A Dumai customs official, Budi Hermanto, said here on Wednesday he had received the dossiers regarding indications of rice smuggling from Vietnam and Thailand carried by the MV Golden Falcon manned by a crew of 25 Vietnamese on Friday (Sept 23).
"We are still keeping the documents on the illegal shipment and cannot yet allow the tanker with its crew and skipper to sail," he said.
All of the crew of the Vietnamese-flagged ship carrying hundreds of tons of illegal rice were still needed for questioning regarding indications of a rice smuggling attempt through Pertamina`s special port in Dumai.
"Indeed in the transfer of the case, the marine police have only puts the rice in the list of exhibits while the skipper named Boy Cung has been named a witness who may later be named a suspect. This however does not mean that the ship and its crew can be allowed to sail again. They are still needed for questioning about the case uncovered by the marine police from the National Headquarters," he said.
Budi said so far his office had asked for information from the skipper but later would also question the other crew members.
"If criminal elements are found later we will hand over the case to the prosecutor`s office in Dumai not the police," he said.
On a separate occasion the chief of the marine police of Dumai, Adjunct Commissioner Hanafi, said he had deliberately included the ship and the 24 crew respectively as evidence and witnesses because the case is under an international law jurisdiction.
"After several days of investigation we have found no criminal elements but mere violations of customs rules and therefore we sent the case to the customs service," he said.
The attempt to smuggle tons of Vietnamese rice by MV Golden Falcon led by Boy Cung had been foiled by the Indonesian marine police.
The undocumented ship was caught by the marine police from the National Headquarters while docking at Pertamina`s special port in Dumai, on Friday (Sept 23).
The rice was kept in balancing tanks on the sides of the ship supposed to carry Pertamina`s crude and processed oil. According to police record, the method is the newest one. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
