Rattan smugglers foiled in Kendari

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: Intelligence agents here have foiled an attempt to smuggle 130 metric tons of high-quality rattan aboard the ships MV Kapili Putra and MV Teluk Kulisusu bound for Singapore.

"They came across the two vessels anchored off the coast of Wandoka, on Wanci island, last week," the head of the provincial forestry office, AR Idris, said here yesterday.

After checking the ships' documents, Idris said the agents discovered that the papers on the rattan were fake.

The agents later took the vessels to Ereke village, Kulisusu subdistrict, and turned them over to local authorities for further investigation.

The owner of the rattan, estimated to be worth tens of millions of rupiah, has yet to be identified, he said as quoted by Antara.

Early last month, intelligence agents on sea patrol also confiscated 150 tons of rattan from two vessels as it was being smuggled to Singapore.