Stock hoarders will be tried: Dibyo

JAKARTA (JP): National Police chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo yesterday reiterated that, from now on, all suspected stockpilers will be questioned and will face charges if sufficient evidence is available.

"The investigation of people who have allegedly hoarded essential food stuffs will be carried out in the way we normally handle common crime", he said.

The four-star general said a number of shop owners in the Greater Jakarta area had already been questioned on suspicion of hoarding basic food supplies, such as rice, cooking oil and flour. He gave no details of the number of traders questioned.

None of the traders have so far been charged as they could all prove that their supplies were not held for their own profit, he said.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said stockpiling goods violates 1955 Emergency Law No. 7 on economic crime. Violators could face a maximum six year jail sentence he said, commenting on last weeks discovery of warehouses allegedly used to hoard rice, sugar, cooking oil and soybean.

On Wednesday, Jakarta Military Command officers found at least 1,000 tons of soybean in a warehouse on Jl. Lodan, and 1,500 tons of rice, 140 tons of sugar and 600 tons of soybean at a warehouse in the Muara Karang area, North Jakarta.

Yesterday the military found thousands of tons of rice, soybean, and sugar in warehouses in Curug, Tangerang and in Cipinang, East Jakarta.

Police are questioning the owners of three of the warehouses. Santoso Winata, owner of the warehouse on Jl. Bekasi Timur, Cipinang, is still at large.

Ahmad, a driver who unloaded the rice at Santoso's warehouse, said the stash had lain in the warehouse for the last two months.

"But the food was not deliberately hoarded. We stored it there because customers did want to buy it. They claimed that the rice had already spoiled," Ahmad said.

According to Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, at least 250,000 tons of rice and other staple food has been found in private warehouses in raids carried out in the past two days.

Sjafrie said yesterday that the cases were still being investigated and may be passed over to the police. (jun/cst)