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usinessmen affiliated with the Batam chapter of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) have called on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to arrest offi cers of state agencies that demand bribes from importers.

Head of the Batam Apindo, Abidin, told The Jakarta Post on June 19 that the illegal practice at Bantam's port had placed a massive burden on businessmen and forced a rise in production costs and the price of basic food stuffs in Batam.

"This is not only for the sake of businessmen but also for the sake of the public. The expensive price of the nine basic food stuffs in Batam is due to the illegal levies and this should be stopped. The KPK should intervene and immediately catch the culprits," Abidin said.

Abidin says this move would be reasonable given the KPK recently cracked down on corruption at the Tanjung Priok Post in Jakarta.

"The KPK should go to Batam to address the problem. I heard the central government has sent a 30-member team consisting of officers from relevant agencies to investigate the bribery, the results of which are yet unclear," Abidin said.

The amount of money extorted by the offi cials is generally based on the type and amount of cargo being imported. "They also demand money for routine fees to speed up inspection at the port, without which they will delay inspection. This must be investigated. But don't ask for proof from us, because there are never receipts involved," Abidin said.

He added the KPK could trace the illegal practice by searching the houses of agency offi cers who work at the port.

"Most of the corrupt offi cers own luxurious homes, good cell phones and watches. Based on their salaries, how could they afford them? It's hard to ask for proof from the businessmen," Abidin said.

Secretary of the Batam Free Trade Zone Investment Board I Wayan Subawa told the Post on Sunday that his office had installed close-circuit televisions capable of monitoring the entire port recently and had revived use of a Gamma Scanner so that containers could be inspected automatically.

"We have followed up the complaints and installed surveillance cameras in a number of strategic spots. We will also complete communications facilities by using fiber optics so every port activity can be monitored from headquarters, including bribery," I Wayan said.

Board spokesman Dwi Djoko Wiwoho said many government agencies work at the port and many complaints about bribery have been made for a long time.

"I heard that only the Air Force is not involved in bribery at the port because it doesn't exist there. But this needs to be investigated. We have taken maximum prevention efforts but our board is not authorized to mete out sanctions against dishonest offi cers, because each of the agencies has its own inspectorate," Djoko said.

Apindo earlier revealed the results of its survey, which showed that all government institutions operating at the seaport asked for illegal levies.