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