Extortion of truck drivers still rife

Extortion of truck drivers still rife

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The North Sumatra legislative council
said on Thursday the practice of collecting illegal fees from
truck drivers has continued unchecked across the province.

The fees are arbitrarily imposed by officials stationed at
weigh stations, councillors said.

They said the illegal practice has caused serious anxiety
among truck drivers and businesspeople in North Sumatra.

Mahmuddin Lubis, a member of the council's Commission IV, said
a field investigation conducted by a team of councillors
discovered that the collection of illegal fees was occurring, at
the very least, at 13 vehicle weigh stations across the province.

The fees collected amounted to Rp 23 million per day, he told
The Jakarta Post after attending a hearing with the provincial
transportation office.

He said such bribes were commonly taken by unscrupulous
officials from truck drivers with vehicles violating the maximum
cargo capacity.

North Sumatra transportation agency head Farhan Tanjung
admitted that several officials were involved in collecting these
illegal fees.

He said his office was investigating several suspects for
their role in the crime.

"If found guilty of involvement in the case, we will not
hesitate to take firm action against the culprits, including
firing them," Farhan promised. -- JP