The Koja disturbance did not have a major effect on export-import flows in the Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta, not far from where the incident took place, Transportations Minister Freddy Numberi said, expecting the Jakarta administration to settle the problem immediately.“Two or three shipments were delayed, But now [shipments] are back to normal again. There’s no problem,” Freddy said Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development 2010.
“What’s important for us is that exports keep running,” he said.
Freddy could not estimate the total losses resulting from the Koja disturbance, which left two people dead and hundreds injured.
A standoff had lasted almost all of Wednesday, as Koja residents fought public order officers who wanted to demolish a sacred memorial site of historic Muslim figure Arif Billah Hasan bin Muhammad Al Hadad (alias Mbah Priok) in the area.
State-owned port firm PT Pelindo II claims to be the legal owner of the land, comprising 20 square meters of the memorial complex and 300 square meters which occupied illegally.
Freddy said Pelindo II may consult the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry and Jakarta administration regarding losses resulting from the incident.
Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa expressed concerns.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged the Jakarta administration to seek a solution to the disturbance to avoid anyone “fishing in murky waters” — meaning to take advantage of a bad situation.
Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said the government should manage the disturbance to avoid further unrest.
“It occurred at an entry point to our country. I haven’t had any reports of potential losses caused by the disturbance. As said by the President, we should be able to manage this problem as well as possible to avoid any potential unrest,” Mari said.
University of Indonesia economist M. Chatib Basri said the Koja disturbance would not likely have a severe impact on Indonesia’s export-import activities.
“We often face incidents in this country, so no severe damages will result from this problem. It will have no impact. We are already immune,” he said.
Evy Suharyanto, a spokesman for the customs and excise office, said some containers were held at Koja cargo storage because they had been damaged.
Toto Dirgantoro, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Exporters Association, said earlier that cargo unloading had been forced to stop because of the incident, causing losses to exporters, although he was unable to estimate how much.
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