Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A range of cheap merchandise, allegedly smuggled from Malaysia and Singapore, can be found on sale openly at Belawan Port, some 20 kilometers from the North Sumatra capital of Medan.
The contraband include dolls, remote-control cars, CD and VCD players, vases, decorative lamps, perfumes, shoes and clothing.
Business is bustling in areas along Jl. Simalungun and others, where it has been going on for years. Several traders interviewed by The Jakarta Post said they enjoyed the business, even though they were dealing in illegal goods.
Yanti, one such Belawan trader, said one of the reasons they continued the business was because it was lucrative. In addition, the goods were more favored by buyers because they were cheaper there than in stores.
For example, she said a 1.7-meter tall vase from Singapore cost Rp 1.2 million (US$150.00), while in store prices could reach over double that at Rp 2.5 million. A remote-control car is only Rp 75,000, compared to Rp 200,000 in stores. "There will always be buyers coming here every day to buy imported products. They usually come from out of town like Binjai, Langkat and even Aceh," said Yanti.
Another trader, Riza, said traders ordered their stock through professional agents, who had networks in Malaysia and Singapore. "Lightweight goods, like perfume, toy cars and dolls, are usually brought in by ship with crew members acting as middlemen, and heavier goods come also by ship, but are unloaded at night," he said.
Cerah Bangun, head of the crime and prevention unit of the Belawan customs and excise office, claimed that every imported item sold was legal and had been approved by the office, and denied smuggled goods were being sold at Belawan open market.
Meanwhile, Medan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bagus Kurniawan said on Saturday that the customs office was aware of the items being sold and that they were considered legal.
The police were making efforts to clamp down on traders selling illegal goods, he said. "Actually, we feel for the traders because they just want to make a living. The ones who must be arrested are the smugglers. Relevant agencies should be involved in the case by paying close attention to these illegal activities," he said.
Last Friday, customs and excise director general Eddy Abdurrahman said smuggling cases – especially via areas on the eastern Sumatra coast, such as Belawan and Tanjung Balai – had been on the rise lately.
He said smuggling there continued unabated because of a long unbroken coastline with numerous spots where medium-sized vessels could gain easy access, he added. Based on data gathered by the directorate general of customs and excise, smuggling activities in the area in the first five months of 2004 had already exceeded last year's figure of only 29 cases.
The cases being investigated include the smuggling of 57 luxury cars valued at Rp 11.8 billion from Singapore, 1.5 million packs of cigarettes from China, and used clothing and sugar from Port Klang, Malaysia.
Eddy said suspects of the smuggling cases were being interrogated and would be taken to court soon to be tried, while all evidence against them had been seized and much of them were destroyed. "Smuggling must be stopped immediately because it causes our country to incur many losses," he said.