Police will seize cars without proper vehicle documents

Police will seize cars without proper vehicle documents

JAKARTA (JP): In a move to check the import of illegal
automobiles, Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi said on
Wednesday the police would not hesitate to seize any vehicle
which did not have proper documents.

"If there are no proper documents, the police will forcibly
secure the car and question the owner until we find out who is
the true owner of the car ... it's regulation," Nurfaizi said at
Jakarta Police Headquarters.

"Too many cars are being smuggled into our country. We cannot
take any chances."

Nurfaizi was commenting on the recent seizure in East Jakarta
of three luxury vehicles and two economy automobiles, in total
valued at hundreds of million of rupiah.

The vehicles were a white Toyota Land Cruiser which at one
time belonged to the United Nations Mission in East Timor
(UNAMET), which was being sold for Rp 125 million (US$16,700); a
gray Toyota Land Cruiser being sold for Rp 75 million; a silver
Range Rover being sold for Rp 75 million; a Chevrolet Nova which
formerly belonged to the United States Embassy and was being sold
for Rp 15 million; and a Toyota Celica Sport, which was being
offered at Rp 22.5 million.

Earlier, East Jakarta Police chief Col. Hidayat Fabanxio said
police had arrested two people since March 20 in connection with
the five vehicles, which did not posses proper documents.

"Lia Chun Kim was arrested when we found the white Toyota Land
Cruiser in a warehouse in Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta. Lia was the
warehouse guard. He directed us to Sandy Jackson Wijaya, alias
Toni, who (Lia) said smuggled illegal cars into the country,"
Hidayat said.

"We got Toni, who is actually the owner of a car showroom on
Jl. Pedati in East Jakarta. There we got the Nova, the Celica and
the Range Rover.

"Toni said the owner of the Celica and the Nova was a man
named Iwan. We are still searching for him," he said.

The gray Land Cruiser was seized by East Jakarta Police
detectives at Graha Cijantung, but as of Wednesday police had yet
to locate the owner of the vehicle.

A number of vehicles have been seized by city police since the
beginning of this year.

City Traffic Police chief Col. Nyoman Sukesna said recently
his officers confiscated three Mercedes and a Land Cruiser from
the home of a prominent figure on Jl. Barito, Kebayoran Baru,
South Jakarta, on Feb. 19.

Nyoman said two of the three confiscated Mercedes were 1999
models and the third was a 1998 model.

"The problem was that all three (vehicles) had one license
plate, B 430 ... I can't give you the full number. There was only
one registration document for the three Mercedes, which was a
document for a 1979 model Mercedes," Nyoman said.

He said there was another Land Cruiser at the house which was
not confiscated. "One Land Cruiser was a 1998 model that was
white with a maroon stripe along the lower body. Another was a
1997 model, which was reportedly smuggled in by UNAMET."

Tanjung Priok Seaport Police in North Jakarta confiscated
three Ferraris in February.

"When we investigated this case, we found that the cars were
meant to delivered to a very important official here," seaport
police chief Col. Edward Aritonang said.

The seizure of the Ferraris was the first such seizure of the
year. The illegal import of luxury cars was rampant in the 1970s.
(ylt)