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Customs patrol vessel attacked in N. Sumatra, four officials injured
Four officials from the Customs and Excise Office reported injuries after the patrol vessel they were aboard was attacked by a mob in Tanjung Jumpul waters just off Asahan regency, North Sumatra, early Friday morning.
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Customs officers tow the KM Karunia vessel, allegedly carrying an illegal shipment of shallots, to Belawan Port in Medan, North Sumatra, on Friday. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)
Four officials from the Customs and Excise Office reported injuries after the patrol vessel they were aboard was attacked by a mob in Tanjung Jumpul waters just off Asahan regency, North Sumatra, early Friday morning.
The four officials reportedly sustained facial, leg, arm and hand injuries after the mob threw Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at the patrol vessel.
The office’s enforcement and investigation department head, Rizal, said the patrol vessel was attacked at 4:45 a.m. when the ship was approaching two ships suspected of smuggling goods. The two ships, Rizal went on, were purportedly loaded with illegal goods from Malaysia.
“When we were about to act, dozens of people from the ship appeared attacking our vessel. Our vessel almost exploded because of the Molotov cocktails’ explosive power,” Rizal told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Rizal said the two ships managed to flee the scene through Esdengki Asahan waters. “We did not dare enter that area because it’s home to smugglers, posing a high-risk [situation],” Rizal went on.
Rizal added that after that attempted seizure was foiled, customs officers still managed to capture the KM Karunia vessel, which allegedly was carrying 20 tons of shallots illegally in Bagan Batak waters. He said the ship was towed to Belawan Port in Medan, North Sumatra. (evi)
