Indonesia Should Discuss with Malaysia to crub Drug Smuggling: NGO

Karimun, Riau Island (Antara)- The Indonesian government should hold talks with Malaysia regarding efforts to curb drug smuggling attempts in the border area between Riau Islands in Indonesia and Malaysia, an NGO stated.

"The government needs to hold bilateral talks with neighboring Malaysia as there is an impression that drugs could be easily smuggled from that country into Indonesia through the Riau Islands Province," Chairman of the United Malay Organization (LMB) Datuk Panglima Azman Zainal stated here, Sunday.

Holding bilateral talks on the drug smuggling problem was urgent since attempts to smuggle narcotics from Malaysia had increased significantly, particularly through the seaports of Batam, Tanjung Balai Karimun, and Tanjungpinang, he pointed out.

He lauded the Indonesian authorities, particularly the customs and excise officers, for being able to foil several attempts to smuggle methamphetamine and ecstasy from Malaysia.

"Last week, the customs officers at the Tanjung Balai Karimun seaport had arrested a Malaysian passenger for possessing 2,929 ecstasy pills. Imagine, how many Indonesian youths would have become victims if those ecstasy pills had passed the entry checkpoint," he stated.

He urged the Indonesian foreign ministry and other related institutions to diplomatically approach Malaysia over the lack of stringent checks on outgoing passengers at Malaysia's seaports.

Zainal believes that Malaysian citizens carrying drugs could freely move out of their country and enter Indonesia.

Indonesian diplomats should lobby Malaysia to conduct strict checks on outgoing and incoming passengers, he emphasized.(*)