Lake Toba Tragedy; Ministry Finds Harbor under Thug`s Control

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - In relation to the Lake Toba incident where a midsize ferry boat capsized with hundreds onboard, the Transportation Ministry recently found that the regional government had barely played its role in monitoring the harbors in Lake Toba.

According to Director General of Land Transportation Budi Setiyadi, the harbor at one of Indonesia’s largest and deepest lakes is controlled by non-official boat crossing actors.  “It had always been under the control of thugs. They also controlled the loading procedure of every boat,” Budi Setiyadi revealed on Friday, June 23. 

Furthermore, Budi said that the Ministry will completely reorganize several rules regarding the management of ferry boats meant to tighten the safety aspect of ferry boat operators. The lack of safety procedure adopted by ferry owners in Lake Toba has been under the spotlight ever since the tragedy where the KM Sinar Bangun ferry boat capsized in that location on Monday.

Budi said that the improved safety and monitoring will not only be focused at lake Toba, but also in numerous areas such as Kalimantan, South Sumatra, up to Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara.

“We will internally discuss it starting on Monday next week. We will simplify the Minister’s Decree and other related regulations,” said Budi.

The KM Sinar Bangun ferry capsized in Lake Toba; only halfway on its way from Simanindo Harbor to Tigaras Harbor. The 17 gross tonnage boat had allegedly accommodated up to hundreds of passengers including several motorcycles, despite its maximum capacity of 34 passengers.

YOHANES PASKALIS | BISNIS