Illegal liquor found in supermarket raids

JAKARTA (JP): Illegal importers are believed to have been supplying many kinds of liquor to supermarkets, despite the government's efforts to curb the sale of it.

An official at the City Public Order Office said that in recent raids on supermarkets officials had confiscated a large number of bottles of foreign-made liquor which bore no stickers from the authorized importers.

Toha Reno, the head of the office's entertainment department, said early this week; "I've asked the authorized importers about the alcohol we confiscated, and they said they had no idea about that".

The government authorizes only two firms to import liquor; PT Rajawali Garuda Nusantara and PT Tjipta Niaga.

According to the Ministry of Health record in March 1996, there were eight authorized producers in Jakarta, 33 wholesalers, 30 distributors and 237 retailers in Jakarta.

In practice, the distribution of liquor is supervised by the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurants Association and products are distributed only to members.

In a raid last week, officials confiscated a crate of imported liquor from a supermarket. The imported liquor had an alcohol content of more than 5 percent, and the bottles had no stickers on them.

The supermarket management said it could not identify the illegal importers.

"However, the bottles bore stickers issued by the Ministry of Health. This means the drinks have been registered at the ministry, but I have no idea why," Toha said.

From raids on supermarkets and other shops the city public order has confiscated 23,644 bottles of liquor, Toha said. "More than 4,300 bottles bore the health ministry's stickers, but not stickers from the legal importers."

To clarify the "conflict" Toha's office, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health's Directorate of Food and Drug Control and customs officials, would conduct more raids, he said.

In January, the government issued a Presidential Decree which regulates production, distribution, sales, quality standards and tax on liquor.

Some observers say that the decree, could however, increase the illegal distribution of imported liquor.

Criminologist Adrianus Meliala of the University of Indonesia said the government had been pragmatic in issuing the decree.

"Eradicating alcohol would be impossible. Allowing the sale of liquor at certain places and letting people to decide for themselves whether to consume alcohol or not is much wiser than prohibiting it," said Adrianus.

The decree, consisting of six chapters and ten articles, states that liquor may only be sold in licensed places, such as hotels, bars, restaurants and other places appointed by local authorities.

It defines alcoholic beverages as those which contain ethanol and are produced through fermentation and distillation of carbohydrate substances.

Under the decree liquor is defined as belonging to three categories: A is drinks with an alcohol content of up to 5 percent, B from 5 percent to 20 percent of ethanol and C from 20 percent to 55 percent.

The selling of B and C category alcohol is to be confined to licensed premises like hotels, restaurants and other outlets appointed by local authorities. All sales should be far from places of worship, schools and hospitals. A category alcohol would be available at supermarkets.

The home affairs ministry decree is awaited to implement the guidelines of the Presidential Decree on alcohol. (11/ste)