Insiders might be involved in explosive theft at ExxonMobil
Tuesday, November 7 2000 - 04:00 AM WIB
Members of the House of Representatives (DPR) have called on the police to investigate the possible involvement of insiders in the stealing of explosives from an ExxonMobil Oil warehouse in Mamplam village North Aceh recently.
"It would be impossible to steal such large amount of explosives without the help of insiders," Achmad Ferryal, a member of the House Commission VIII. The House member said that some workers working in the company might be involved giving the fact that the warehouse was closely guarded.
Rebels grouped in the Free Aceh Movement stole explosives from the company's warehouse recently.
Supt. Abadan Bangko, a local police chief, said rebels grouped in the Free Aceh Movement stole last week 1,600 packets of explosives from an ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc. warehouse near Mamplam village in North Aceh, about 1,750 kilometers northwest of Jakarta.
He didn't specify what type of explosives were taken or how large each packet was. However, Bangko said the explosives were commonly used for mining purposes.
Rebel spokesman Abu Sofyan Daud denied the theft allegations. He said the company warehouses were well guarded and the separatists wouldn't risk an attack on them.
The Free Aceh Movement has been waging a bloody struggle against Indonesian rule for more than 25 years. More than 5,500 people have perished in the fighting in the past decade.
ExxonMobil Oil Indonesia Inc., owned by Texas-based ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM), exports oil and natural gas from Aceh, a resource-rich province on the northern tip of Sumatra island. (*)