he head of the National Standardization Agency (BSN), Wahyu Purbowasito, clarified on Wednesday that the Indonesia National Standard (SNI) regarding toys only applied to children under the age of 14.
"The problem was not with the SNI, it lies with customs and excise regulations," he said on Wednesday.
This statement was in response to an incident that occurred last week in Bengkulu, Sumatra, when a man brought home a Rp 450,000 (US$ 33.71) Power Rangers Ninja Storm toy he had bought overseas. The man could not bring the toy into the country because customs and excise officers required him to seek the SNI standard that would have cost him Rp 7.5 million. He opted to destroy it.
After the news went viral, Wahyu said BSN’s Facebook account received lots of queries mainly from toy collectors.
"If you buy toys for people older than 14, you don't have to provide an SNI label," he said, adding that the lack of information dissemination had caused many people, including the authorities, to misunderstand the regulation.
Airline passengers were allowed five toys at the most from abroad, while those traveling on ships were allowed three items over a period of 30 days, said Wahyu, adding that they needed approval from BSN if they wanted to exceed those numbers. (srs/bbn)
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