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Batam a gateway for weapons smuggling

Source
Detik - October 13, 2000

Chaidir A. Tanjung/PT & GB, Pekanbaru – The island of Batam in Riau province is thought to be a major gateway for the illegal trade in firearms in Indonesia. "Batam's close proximity with other nations has been exploited to smuggle in firearms," said a spokesman for the Riau police.

The island is located off the island of Sumatra in one of the world's busiest trade routes and has been promoted as a special trade zone in recent years as a means to facilitate trade between countries flanking the Malacca Straights.

"At the very least, Batam with its geographical location so close to other countries has been exploited as a western regional gateway for arms smuggling," said Riau Police spokesman Superintendent S Pandiangan to Detik Friday.

The island is already famous within Indonesia as a major point in the illegal trade in luxury cars and electrical goods. Many have suspected that weapons were also brought in and distributed amongst the underworld and separatist movements, particularly in Aceh, on the northern-most tip of Sumatra.

The police no longer deny this. "We are not denying that the proximity of Batam with other nations has been used to smuggle weapon," Pandiangan reiterated.

The police in Riau also acknowledge that the hundreds of islands which fall within the province may also be used in weapons smuggling activities. However, Pandiangan was reluctant to discuss just how serious the smuggling had become in the province.

When questioned on the source of the weapons, Pandiangan agreed with popular speculation that the hardware possibly originated from Thailand due to relatively low prices in that country and proximity to Indonesia. "It's possible that the weapons are coming from Thailand. But what is clear, the Riau Police have sent a team to the areas in question especially to deal with weapon smuggling," Pandiangan said

Pandiangan said that the possibility of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) using this route to obtain weapons was quite small. He said that, for GAM members to use this route, "the weapons then have to be sent over land to reach Aceh." Nevertheless, Pandiangan said the police were on the look out and would not be complacent because an over land route could well be used.

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