The State Ministry for the Environment is investigating state
officials allegedly involved in a case of hazardous waste smuggling into Batam in
February.
"We are questioning 15 people," said Ilyas Asaad, deputy chief of Environmental
Management at the ministry, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com on Friday.
Ilyas said the minister had been gathering information from Batam Environmental
Management Agency (BPL), and also from other local agencies including the
Customs and Excise Office and the Trade and Industry Agency.
The hazardous copper slag had been imported by PT Jace Octavia Mandiri, a
private company from South Korea. The company claim the slag is not hazardous
and that the company had asked a BPL official, Muhammad Raden, to confirm this.
Ilyas, however, denies that the agency had ever ordered an official to make the
confirmation.
The copper slag was listed as "ferro sand" and then allowed entry into Batam on
Feb. 3. BPL subsequently found out it was hazardous copper slag on Feb. 6.
Copper slag is listed as hazardous and dangerous industrial waste and is not
allowed to be imported. However, according to Ilyas, copper slag is often imported
illegally because it can be used as a substitute for ferro sand, that is much
more expensive. (dre)
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