Smuggling of explosives in Borneo.

A man was arrested in Indonesian Borneo, or Kalimantan, after having smuggled 3000 detonators from neighbouring Sarawak province of Malaysia. The police caught Raimi, known as Remi bin Salim, on a docked passenger ferry from Tawau on February 10th where he was found to be carrying Indian made detonators as well as more than 1,700 meters of fuse.

The man claimed that he was only operating as a courier and was to deliver the explosives materials to a woman called Salmah. She was later arrested, on Tuesday, in Pare-Pare, South Sulawesi, and police discovered 19 sacks of ammonium nitrate, 597 detonators and eight kilograms of potassium in her house.

The two will be charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosive materials under the 1951 State Emergency Law and could face a death sentence if convicted.

The question, which the police are apparently trying to ascertain, is whether the explosives were meant for delivery to terrorist groups or merely to be used in illegal fishing ventures. If related to terrorism it highlights a trend among terror groups in Indonesia to use women for certain duties, women being less likely to arouse suspicion.