Commander lucky with gold find

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): The commander of the Bukit Barisan military command, Maj. Gen. Rizal Nurdin, while helping to carry a bag of a fellow passenger on board a Jakarta bound flight, discovered that it contained 34 kilograms of gold bars.

Rizal boarded an afternoon flight Thursday from Medan to Jakarta to attend a meeting with Armed Forces chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung.

As he was boarding the flight he saw a middle aged man having difficulties carrying a green bag.

Rizal approached the man, later identified as Matsum, and offered assistance.

When asked what was in the bag, Matsum innocently said it was gold. The military commander then became suspicious and inspected the contents of the bag.

After further inspection from local police, it was discovered that the gold was being transported without the necessary papers and the gold was then seized.

Officials from the local office of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said the gold would be returned to its owners, a gold shop in Medan, after the correct papers were filled out.

Matsum, an employee of the store, was not allowed to leave Medan Thursday. It is not clear whether Rizal was also late for his meeting with the Armed Forces chief as a result. (mds)