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.