Indonesian Navy Detains Vietnamese Ship With 1,710 Tons Sugar On Board

The Indonesian Navy has foiled an alleged attempt to smuggle in 1,710 tons of illegal sugar from Thailand into Indonesia, a Navy ship commandant said. "The suger was smuggled into the country on the `Hoang Phuong` sailing under the Vietnamese flag," commandant of the "KRI Silas Papare" warship Lt. Col. Eddy Sutjipto said. He said the KRI Papare apprehended the 1,090-ton Hoang Phuong when it was patrolling in an area some 60 miles north of Gelasa Strait in the waters of Natuna, Riau Islands.KRI Silas PapareWhen inspected, the ship`s Skipper, Vu Van Tinh, failed to show his ship`s destination in the manifest and customs documents as required. On the ship which came from Thailand, the Naval offices also found 34,200 bags each contining 50 kg of illegal sugar, he said. With the violation, KRI Silas Papare escorted the ship with its skipper, 15-man crew and other evidence, to the Navy base in Batam for further investigation.