President Prabowo Subianto summoned the director general of Indonesia's Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) to the presidential palace on Tuesday afternoon, according to CNN Indonesia.
The meeting came as customs enforcement faces attention over illegal goods entering Indonesia. CNN Indonesia reported the summons without detailing the agenda.
Separately, detikNews reported that the customs chief disclosed instructions from Prabowo following the palace meeting, though the outlet did not specify their contents in the material available.
The summons follows reporting on gaps in import controls. Kompas.id reported that nearly 400 tons of illegal rice entered Indonesia, raising questions about the impact on local farmers. CNBC Indonesia reported that smugglers of illegal used clothing — known locally as balpres — continue to seek ways around border controls, describing a cat-and-mouse dynamic with authorities.
The Finance Ministry has called on the customs directorate to strengthen protection of the Indonesian market, according to a statement published by the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform.
Indonesia restricts rice imports and bans the import of used clothing, making both categories a recurring focus of customs enforcement.
What to watch next: whether the palace meeting produces concrete enforcement measures, and how the customs directorate responds to the Finance Ministry's push to tighten market protection.
