T

he Indonesian Regional Representatives Council (DPD) has urged the government to protect five Indonesian tugboat crewmen arrested by Singaporean customs on Thursday for loading cigarettes above the
permitted quota.

The DPD said that it had received reports that the five Indonesian crew aboard the BW Endurance tugboat had been arrested and detained at the Singapore Admiralty’s West Prison for allegedly smuggling cigarettes, after finding the men in possession of 10 packs of cigarettes.

Riau Islands DPD representative Aida Zulaikah Nasution said that the families of the crewmen had reported the incident to the council, complaining that the case had been unfairly handled by the Singaporean authorities.

“The families of the crew have come to the DPD asking that they [the crewmen] be freed because, according to them, only one of the crew had brought the cigarettes. So why were all of them arrested? This shows Singapore’s arbitrary treatment of Indonesian citizens,” she told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

She said that the DPD was disappointed with the work of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, which responded to the case only after the council had informed them about it.

“We request that the Foreign Ministry pay attention to this matter. The crewmember found guilty should be legally processed but those who are not guilty should be freed. This is about our country’s prestige,” she said.

After a discussion with four other DPD members from the Riau Islands regarding the case, Aida and her colleagues were of the opinion that the stern steps taken by the Singaporean authorities were uncalled for, arguing that the cigarettes were for personal consumption and not intended to be sold.

She said that Indonesia, in turn, should show an equally firm stance toward Singaporean ships passing through the country’s waters.

“We also urge authorities in Batam, Bintan and Karimun ports to carry out a tighter monitoring of Singaporean ships and crews attempting to smuggle things into our area.” she said.

An observation by The Jakarta Post found a considerable difference in prices between cigarettes in Singapore and those in Indonesia. A pack of Marlboro cigarettes in Singapore costs S$10 or around Rp 70,000, while the exact same pack in Indonesia costs only Rp 15,000. (awd)