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)