Dutch citizen arrested for smuggling disappears

Leuthschere Erik, a Dutch citizen, who had been put under the police custody in Batam, Riau province since March, this year on charge of smuggling attempt has disappeared from his detention, Kompas daily reported on Friday.

The newspaper said that Erik's ship that he allegedly used to carry out the illegal operation had also left the island, some 30 kilometer from the city state Singapore, without the permission from the local authority.

Admiral Muslimin, the command of the marine operation on the island, said he did not know the Dutch man's whereabout and he blamed the local court on his disappearance. He also regretted the court's lack of control on the ship.

Erik, the captain of the ship, which carried the Dutch flag was arrested in March this year by the local marine force for allegedly stealing sand from the local sea. The Dutch man was also charged with illegally exporting the sand to Singapore, inflicting loss of over Rp 1 billion to the state.

According to Muslimin, who led the operation in seizing the ship, the ship that would be used as evidence in the smuggling charge, had asked permission for a short trip to Singapore to a maintenance purpose. "But the ship has never returned since then," he added. (*)