Customs seize explosive materials

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Customs and Excise office seized on Friday a container imported from Hamburg, Germany, containing 50 drums of chemicals which could be used as explosive materials.

Office head Roy R. Lino said that the materials imported by a Jakarta-based firm, PT JML, arrived here on Jan. 11 on the MV Emperor ship in Tanjung Priok harbor, North Jakarta without proper import documentation.

"The chemical materials, included potassium cyanide which could be used as fertilizer, explosives or whatever," outgoing Roy told reporters.

He said the container also contained chemicals for food processing which were not equipped with a permit from the Directorate General for Food and Drug Control (POM).

Roy would not speculate on the intended use of the chemicals, saying only that his office was only concerned with seizing the container because it lacked adequate import documents.

"Our duty is only to check documents and seize them when they are incomplete. Let police probe the case," Roy said after leading his officers in the opening of the containers at a container warehouse in the harbor.

He said his office also seized six other containers filled with electronic goods which were illegally imported by Jakarta- based firm PT HML.

The containers which included more than 4,000 U.S.-made telephone sets, were imported by a company from Hong Kong without a permit from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, he said.

He did not say when the electronic goods arrived.

According to Roy the state suffered from at least Rp 133 million (US$14,000) in lost taxes due to illegal importing by the two companies.

The Customs and Excise office has stepped up its activities in seizing large amounts of illegally imported and smuggled goods in the past few months.

Roy is due to hand over his post to Endang Tata on Monday. (jun)