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Fuel Scarcity Worsens in Indonesia As Scheduled Price Hike Nears

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 September 2005, 09:00 CDT

Fuel scarcity worsens in Indonesia as scheduled price hike nears

JAKARTA, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Gasoline and diesel shortages worsened across Indonesia as the government's scheduled price increase on Oct. 1 draws near, Jakarta Post reported on Tuesday.

Filling stations were packed with long lines of vehicles, while police officers desperately tried to track down on and nab people thought to be hoarding fuel until the price goes up, according to the Jakarta Post.

In order to prevent widespread social unrest on Oct. 1, regional police chiefs vowed to beef up security near vital installations and gas stations, the newspaper report said.

In Semarang, the capital of Central Java province, scarcities even hit remote areas in the regency with many gas stations putting up posters claiming they had run out of gasoline and diesel fuel.

Driven by panic, the residents flocked to gas stations across the province in search of the lower-price gasoline before it becomes unaffordable next week.

Some station employees blamed stated-owned oil and gas firm PT. Pertamina for reducing the amounts they distributed, which led to the long lines.

Meanwhile, police officers across the nation geared up to prepare for the worst after the price increases.

As its response to the fuel scarcities across the archipelago, Pertamina said it had begun to provide more fuel.

In Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, local Pertamina officers vowed to increase the fuel supply by 12 percent.

The additional supply would be delivered to gas stations in the city by Oct. 1, said Pertamina official Gandhi Sri Widodo.

On average, each station in the province gets a fuel quota of 1, 500 kiloliters of diesel per day.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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