Parjal demanded that the containers be shipped back to the port of origin in Surabaya, East Java, Parjal Chairperson Ronald Mambieuw noted in a statement that ANTARA quoted here, Wednesday.
If the excise documents for shipping thousands of cans of beer are valid, please send them back to the port of origin, as Manokwari is not a transit area for liquor, he emphasized.
Parjal urged the local government and law enforcement agencies to prevent the cans of beer from reaching communities ahead of this year's Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The chairperson pointed out that liquor had been banned under the Manokwari District Government Regulation No.5 of 2006 that could potentially threaten the law and order situation in local communities.
Meanwhile, Head of the Enforcement and Investigation Division at the Manokwari Customs and Excise Office Rachmad Agung Susanto had confirmed earlier to a physical container inspection having been conducted.
Referring to the "CK-6 documents" he received, the five containers were filled with "BB" branded beer products, shipped from Surabaya, and owned by CV MPS in Teluk Bintuni District, West Papua.
"The documents are administratively complete, and we have also conducted a physical inspection. Hence, the customs and excise does not enforce law (against the containers)," he remarked.
As of Tuesday evening, the five shipping containers remained at Manokwari Port's container terminal, though a courier agency had planned to transport them to Teluk Bintuni on Monday evening.
ANTARA noted that alcohol consumption remained a grave problem in Papua and West Papua despite an official ban in place on the production, distribution, and sale of liquor.
Consuming alcohol has been found to harm the health of drinkers in both the short and long term.
The long-term health problems that those consuming liquor beverages may face include "swelling and pain, alcoholic liver disease, cancer, yellowing of skin and spider veins, and potential weight gain" (Te Hiringa Hauora, 2020).
Moreover, in the context of Papuan communities, the consumption of alcoholic beverages may have contributed to the shortened life expectancy of native Papuans.
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Translator: Hans AK, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
