C

ustoms and excise officers at the Polonia Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, have withheld humanitarian aid from Germany for quake victims in Padang, West Sumatra, due to the lack of proper documentation.

The aid from ASB Bundesvehrband arrived at the airport Monday, but as of Wednesday afternoon, the assistance addressed to ASB Indonesia, under the name of Alex Robinson and Thomas Meier in Medan, had yet to be released and airlifted to Padang.

The case occurred despite a recent statement by customs and excise director general Anwar Supriadi that his office would streamline the process of overseas aid delivery for quake victims in West Sumatra.

Anwar made the promise after inaugurating the customs and excise supervisory and service office in Bandung, West Java, on Friday.

Imported goods division head at the Medan customs and excise office Marisi Marpaung said the addressee had yet to complete a recommendation letter from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

He said his office could not allow the relief aid to be flown to Padang without the necessary documents from BNPB.

"This is the rule. Based on Ministerial Regulation No. 64 and 160/2007, all imported goods, especially those for relief, must be accompanied with documents from the PNPB, lodged to the customs office," Marisi told The Jakarta Post.

He said his office had not intended to hamper relief consignments from overseas via the Polonia Airport to Padang.

"There's no use holding back the assistance for too long, especially now when it is much needed by quake victims in Padang."

The aid is in the form of generators, medicine, food and tents.

Marisi said the German aid currently being withheld at the airport was made up of 65 bales weighing 1,834 kilograms. He added his office was concerned the goods would not be able to be used by the quake victims if they were withheld for too long at the cargo terminal.

Marisi urged those who wished to send assistance from overseas for quake victims in Padang to obtain the proper documents, adding the obstruction was the first of its kind handled by the customs office.

Head of the service office at Polonia Airport Djamal said the airport currently functioned as an alternative transit terminal for overseas aid sent to West Sumatra.

He said as airport administrator, his office was ready to serve planes carrying relief from overseas making transits in Medan if it was not yet possible for them to land at the Minangkabau Airport in West Sumatra.

Based on data at Polonia Airport, six large planes carrying overseas aid had briefly transited at Polonia Airport while waiting for preparations at the Minangkabau Airport.