T

he airport operator and a local travel agent association suspect that foul play allowed an Indonesian man to pass through security at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, with bullets as well as materials used for blast fishing in his baggage.

The Brunei police arrested an Indonesian in possession of ammunition as he was in transit at Brunei International Airport in Bandar Seri Begawan with a group of other Indonesians on their way to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for umrah (minor haj).

Yanus Suprayogi, the newly appointed general manager of Juanda airport'€™s operator PT Angkasa Pura I, said it had launched an investigation into how the contraband went undetected by airport scanners and officers.

'€œThe scanners should'€™ve detected the contraband. We are investigating whether [the baggage] missed a scanning,'€ Yanus said on the sidelines of his appointment ceremony in Sidoarjo on Thursday.

The Indonesian Embassy in Brunei received notification on May 2 about the arrest of three Indonesian citizens by the Brunei police for the alleged possession of '€œsensitive or dangerous items'€, which included bullets, uncovered in one of the detainee'€™s bags during a routine inspection.

Two of them have since been released and continued on to Jeddah, while the third '€” 63-year-old Rustawi Tomo Kabul '€” remains in the custody of Brunei'€™s internal security department and is awaiting trial on May 11.

Yanus, however, emphasized that the airport was equipped with international standard equipment. The airport'€™s Terminal 2 for international departures, he said, was equipped with X-ray scanners for baggage after its check-in counters.

Separately, the secretary-general of the East Java chapter of Haj and Umroh Operators Indonesia (Aphuri), Fauzi Mahendra, admitted that the association had observed a number of tour operators that had not played along with the rules.

'€œThere are a number of over-capacity baggage cases that made it through with help from airport officers,'€ Fauzi said.

The association promised to evaluate all of its members as well as tighten procedures for umrah travelers. '€œWe don'€™t want us law-abiding tour operators to be put in the same box as those who violate the rules,'€ Fauzi said.

Fauzi said that the association had received a warning from the police that hard-line groups could take advantage of tour operators to go to Middle Eastern countries.

Tour operators have also participated in sending illegal migrant workers overseas. Fauzi said that by paying around Rp 50 million (US$3,809), compared to Rp 30 million for umrah, people could leave for the Middle East by disguising themselves as pilgrims.

Once abroad, they would leave the group and tour operators would report that they had run away and would subsequently pay a fine to end their responsibility.

According to the association'€™s data, around 50,000 people are leaving for umrah from East Java. Around 80 people have reportedly used umrah travel to become illegal migrant workers.

Also on Thursday, East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Anas Yusuf said that the provincial police had begun an investigation into Rustawi'€™s real background.

'€œWe are conducting the investigation in Malang,'€ Anas said.