Kerosene begins to disappear in West Sumatra

Kerosene begins to disappear in West Sumatra

PADANG, West Sumatra (JP): Soon after the House of
Representatives (DPR) approved the government's plan to increase
the fuel prices, effective June 15, kerosene and diesel fuel
disappeared from West Sumatra's markets.

Residents said on Wednesday that the two commodities had
vanished from retail outlets as of last week.

"Retailers now sell kerosene at between Rp 1,000 and Rp 1,800
per liter, while the old price was only Rp 430. They also
increased the price of diesel fuel from Rp 550 to Rp 700 per
liter," a resident said.

A retailer in the district of Lubuk Basung, Syamsul, confirmed
the increase in the kerosene price. "In the past we could get
between eight to 10 drums of kerosene per week. Now I have to
wait for days to get only one drum. We had to raise the price
because we find it difficult to get kerosene supplies."

People have concluded that certain groups of people had
illegally stored the kerosene shortly after the House's approval
of the new prices.

The chairman of the Padang chapter of the Oil and Gas
Businessmen Association, Syafriyal said, however, there was
nothing wrong with the supply of diesel fuel in West Sumatra.

Residents living on the east coast of the regency of Asahan in
Medan, North Sumatra have also complained about the shortage of
kerosene and diesel fuel.

"We have found it difficult to get kerosene and diesel fuel in
the recent weeks," a resident of the Air Putih district in
Asahan, Mochammad Tanjung, was quoted by Antara as saying on
Wednesday.

"A liter of diesel fuel, if available, is now sold at Rp 1,200
or Rp 300 higher than before. While kerosene is now Rp 1,000 per
liter or Rp 300 higher than before."

The Medan branch of state oil and gas company Pertamina said
that the supply of kerosene to Asahan was stable at 200 tons per
day.

In the Central Java capital of Semarang, some 200 students and
people grouped in Semarang People's Forum stormed the provincial
legislature building rejecting the increase in fuel prices.

The protesters said the government had shown no empathy for
the people's suffering.

In the town of Purwokerto dozens of people representing seven
organizations also took to the streets to protest the
government's decision. They also rejected the increase in
electricity rates. (25/28/har/sur)