Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Jakarta
Officials at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, a ministry and PT Microsoft Indonesia denied an accusation that passengers carrying laptop computers containing illegal software were subject to examination and on-the-spot trials.
The accusation, written in an e-mail, has been circulating for several days through mailing lists and Internet forums.
It says on May 29, two travelers, Rahmat Saptadirdja and Bima Kurniawan, witnessed software raids by a joint team comprising officers from the police and the Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights Protection from the Justice and Human Rights Ministry.
It says the violators were tried on the spot and ordered to pay Rp 9.5 million in fines (US$1,030).
"Their laptops were held and they had to claim them back at appointed police headquarters," the witnesses said. They also said the officers ordered the violators to pay the fines or their laptops would be seized.
Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II's spokesman Trisno Heryadi denied airport authorities had been conducting a series of software raids at the airport.
"To my knowledge, PT Angkasa Pura II and the airport police have never held raids on laptops," he said Thursday.
He said examination of laptops at checking points occurred only for security reasons.
Public relations manager of Microsoft Indonesia Mona Monika said her company was unaware of any raids.
"My friends have been asking me about this, but in fact, we don't know anything about them," she said.
Head of regional cooperation of the Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights Handi Nugraha said his office did not have the authority to conduct such raids.
"It is the job of the police. It's doesn't make sense the directorate general would conduct a raid at an airport and go through people's belongings," said Handi. (lva)
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