Illegal liquor found in supermarket raids

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)