TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Govt claims most illegally imported goods come in from Malaysia
Change Size
Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan (second left), Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati (third left) and Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto (fourth left) watch the destruction of goods allegedly imported illegally in an event staged at a Customs and Excise Office facility in Cikarang, West Java, on Oct. 26, 2023. (Trade Ministry/-)
T
he Customs and Excise Office says most illegally imported goods come to Indonesian shores from Malaysia, often through small routes but sometimes via big ports.
That was revealed by Customs and Excise Director General Askolani on Thursday when his office, together with the Trade Ministry, Finance Ministry as well as several other law enforcement bodies, publicly destroyed goods in Cikarang, West Java.
The goods destroyed consisted of second-hand clothing, electronic devices, bicycles and other items amounting to a combined value of Rp 49.95 billion (US$3.13 million).
Askolani said his office had confiscated 1,600 items two weeks ago on the east coast of Sumatra.
“[On the east coast of Sumatra], there were mainly pelabuhan tikus [small, illegal ports], and we have been intensifying inspection of boats these past few weeks, and they came in predominantly from Malaysia,” he was quoted as saying by Kontan.
Products smuggled in through major ports were brought in under the guise of fabricated invoices and custom declaration documents, Askolani explained.
The Customs and Excise Office said it had been intensely supervising all ports after the government made a commitment to crack down on illegal imports to protect local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and push domestic industries.
