozens of scavengers were already waiting at the designated dumping spot -- some with pickup trucks to take away the confiscated meat.

Although earlier media reports said only two trucks were observed at the time, the police revealed three trucks had succeeded in dumping their load.