Fuel stashes uncovered as Oct. 1 nears

Fuel stashes uncovered as Oct. 1 nears

Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Trisna Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Lombok

As the date of the fuel price increase nears, more fuel hoarders
have been arrested in several areas across the nation, including
Bali and West Nusa Tenggara provinces.

At least 10 people were arrested and thousands of liters of
fuel seized during separate operations in the two provinces in
the past three days.

In Denpasar, Bali, police arrested Made Su and Kadek Pe for
allegedly hoarding some 5,300 liters of diesel fuel and 1,600
liters of Premium. The police also seized a tanker truck with a
5,000 liter capacity and some 200 200-kilogram drums of fuel.

Made Su was arrested on Tuesday at his house in Dharmasaba
area, Denpasar, which was packed with fuel drums, while Kadek Pe
was arrested later on Wednesday morning.

From Kadek Pe, a fuel agent, the police seized a tanker truck
filled with 5,000 liters of diesel fuel, a fuel hose and a
pickup truck used to carry fuel drums. The two were accused of
selling the fuel for industrial use rather than to retail buyers.

In Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, police officers arrested eight
crew members of a cargo boat on Monday and seized 24,900 liters
of diesel fuel. The boat was intercepted in waters near Kenanga
island on its way from Bali to Maluku province.

The boat's captain, Rusdianto, said the fuel would have been
used by fishing boats in Maluku.

Hoarding has been rampant in many places across the nation as
people stockpile fuel with the intention of selling it after Oct.
1 when fuel prices will be much higher.