Customs ordered to tighten supervision at borders and coastal areas

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the Director General of Customs of the Ministry of Finance, Djaka Budhi Utama, to tighten customs and excise supervision in Indonesia’s border regions and coastal areas.

The instruction was issued when the Director General of Customs met with President Prabowo at the Indonesian Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday.

“I was called in and instructed to tighten the borders and coastal areas. That is all, regarding the smuggling of illegal goods as well as prohibited items,” said the Director General of Customs, responding to journalists’ questions after meeting President Prabowo at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday afternoon.

According to Djaka Budhi, this supervision is aimed at illegal export and import practices, as well as the smuggling of prohibited goods, such as drugs and imported second-hand clothing (balpres).

In relation to this, Djaka explained that Customs’ strategies include increasing equipment to support supervision and strengthening task forces within the Customs environment.

When asked about areas prone to smuggling, Djaka mentioned the Malacca Strait waters, which serves as the border between Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, as a primary focus.

“Yes, along the Malacca Strait, we have operational facility bases; we have several there, around almost one hundred ships, and we will empower all of them. However, all of this depends on the available budget. We were granted a budget increase yesterday during the meeting with the Budget Committee (DPR),” said Djaka Budhi.

The meeting between President Prabowo and the Director General of Customs took place separately from the meeting between the President and Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara, which was held at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday afternoon.

During the meeting with Finance Minister Suahasil, President Prabowo received reports regarding the current economic situation, the management of the State Budget (APBN), and the repayment of the government’s BLBI bonds, which were originally issued to handle the 1997–1998 financial crisis.