JAKARTA (JP): The police said yesterday they will continue
JAKARTA (JP): The police said yesterday they will continue
their anti-spirits operation, which was launched by police to
supplement the ongoing anti-crime Operasi Bersih or Operation
Cleansing, despite complaints from several owners of companies
producing beverages.
Some of these owners said they have nearly gone bankrupt
because their sales have dropped drastically during the on-going
operation.
"The businessmen can say anything they want, but we must
follow orders given to use by our superiors, that is to seize as
many illegal alcoholic drinks as we can," Capt. Syaiful Bd., who
heads the round-the-clock operation, told reporters here
yesterday.
Syaiful questioned why the government has yet to close down
companies producing alcoholic drinks, which he blamed for the
corrupt state of the young generation and the increasing number
of crimes in the city.
"If we really intend to reduce the crimes rate, we should shut
down all factories that produce spirits," said Syaiful, who is
also chief of the Operational Unit of the on-the-alert City
Police squad.
A number of spirits producers, mostly those located in Bogor,
Tangerang and Bekasi, claimed that production has dropped to its
lowest levels as wholesalers and retailers have stopped buying
their products for fear they would be seized by the authorities.
An executive of a producer of numerous brand name alcoholic
drinks, PT Suba Indah, which produced 3.7 million bottles of
beverages in 1990 in Cimanggis, Bogor, said his firm's production
dropped to around 90 percent last month.
Another company, PT Perindustrian Bapak Jenggot, which
produced 130 million bottles in 1990, claimed similar problems
and said it is considering laying off 1,250 workers.
The anti-spirits operation was launched by the city police to
supplement the ongoing army-sponsored Operation Cleansing, an
anti-crime campaign specifically design to reduce crimes in the
city.
As of this week, Syaiful said police have seized a total of
150,000 bottles of spirits sold illegally at hundreds of drink
stands in the city.
Some of the drinks were sold under the brand names of Mansion
House, Double Kiwi, McDonald Whisky, Anggur Cap Orang Tua, Kamput
(White Goats), Anggur Merah and Anggur Putih wines.
Record
In a related development, the West Jakarta district military
hit a record Tuesday, seizing 90,000 bottles of spirits and
thousands of tins of expiring snacks during a raid on a single
storehouse in Tambora district.
The storehouse, which is located on Jl. Orpa 84, is owned by
Ng Djin Tjong, nicknamed "the boss of alcohol."
Dozens of officers from the district military garrison, the
district police station as well as municipal officials were
busily loading the goods into 15 trucks when the press came to
the West Jakarta military garrison for a press conference.
The goods were reportedly to be delivered to the West Jakarta
police for further legal processing.
Public
West Jakarta Military Commander Lt. Col. IP Sisworo partly
credited the accomplishment to the public, whom he said had
tipped off his men about the storehouse.
The public, said Sisworo, was suspicious about the storehouse
as they saw people coming in and out every day carrying drinks
containing more than 30 percent alcohol.
"Based on the tip-off, the officers stormed the premises on
Sunday and found hundreds of thousands of bottles of spirits and
thousands of tins of expiring snacks," the district commander was
quoted by Antara as saying yesterday.
The officers then summoned Tjong and his right-hand man, Wong
Fong Hin, 42, for questioning.
Wong reportedly tried to foil the confiscation, saying the
business was legal, and showed licenses issued by police and the
Health Ministry.
By Tjong's admission, his company "PD Shanoy," situated on Jl.
Pintu Besar Selatan I, West Jakarta, bought the spirits from the
PT Industri SEMAK factory, which is based on Jl. Raya Serang,
West Java. (bsr/jsk)