'Palace' watch sellers jailed

JAKARTA (JP): Four men were jailed yesterday for selling watches and clocks carrying inscriptions of the Burung Garuda (eagle) coat of arms and the Istana Presiden RI (Presidential Palace).

"You are marring the image of the Presidential Palace," Judge L.L. Hutagalung told the defendants at the Central Jakarta District Court.

Budi Kusnialdi, 36, Agusnar, 36, and Safrizal, 38, got five- month prison terms each while Erbin Turnip, 31, got three months. All of them are small-scale traders except for Erbin, who is an employee of a printing company.

Safrizal and Budi Kusnialdi were arrested on June 26 in Hotel Indonesia on Jl. M.H. Thamrin as they were making a transaction. In a previous trial session, they said that they sold the watches and clocks for between Rp 20,000 (US$9) and Rp 100,000 ($44) each.

Agusnar and Erbin were arrested on June 28 at their houses in Central Jakarta's subdistrict Johar Baru and East Jakarta's subdistrict Cililitan. The two were accused of making the forgeries.

"Those watches can only be made under official license and should not be sold to public," Hutagalung told the defendants.

Yesterday's trial was attended by many relatives of the defendants. (26)